Tristan da Cunha News Abroad

Presentation of Tristan Crest to UNESCO's Marine Site Programme Manage

Photo of Tristan Government UK Representative Chris Bates presenting the manager of UNESCO's Marine Site programme, Fanny Douvère, with a plaque of the Tristan da Cunha coat of arms, for the UNESCO HQ building in Paris.

This presentation was made during a meeting in Ajaccio, Corsica, of the UNESCO World Heritage Marine Site managers (where Chris represented Gough Island and Inaccessible Island) on 19th October 2013. See further information in the report below.

Photo: Copyright UNESCO

The global significance of the wildlife and environment of the two Tristan islands which are UNESCO World Heritage Sites, Gough and Inaccessible Islands, was dramatically demonstrated at two conferences held in France – and carried the warning that listing by UNESCO does not automatically continue for ever. At the Second World Heritage Site Managers Conference, in Ajaccio, Corsica ( Friday 18 October - Sunday 20 October 2013) and the 3rd International Marine Protected Areas Congress (IMPAC3 for short) in Marseilles (21 – 24 October 2013) both were showcased as equals of the Galapagos Islands, Australia's Great Barrier Reef and the Everglades in Florida as being of worldwide significance – and having a global importance shared by only another 42 sites throughout the world.

Tristan's delegate was UK Representative Chris Bates who with others attending, was welcomed by Mr Paul Giacobbi, President of the Executive Council of Corsica and the elected deputy in the French Parliament for Upper Corsica; by Mr Christopher Mirmand, Prefect of Corsica; and the Director of the World Heritage Centre at UNESCO, Mr Kishore Rao. In his opening remarks, Mr Rao said he was particularly pleased that Gough and Inaccessible – as the most remote of the sites – had been able to send a delegate. The nearest sites to Tristan which were represented were in Patagonia (Argentina), South Africa and Mauritania.

In her opening remarks, Mme. Fanny Douvère, manager of the marine sites of the World Heritage Centre at UNESCO HQ in Paris, said achievements since the initial conference in Hawaii had included the establishment of “OUVs” = Outstanding Universal Values, which identified common threats and needs and common management solutions. An annual e-Newsletter had been produced; a World Heritage committee had been established; there had been participation in major ocean conferences, a regional ocean conservation committee had been established and a permanent delegation set up – as well as participation in this year's IMPAC3.

She added there had been TV promotion of the sites through documentaries and the “Tides of Time” series of features on the sites in the New York Times International which in its October supplement had featured Gough and Inaccessible. At the conference, Chris Bates gave a 20-minute interview to television on the significance of Tristan's biodiversity and the conservation work led by Trevor Glass which works to conserve it.

Other achievements would be a Best Practice Guide expected in January 2014; a training workshop for Management Capacity being organised by the International Maritime Organisation and Trans-national Partnerships arranged such as that between the Phoenix Isles (Kiribati) and the West Norwegian Fjords and between Galapagos and Wadden Sea. Three new marine sites had been declared – the Ningaloo Coast (Australia), the Ogasawa Islands, (Japan) and the Rock Islands (Palau).

Mme Douvère said that by 2016, UNESCO wanted to see improved management effectiveness to meet the OUV; the message was that everything sites do should reflect this “OUV” (best described as a points system based on the qualities of the site, achievements and significance to the rest of the world). There was a warning that three sites (not including Gough or Inaccessible) were in danger of being de-listed.

Chris Bates said afterwards: “Clearly this shows that Tristan cannot take for granted that it's extraordinary position as the home of two World Heritage Marine Sites may continue for ever. Things change: the significance of the Tristan Albatross populations is now more readily recognised, but so too is the threat to them and other species on Gough from the mice which prey on chicks and flightless moths. There were many offers of help and co-operation from managers of the other sites around the world and that was very encouraging”.

A plaque of Tristan's coat of arms was presented to Mme Douvère for the UNESCO HQ in Paris and a signed copy of Conrad Glass's book Rockhopper Copper was presented to Mr Rao.

IMPAC3 in Marseilles had an opening ceremony which lasted four hours,including speeches by M. Frederic Cuvillier, Minister of Sea and Fishing at the French Ministry of Ecology. This conference was about Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) which American conservation charity, The Pew Group, has suggested might benefit Tristan. The Minister pointed out that these sites covered areas which represented a population of nine million people. “The sea is the space we can invest in for tomorrow” he said. The keynote speech was by HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco, who said new powers were needed to make more progress and with the aim of identifying resources to develop MPAs – and encouraging more human populations to invest in them.

