Government House forced to resort to wet weather plan
THE celebration of Guernsey recipients in the King’s Birthday Honours list was trimmed back by the weather forecast but still warm in support.
David Robilliard MBE, Marguerite Talmage BEM, Jo Reeve BEM, and King’s Ambulance Medal recipient Mark Mapp were congratulated by Lt-Governor Lt General Richard Cripwell and more than 100 guests in possession of 'wet weather invitations' to the event at Government House.
The reception should have been held in the gardens of the house with more than 500 guests, but plans were changed on Friday afternoon because of forecast of rain, meaning that the guest list had to be reduced to accommodate all of those still permitted to attend inside.
However, in classic British fashion, the sun shone as proceedings got under way, which allowed for photos of the honours recipients and their families to be taken outside.
Mr Robilliard, a Jurat who was awarded his MBE in recognition for his decades of service to Torteval parish and the island through the civil service, said that being part of such an occasion had been a great honour, but admitted not being able to tell his family and friends had been difficult.
‘The worst bit was having to keep it quiet for six weeks, it felt like purgatory, only my wife was allowed to know other than me,’ he said.
‘I’ve enjoyed what I’ve done on the island for so many years and I’m just thrilled to receive this honour, even if it was a little unexpected.’
Mrs Talmage, who received her BEM in recognition for her service to a number of local charitable organisations including Grow Ltd and Wellbeing Animals Guernsey, said she had been in the airport departure lounge waiting for a flight to Alderney in April when she received a phone call informing her of her accolade.
‘I didn’t tell anyone other than my dogs, I trusted them not to tell anyone else,’ she joked.
She was delighted to have finally been able to break the news to her family via a WhatsApp group chat on Friday night.
‘It’s very special for me, and just shows the different ways in which the local community works together and looks out for one another.’
Mr Reeve was awarded his BEM for services to government in Guernsey, and said that finding out he was set to receive the honour gave him goosebumps.
‘I’ve been flooded with texts and warm words since being able to tell people, it’s fantastic,’ he said.
He added that, due to the nature of his role as States director of international relations and constitutional affairs, he had not found it too hard keeping his award a secret.
‘I’m used to keeping secrets all the time at work. I’m looking forward to sharing this with my team, it’s their success as well and I’m grateful to work with them.’
Mr Mapp, who is one of only 10 people in the UK to be awarded the King’s Ambulance Medal this year, said the process by which he had been nominated and subsequently successful had been ‘cryptic’.
‘I was told to check the London Gazette for updates as to whether my nomination had been successful,’ he said.
‘It was a strange process, but ultimately I’m just honoured to be here and to be able to celebrate all the work done by my fellow recipients.’
. A fifth islander, Jon Moulton, has been awarded the CBE for his work in clinical advancements in medicine. He was not present for Saturday’s event, as his nomination for honours had not been processed through Government House.
