S.Atlantic : Sartma Daily (04/12/05
Submitted by SARTMA.com (Juanita Brock) 05.12.2005 (Article Archived on 12.12.2005)
A brief run-down of South Atlantic news
SARTMA DAILY (04/12/05)
Compiled by J. Brock (FINN)
CONTENTS:
Section 1: Article by FINN
Wool Press Article
Section 2: Police News
Section 3: Committee News
Section 4: Announcements
Section 1:
ALL SET FOR THE NEW YEARS’ RAFT RACE
By J. Brock (FINN)
The Annual “Stanley Raft Race” will take place on Sunday, 01 January 2006 beginning at 1300hrs. Organised by Stanley Sea Cadets, the race is one of the fun occasions in the Islands’ social calendar and is the Sea and Marine Cadets’ main fundraising events. The event usually draws huge crowds.
As standard practice, many teams from Stanley and Mount Pleasant take part on a variety of home-built craft. These ‘vessels’ qualify only if they are traditional rafts of an improvised nature. They can have a sail of up to two metres but NO mechanical propulsion is allowed. Minimum number for crews is two, with a maximum number of 12. Parental consent is needed for participants under 16. They all must wear life jackets and be competent swimmers. It is important to note that the race’s organisers will not provide life jackets or personal flotation devices (PFD).
All rafts must be removed immediately after the race but you can enjoy a free BBQ at the Narrows Bar for your efforts. Entry fee is 1000. If there is a close race the decision of the organisers will determine the winner.
More information can be obtained from the Reverend Ken Newton at the Lighthouse Seamen’s Mission on 22780 at work or 22779 at home, or you can e-mail him at lighthouse@horizon.co.fk. Alternatively, you can contact John Maskell – Bott on 22293 at work or 21871 at home, or you can e-mail him at johnmaskellbott@horizon.co.fk.
THE CHANGING SCENE OF FARMING IN THE FALKLAND ISLANDS
By Steve Pointing
Wool Press December 2005 Issue
Editor’s Note: Steve Pointing is due to move back to the UK this month and take up a new post there. FINN wishes him all the best and Charlie will also miss him. In this article Steve points out how farming has changed in recent years and how it is still changing.
DEFINITIONS:
Ranching: Is a farming system involving little grazing management. It is generally a low input system where livestock tend to be set stocked.
Farming: Is a higher input system of agriculture. More focus is placed on the management of pasture and improved livestock husbandry. Livestock tend to be rationally grazed.
From the above definitions I think you would agree that the type of agriculture practiced in the Falkland Islands now and in the past is ranching rather than farming. With the development of the AI/ET programme over the past few years it is interesting to note the change in the types of questions farmers are asking about their livestock. For the first time in along time (and perhaps forever some farmers are now closely observing their pregnant ewes carrying valuable AI or ET lambs and, I think they are often surprised by what they think they are seeing.
Ewes that are in poor bodily condition at lambing (condition score of 1 to 2) are liable to either produce small lambs or if the lambs are well grown, they fail to thrive subsequently because their mothers have so little in reserve to produce adequate amounts of milk. For the ewe to survive post lambing she either has to produce very little milk (which is disastrous for the lamb) or if she produces sufficient milk for the lamb it is often at the expense of her own health.
Farmers are seeing this directly for themselves with ewes they are keeping under close observation. Of course what they are noticing in this small group of select animals, is (and has been) happening with the rest of the flock ewes year in and year out. We know from scanning data most of the ewes in the Falkland Islands are capable of becoming, and do become, pregnant, but between giving birth and marking time a huge number of lambs are lost.
There are a variety of reasons for the loss but the major cause, without doubt, is due to the inadequate nutrition of the dam leading to subsequent inadequate nutrition of the lamb and ending with the death either directly from starvation or from hypothermia related to inadequate energy intakes.
What can you do about the situation?
For the relatively small number of animals involved in the AI/ET programme it really would be worth your while to identify an area of land which could be kept aside to provide reasonable grazing in the critical period leading up to lambing.