Chris said: “One of the very pleasant surprises at what was a most useful conference was to be able to attend a presentation about Camogli International Film Festival 2013 (Camogli, of course being the town near Genoa where the Repetto and Lavarello families on Tristan originate). This event is sponsored by UNESCO, to emphasise the importance of protecting the seas. Afterwards I spoke to those involved to pass on Tristan's greetings, and update the contacts existing between Tristan and Camogli. We discussed informally the idea of Camogli perhaps staging a Tristan Festival of some sort in the future – an idea perhaps for discussion on Tristan?”

UNESCO staged a reception at IMPAC3 – attended by some 200 delegates – showcasing Gough and Inaccessible at which Mme. Douvère and others involved with the World Heritage programme spoke. It presented an opportunity to tell a wide variety of very influential people about Tristan and Gough/Inaccessible and the successes of Tristan's Conservation Department – as well as the threat posed by house mice on Gough and the experiments into eradicating them.

Chris added: “I am extremely grateful to UNESCO for funding Tristan's participation, most travel and accommodation costs and for their enthusiastic support and unflagging interest throughout both conferences.”

Tristan da Cunha was represented at the service in Westminster Abbey in London on Tuesday 4th June 2013 in the presence of Her Majesty the Queen, HRH the Duke of Edinburgh and members of the Royal Family, which celebrated the 60th Anniversary of the Coronation.

Tristan's UK Representative, Chris Bates and his wife Julie, were invited to be among the 2,000 guests in the Abbey, together with representatives of the other UK Overseas Territories.

The flag of Tristan da Cunha was flown in Parliament Square, directly opposite the Houses of Parliament and adjacent to the Abbey, along with the flags of the other Territories and the Crown Dependencies of Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man.

On the warmest day so far in London of 2013, crowds lined the streets to the Abbey to see the Royal Family.

The prayers included from the Rt. Rev. Lorna Hood, Moderator of The General Assembly of The Church of Scotland: “We give thanks to God for The Queen's long and glorious reign: for her devotion to duty and to the peoples of this United Kingdom, the Overseas Territories and the Realms, and the Commonwealth; for her sustained support of the Armed Forces and civil powers; and for her unswerving commitment to the peaceful democratic principles of these lands”.

Afterwards, Chris commented: “It was a great honour to be able to represent Tristan da Cunha and all the islanders at such a great and joyous occasion in the presence of Her Majesty and the Royal Family. I was overjoyed to see the flag of Tristan with its motto ' Our faith Is our strength' flying so vigorously in bright June sunshine outside The Abbey. In every sense, it was a great moment in history and Tristan was there at the heart of it”.

The short film 37°4S made by Adriano Varerio on Tristan da Cunha was highly commended by judges who gave it an official 'Short Film Special Distinction' in the Short Film Palme d'Or by Jury President Jane Campion during the closing ceremony on Sunday 26th May 2013 at the climax to the prestigious 66th Cannes Film Festival. Out of 3,500 short films submitted worldwide, only nine were chosen for screening at Cannes by the festival's selection committee.

While making the film on Tristan da Cunha, the producer Adriano Varerio, who is Head Professor at The International Film and Television School, (EICAR), Paris, stayed with Martin and Iris Green. So Martin and Iris flew to Cannes as a guest of the producer to be present at the screenings and award ceremony on 26th May. Speaking afterwards Iris said: 'Martin and I watched it at the official screening and it was very emotional not just for us but for many people seeing it for the first time. Hopefully we can have a showing when we get back to Tristan. Watching all the nine films the three I liked the most were the top three. SAFE, 37°4S & WHALE VALLEY. I think Adriano's film will create lots of interest in Tristan.'

Iris' message was written immediately after the result was announced and as she and Martin were preparing for a party at midnight to celebrate the ending of the festival. She and Martin travelled from the Isle of Man where they are undergoing training placements. See our separate page for details: Isle of Man Training 2013

The 11-minute film tells the story of two young lovers on Tristan da Cunha, and is entirely set on location on the island. A short clip from the film is already available on EICAR's website and will leave you wanting to watch the whole film.

Go to this link and watch the beautifully shot short sequence which is sure to create huge interest in the island community:

http://www.eicar-international.com/news/eicar-alumni-student-selected-canne

Thanks to Chris Bates and Iris for their prompt messages on this wonderful story.

Tristan Flag flies in London's Parliament Square for the first time

Report and Photographs from Tristan Government UK Representative Chris Bates

For the first time, the 16 flags of the Overseas Territories were flown in Parliament Square, alongside the flags of the Crown Dependencies, to mark a state occasion. The flags flew throughout the visit of the President of the Republic of Indonesia, Dr Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, from 31st October - 2nd November.

Welcoming the occasion, Minister for the Overseas Territories, Mark Simmonds MP said:"I am really pleased to see the flags of the Overseas Territories being flown on a state occasion in London. This brings representation of the Overseas Territories in line with the Commonwealth nations, which have long had their flags flown on such occasions. Flying these flags is a sign to the people in the Territories, and those in the UK, of our renewed commitment to the Territories, which was outlined in our recent White Paper. I hope that this will help raise the profile of the Overseas Territories in the UK and around the world."

