Tristan da Cunha Government News

Tristan at the heart of UK Remembrance

Report and photos from Tristan Government UK representative Chris Carnegy

Remembrance Sunday on 9th November 2025 saw Tristan da Cunha at the heart of the UK's central act of national thanksgiving for those who have served and died for the country.

The Ascension, St Helena and Tristan da Cunha OT wreath	Chris Carnegy with the wreath

I was honoured to lay a wreath on behalf of Tristan and our sister islands of St Helena and Ascension, at the Cenotaph on Whitehall in the presence of His Majesty King Charles.

Overseas Territory representatives laying their wreaths at the Cenotaph. Chris Carnegy is second from the right.

The King and Queen, the Prince and Princess of Wales and the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh led the national act of Remembrance, where a service was conducted by the future Archbishop of Canterbury Dame Sarah Mullally.

Tristan alternates with St Helena to pay tribute on behalf of the whole Territory. It was a special privilege to participate in a year that commemorates the 80th anniversary of the Allied victory in World War Two.

Chris approaching the cenotaph with the joint OT wreath, preceded by Turks and Caicos UK Representative Tracy Knight.	After wreath laying: William, Prince of Wales stands in the foreground, with Chris Carnegy in the second row behind.

Tristan’s week of Remembrance begins in Westminster

Report and photos from Tristan Government UK Representative Chris Carnegy

On 3rd November, Tristan da Cunha began its week of tribute to the victims of war with the planting of a wooden cross in the Speaker’s Garden of Remembrance at the Palace of Westminster.

The Tristan Remembrance Cross

I placed the island’s cross among others from the Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. MPs and Parliamentary staff also placed tributes.

Chris planting the Tristan cross in the Speaker's Garden of Remembrance

The occasion brought a reunion with Sir Julian Lewis, the MP whose constituency includes Calshot, home to evacuated Tristanians in 1962-63.

Chris with Calshot’s MP Sir Julian Lewis

This special week in London will culminate at the Cenotaph on Whitehall, where this year it is Tristan da Cunha’s turn to represent the wider Territory and I will lay our wreath.

Tristan represented at Red Ensign conference

Report and photos from Tristan Government UK Representative Chris Carnegy

Group photograph of the Red Ensign conference delegates gathered in the grounds of the conference venue, the St Pierre Park Hotel outside Guernsey's capital St Peter Port.

Tristan da Cunha's Deputy Director of Fisheries Rodney Green led the island's delegation as some of the world's leading experts gathered in Guernsey to discuss safety at sea.

The Red Ensign Group unites maritime authorities that are linked with the United Kingdom. Tristan da Cunha doesn't have its own shipping register but is invited to the REG conference as it has 'coastal state' safety duties under international law.

Guernsey's Bailiff, Sir Richard McMahon, rang the ship's bell that signalled the start of the conference.

He is flanked by conference co-chairs James Way (Guernsey harbour master, left)
and Richard Pellew (Maritime and Coastguard Agency, right)

Rodney, front, in discussion with fellow South Atlantic delegates	TdC delegation nameplates

Rodney chatting with the chairman of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, Lord Simon Stevens

Four days of discussions began on 23th June with a gathering of the South Atlantic Working Group.This was a chance to exchange best-practice ideas with colleagues from Ascension, St Helena, the Falkland Islands and South Georgia. Rodney provided an update on the changes expected when Tristan's fishing contract changes hands. The new concession-holder Fortuna is expected to introduce new vessels for Tristan's fishing operations and passenger/freight links. Other topics for the group included pollution-control training and the regulation of small craft.

Chris Carnegy and Rodney Green by the ceremonial Red Ensign ship's bell always used to start and end conference sessions.	Rodney with Guernsey harbourmaster and conference co-chair James Way

The main conference ran throughout 24th and 25th June. A powerful presentation from the Falklands team shared lessons learned from the loss of the fishing vessel Argos Georgia in July 2024. Delegates also heard about the future of UK government support for maritime safety in the Overseas Territories, discussed the challenge of providing medivacs for visiting vessels, and explored latest developments around training for seafarers and the investigation of marine accidents,

The week provided a valuable opportunity for personnel from across the Overseas Territories to network and learn from each other's experiences - all with the aim of saving lives in places that depend on the sea.

South Atlantic delegates including Tristan's Island Councillor Rodney Green, second left,
and former Tristan Administrator Alex Mitham representing St Helena, far right.

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Tristan represented at UK Overseas Territories Day
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Key meetings in Cape Town, London and the West Indies 31-May-2025
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Tristan da Cunha Government Records
This page provides downloads of Island Council minutes, public notices, budgets, and other official documents. 29-May-2025
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Events on Tristan and in London celebrate VE Day 80
Report from anniversary celebrations 9-May-2025
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Tristan represented on Commonwealth Day 2025
Link to Commonwealth as part of monarch's UK realm 13-Mar-2025
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