If you could provide the ewe with good grazing for six weeks up to lambing she would lamb down in better condition, her body energy reserves would be sufficient to meet her and the lamb’s needs more importantly of all she would produce milk quickly and in sufficient quantity to meet the lamb’s need. If you have spent several hundred or several thousand pounds participating in the AI/ET programme then it is in your interest to make sure that the newborn lamb has the best possible start in life and the best way to do this is to ensure that the ewe is in good condition.
If good grazing is in short supply, as it has been this year, then it would pay to feed your recipient ewes on a small quantity of concentrate feed or good quality hay. This might require some pre-planning as most flock ewes in the Falklands won’t readily eat concentrate feed but, given a bit of time and effort, they can be “trained” to eat it.
As for the rest of your lambing flock, you can’t afford to treat them in the same way as your AI/ET ewes. Improving their condition at lambing is of paramount importance in increasing the lambing and marking percentages in the Falkland Islands but can only happen relatively slowly over time.
Improved nutrition is obviously linked to a number of factors such as stocking rates, availability of improved pasture, farm management practices etc. and these are all areas that are being systematically addressed by the pasture improvement programme (PIP). I won’t elaborate on that here as there have been several articles in past editions of the Wool Press and, no doubt there will be many more in future editions on methods of getting your ewes in better body condition in the run-up to lambing.
The main point to remember is that the body condition of the ewes at lambing is the single most important factor in ensuring a good lambing percentage and aiding lamb survivability.
I think some farmers in the Falkland Islands may be realising this fact for the first time, as they shift from a purely ranching system of agriculture to a more “farmed” system for certain categories of stock.
Section 2:
POLICE NEWS (02/12/05)
By J. Brock (FINN)
At 0839hrs on Monday, 28 November 2005, the Royal Falkland Islands Police received a report of criminal damage to a fence at Lookout Industrial Estate. As well as the damage, a number of fence-posts were taken. The incident is under investigation.
At 1417hrs on Tuesday, 29 November 2005 the Royal Falkland Islands Police received a report of damage to the old blacksmith’s shop in the dockyard. (this is a listed building). A window had been smashed. The incident is under investigation.
At 0804hrs on Thursday, 01 December 2005, the Royal Falkland Islands Police received a report of damage to a vehicle on Watson Way. The incident is under investigation.
At 2027hrs on Thursday, 01 December 2005, the Royal Falkland Islands Police received a report of a suspicious object on Surf Bay. The Stanley Detachment of the EOD were tasked and the object turned out to be a compressed air cylinder.
Section 3:
REPORT OF THE PLANNING & BUILDING COMMITTEE
HELD 1st DECEMBER 2005
(By Graham France)
Two of the newly-elected councillors attended the meeting and with one of them already a member, it was agreed that he, the Hon Mike Rendell, should chair this one and hand over to the Hon Dr Richard Davies, the portfolio holder, for those following. Also attending were Gerald Cheek and Mike Harris with technical support from the Building Adviser, Alan Dawson, Director of Public Works Manfred Keenleyside, Chief Fire Officer Gardner Fiddes, and Crown Counsel (A) Alison Inglis. No less than six members of the public were present, including the writer, for the “open” session which lasted precisely one-and-a-quarter hours but with no “closed” session to conclude the meeting.
Apologies had been received from the Environmental Planning Officer (EPO), Dominique Giudicelli, and in her absence Alan Dawson presented the applications to members.
Two applications deferred from previous meetings were looked at first. In the case of the proposed extension to dog kennels at Murray Heights for Alex Jaffray, it was understood that an alternative sitehad been found and that a new application was to be submitted for the committee to consider. Stanley Electrical’s proposals to extend their building in Dean Street was given conditional planning permission now that concerns over the sufficiency of off-street parking had been resolved.
