Fun the target for visiting Ghurkas

THERE was an interesting sideshow – that's probably the wrong expression, but I can't think of another right now – to last week's Liberation Day activities while the Chelsea Pensioners were doing their bit with island schoolchildren and the memorial window at St Peter's Church was being rededicated.

Royal British Legion member Simon Higgins and his wife Lynda took the visiting Ghurkhas up to the north end (I'd call it a trek, but no doubt the Ghurkhas would deem it a gentle stroll) where they were treated to a clay pigeon shooting session on the range.

They were met by Richard and Nick Dewe and, from what Simon told me later, thoroughly enjoyed and appreciated a perhaps different type of shooting to that which they are accustomed to in their line of work.

I'm glad I was told about this particular aspect of the Ghurkhas' visit because it gives me an opportunity to say how much both Richard and Nick – and other members of the shooting fraternity – contribute to the excellent publicity their sport gives the island.

Over the years they and others have competed with distinction both here and elsewhere and at a time when some people are swift to denigrate this place and members of its community it's nice to be able to lob a few well-deserved bouquets.

*

Sark Football Club played a match against Guernsey side Victoriana at the Millennium Field last Saturday morning resplendent in their new kit, having agreed a sponsorship deal with Sark Island Hotels.

I must confess I don't know the result – we had guests arriving during the match – but I did note that the Sark side included Vicki Rang, whose previous match was a much more low-key affair when she captained the Guernsey island side in the women's Muratti.

*

Recently I read somewhere about the anniversary of the experiment (I think in Norwich) that led to the introduction of postcodes for all addresses in the British Isles. Unfortunately, someone probably not thinking straight decided that Alderney and Sark should share one, with the almost inevitable result – to me, at least – that mail for here was sometimes sent to the northern isle and, I suspect, vice versa.

That problem was addressed – pun intended – a while ago when whoever is responsible for these things split the codes, with Alderney retaining GY9 and Sark being allocated GY10.

I offer no observation other than to say that this week I received a letter from that faraway location called Jersey, which, via Alderney, took 11 days to get here, and one from Guernsey, which took exactly a week.

Once the mail gets to Sark it is dealt with extremely efficiently by our postal staff. It's getting it here as swiftly that seems to be the problem.

*

Those Sark residents who belong to the 'island' health insurance scheme will by now have received their notification of the coming year's annual premium and I suppose it goes without saying that the premiums have certainly not decreased.

For many, and particularly the elderly, premiums running into many thousands of pounds are becoming a serious cause for concern and, certainly in some cases, are making some residents – including Sarkees, I stress – give urgent consideration to whether they can afford to continue living here.

I and others look forward to the day when our elected representatives give the same measure of serious consideration to making the scheme more equitable as they appear to do when considering ways of stopping people doing things.

* The email address for comment is fallesark@sark.net.