Gurkhas honour Burma campaign veteran Fred
HAVING written a month or so ago about Sark School's No Talking Day - and managing to upset at least one Chief Pleas member in the process by suggesting that the legislature has held four of those a year since 2008 - head teacher Sarah Cottle told me this week that they raised more than £1,600 (and still rising) simply by keeping quiet.
HAVING written a month or so ago about Sark School's No Talking Day - and managing to upset at least one Chief Pleas member in the process by suggesting that the legislature has held four of those a year since 2008 - head teacher Sarah Cottle told me this week that they raised more than £1,600 (and still rising) simply by keeping quiet.
For 39 pupils and a handful of staff members, that figure in aid of the Red Cross appeal for victims of this year's natural disasters in New Zealand and Japan is yet another example of the extraordinary spirit of generosity that runs right through this small community.
I said 'still rising' because when I spoke to Sarah on Monday of this week, the figure was just over £1,450, yet by the following afternoon it had risen to £1,600 - a splendid effort on the part of all concerned; children, school staff and donors.
As reported earlier in the week, the visit of the Chelsea Pensioners and the Gurkhas on Sark's Liberation Day - a day later than the other islands - was its customary success. The inclusion of the young Gurkhas gave me and many others the most heart-warming feeling, principally because of the natural courtesy and affection they showed to their elderly fellow visitors.
I watched the pensioners getting on and off carriages and each time there were at least a couple of the serving soldiers there to give assistance. A lovely example of the natural respect these young men show to an older generation.
The visit was also marked by the presentation to Fred Teers - 96 in July and a veteran of the Second World War Burma campaign - by the Gurkhas of a hat badge, which Fred wore with obvious pride for the remainder of the day.
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Rossford de Carteret has resigned his seat as a conseiller. He was one of only five tenants who moved from having a seat by right in the old legislature to being elected to the assembly in the historic 2008 election for 28 conseillers.
His resignation now forces a long-awaited by-election because the Reform Law which changed our system of government provided for one to be held only when there were at least three vacancies.
That has meant that since the resignation of David Pollard in September 2009 and the death of Dr Stephen Henry in November of that year, Chief Pleas has been two members short of its full complement.
But even now, it looks as if the electorate will still have to wait until August at least before the three replacements can take their seats. This is because a by-election can be ordered only after Chief Pleas has made an ordinance ordering such an event and the next meeting is the midsummer one in July.
Without putting too fine a point on it, that sort of situation - both the delay in replacing members and the requirement that the full assembly is involved in the legal process of by-elections - is plainly ludicrous and should be addressed.
The simple way would be to remove the power to order the by-election from the legislature and hand it to the Seneschal's Court with the stipulation that the court shall make the order within a given interval after the vacancy occurs - say one calendar month.
No doubt someone will have something to say about that and as long as it's not the familiar 'Sark is different' excuse for doing nothing, I'm happy that they do so.
l The email address for comment is fallesark@sark.net.