New applications
The following applications received conditional planning permission: a building to house freezer units on their premises off Crozier Place for the Falkland Islands Company Limited; a single-storey extension to his dwelling at 2 Arch Green for Derek Jaffray; Owen Lee’s proposal for the reconstruction of his front porch at 4 Pioneer Row; a two-storey dwelling with integral garage for Roger Edwards at 8 Sulivan Street; extensions to her dwelling at 60 Davis Street for Kathleen Dobbyns; an extension to her dwelling also the erection of a garage at 37 Ross Road East for Annie Gisby; and the erection of a two-storey dwelling with integral garage for Geoff Loftus at 15 Biggs Road.
Neil Rowlands sought approval for the erection of three poles for communication antennas on rocks to the north of Camber House on Navy Point. This raised a certain amount of discussion, part of which centred around comments from the Royal Falkland Islands Police over possible concerns that interference may occur with their own radio communications. It was however decided that this was unlikely to occur and that if it did then suitable action could be taken. It was therefore resolved to grant conditional planning permission for the development.
There were just two applications for planning permission in principle. The Falkland Islands Development Corporation sought outline consent for the erection of a wind turbine at the Sand Bay Abattoir to provide power to their chiller units. This, it was explained, would much reduce the take up from the electricity mains supply, such that a payback period of about two years was expected. The other application, submitted by Shiralee Collins, was for a dwelling on land at the north-west corner of the junction of Racecourse Road and Jeremy Moore Avenue where a number of services were present in and above the site. Suitable conditions were proposed to deal with this particular matter and, as with the other application, it was resolved to grant conditional outline planning permission.
There was considerable discussion on the last application for planning permission to be discussed at the meeting. This was for a one-and-a-half-storey dwelling proposed on land at 8 Haskard Rise for VT Communications and which had raised letters of objection and comment from His Excellency the Governor and from Jane Cameron, the Archivist, on behalf of the Historic Buildings Committee. Members also had before them a report prepared by the EPO in which the background to the application was explained and its potential to have two main impacts, one of which was to lessen the impact of the existing house at 6 Haskard Rise and the other to blend so well into the landscape so as to look “as if it had always been there”. Members agreed with the report’s recommendation that, in order to assess the full visual impact of the proposal, a site meeting be held following the return from leave of the EPO later this month.
Alan Dawson then commented where necessary on the list of applications which had been received seeking a building permit. He still awaited further technical information on the proposal to extend the Falklands Brasserie restaurant at 3 Philomel Street, and referred to satisfactory site meetings he had had with applicants for building work in Camp: with Albert McLeod on his house proposed at Camilla Creek on East Falkland, and with Mr and Mrs Woodward over their works proposed to premises at Little Chartres Farm on West Falkland.
Other matters discussed during the meeting included the interaction between applications for planning permission and those for building permits, so that when one consent was issued and another was still needed it was always made clear by letter to the applicant that these were entirely separate issues, therefore development must not proceed until both had been obtained.
Previously approved plans for extensions to both houses at 18 Callaghan Road were brought back to the committee as the applicants now wished to increase the size of the front extension. Members reviewed the change and agreed to give their approval.
A proposal to “list” the building known as Stone Cottage at Goose Green was received from the Historic Buildings Committee following that body’s receipt of a request from owners, Falkland Landholdings. It was requested that the listing include the curtilage of the building, which includes stone paving and a macrocarpa tree, although not the timber house extension to the east which, it was said, detracted from the appearance. It was agreed by members that the application be forwarded to Executive Council (ExCo) although they were aware from previous decisions that the listing, if given, may be restricted to the dwelling only.
Commercial development in residential areas was the subject of a memorandum by Alison Inglis which was written following the last meeting, when a number of applications were considered for such development shown located in land indicated as “residential” on the policies and proposals map. It was agreed by members that such proposals would be acceptable if it is demonstrated that there would not be an unacceptable level of adverse impact on the amenity of existing residential occupiers. However, proposals for residential development in a commercial area would have to go to ExCo for a decision. The committee felt it was important that the public be made aware that they were not unduly restricted by “zoning”.
Secretary to the committee, Fiona Wallace, then asked for approval to advertise for a member to replace the Hon Mike Rendell, as he now had membership as a councillor, and members agreed that she could proceed with this.
The next meeting of the committee is scheduled to be held on Thursday 12th January
2006 beginning at 9am in the Liberation Room of the Secretariat.
Section 4:
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Please note that the following committee meetings will be open for public attendance during the forthcoming week:
Agricultural Advisory Committee - Monday 5th December at 2pm in the Department of Agriculture Library
Health and Medical Services Committee - Tuesday 6th December at 12.15pm in Gilbert House
Education Board - Tuesday 6th December at 8.30am in the Education Office, Ross Road
Housing Committee - Wednesday 7th December at 1.30pm in the Liberation Room, Secretariat
Members of the public can attend but not speak at Committee meetings.
Copies of the Agenda and Reports can be seen in the Secretariat at least three working days before the date of the meeting.
The Vice President of Chichester College, Mr. John Bates, will soon visit the Falklands. He has particularly asked to meet any ex-students or apprentices who trained at Chichester College and have returned to work in the Falklands. He would also like to find out how careers have developed and how former students thinks Chichester College can help students and apprentices in the future. 27289.
On Friday, 02 December 2005 another exercise programme session at the KEMH Day Centre. The 45-minute session will start at 1030 hrs. Everyone welcome.
The local launch of the Second Edition of “A Visitors Guide to the Falkland Islands” by Debbie Summers will take place at the Malvina House Hotel on Monday, 05 December 2005 at a function for invited guests. Also being launched at the venue will be “Birds and Mammals of the Falkland Islands” by Mr. Robin Woods, Mrs. Anne Woods and Mr. Alan Henry.
The Silver Cloud will be calling in to Stanley on the 9th December 2005 (there will be approximately 200 passengers on board). She will be at anchor in Port William. ETA 0900hrs ETD 1800hrs. Passengers will be doing shore excursions.
The Norwegian Crown will be calling in to Stanley on the 9th December 2005. There will be approximately 1100 passengers on board. She will be at anchor in Port William. Passengers will be taking shore excursions. ETA 0900hrs ETD 1600hrs, last tender 1530hrs.
Debbie Summers
Tourism Development Manager
Sulivan Shipping Services Limited
Stanley
Falkland Islands FIQQ 1ZZ
http://www.sulivanshipping.com
Cable & Wireless would like to inform customers that due to a new numbering range required for the new GSM Mobile Numbering Service, the numbers to call Saddle Computers Help Line have changed to 48001. And, the Mail Collection Announcement Line has changed to 49001. Until 01 December 2005, if you ring the old numbers your call will be diverted to the new numbers but after that all calls must be made to the new numbers. Cable & Wireless apologise for any inconvenience but say this is an essential change to allow the new GSM Mobile Numbering Range to work.
There will be a special Stanley Regatta Event on Saturday, 10 December 2005. Watch this space for details or call Steve Dent at the Leisure Centre.
Also on the 10th of December the Girl Guides will be singing Christmas Carols at various venues around town during the afternoon from 1400 to 1600. They will be in fancy Christmas costumes and raising money for the Guide Unit here. Dig deep everyone!
AN ANNOUNCEMENT FROM ST. HELENA:
FOR IMMEDIATE USE :
The 2005 Bank of St. Helena Youth Games concluded on Friday evening 2nd December with the swimming competition and the declaration of the winning district.
The winning district, Half Tree Hollow, will receive a trophy shortly which will be displayed in the New Horizons centre.
Lyn Thomas, speaking for the Bank of St. Helena, congratulated the team from Half Tree Hollow on winning the competition, the organisers for a well run event, and all who took part for their efforts.
John Turner
Manager
Bank of St. Helena
Contributing Websites: http://www.falklandnews.com. http://www.tristantimes.com, http://www.the-islander.org.ac, http://www.sartma.com, http://www.news.co.sh, http://www.sgisland.org
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