The flags of the Overseas Territories will now be flown on state occasions in London, including Trooping the Colour and other ceremonial occasions."

Photographs showing the Tristan da Cunha Flag taken by Starbuck Coleman on 1st November:

Above: The Tristan Flag frames the famous Elizabeth Tower with it's famous clock face and behind the famous bell 'Big Ben' that chimes every hour.

Right: Elizabeth Tower is at the north end of the Palace of Westminster which contains both the House of Commons and House of Lords.

Tristan Studies in Greenland

Report from Tristan Government UK Representative Chris Bates of his September – October Trip

Delegates arriving in the remote town of Ilulissat in Greenland, north of the Arctic Circle, for the 11th Ministerial Conference and European Union Overseas Countries and Territories Forum in September, were delighted to be welcomed at the airport by a group of children waving Greenland flags and - wreathed in smiles - asking delegates "Where Are You From?"

With representatives from places as distant as Pitcairn, the Wallis and Futuna Islands, the Falklands and of course, the world's most remote inhabited island, Tristan da Cunha, there was plenty for them to follow up in their atlases back in the classroom. Tristan's UK Representative, Chris Bates, accompanied by his wife Julie, were so moved by the warmth of the welcome and the children's grasp of English, that they asked if they could present a copy of Connie Glass's book Rockhopper Copper and leaflets about Tristan, to the school.

Left:
Children from the Mathias Storch School welcome delegates from EU Overseas Countries and Territories, including those representing St. Helena, Ascension and Tristan, at Ilulissat Airport, Greenland. Right:
Swotting up about Tristan are (l-r) Martha Jensen, Ea Geisler Therkelsen and Pele Nielsan

Staff at the Mathias Storch School -- where the children are pupils in Ilulissat -- thought that perhaps a slightly older group with a more advanced knowledge of English might benefit, so invited Julie to visit and give a lesson about Tristan to students in Class 10A, who at age 15, have good working English -- even if their school atlases did not show Tristan, but just a wide expanse of the South Atlantic!

Julie said: "Greenland has some of the world's most remote communities and there are no roads or railways connecting settlements on an island which is the largest in the world that is not a continent -- an area around half the size of Europe. We talked about what it's like to live and work on somewhere even more remote -- Tristan, how people earn their living and the livestock they're allowed to keep. I left a copy of Rockhopper Copper with the class and presented a plaque of Tristan's coat of arms to the school. You can imagine that a group of fifteen 15-year-olds were rather lively --their English was very good and it was great fun making Tristan a little better known in a fascinating part of the world".

(* Julie was travelling at her own expense and at the conclusion of the conference, she and Chris went on to a holiday further north on the remote island of Uummannaq, off Greenland's North West Coast).

Julie Bates (left) presents the plaque of Tristan's Coat of Arms to teacher Mette Petersen.

Chance Meeting in Alderney with crew member of 1961 Stirling Castle Tristan evacuation voyage

Tristan Government UK Representative Chris Bates sent this picture and report.

Chris got into conversation with one of the crew of a small boat on which he'd booked a round-the-island sailing. Conversation soon got round to our last Agulhas trip which led to the crewman saying he had got to know the Tristan islanders, when they sailed on the Stirling Castle in 1961 after evacuation from the island in the face of the eruption.

Keith Underwood, now living in retirement in Alderney but still keeping afloat on island boats, was the assistant purser on the sailing of the Stirling Castle and remembered many of the people on board -- Spike and Monica Glass, Catherine (Glass - Rogers as she was then) and member of the Green, Repetto and other island families. One of his recollections was that everyone had perfect teeth - no need for the dentists then!

Flying the Tristan Flag in Guernsey and Dorset

Tristan Association Member Sarah Cash from Guernsey sent these two pictures:
Left: of the Tristan flag flying on Anniversary Day 14th August 2012 with her husband Barry in front
Right: Barry with friends Kathy and Tim Dunce (also association members) by their caravan in Dorset on 4th August.

Sarah and Barry have booked to return to Tristan on the RMS St Helena in 2013.

As in 2011, Anniversary Day on Tristan da Cunha was low-key public holiday when families made their own arrangements to visit the Potato Patches, go fishing, take part in farming activities or get together.

Anniversary Day Celebrated in Norfolk

Tristan da Cunha's Anniversary Day on 14th August celebrates the arrival of the British Garrison aboard HMS Falmouth on 14th August 1816.

In recent years the mid-winter Anniversary Day celebrations are fairly low-key. In 2011 a public holiday followed on Monday 15th August when many families took advantage of a mid-week day off to tend their potato patches.

Nevertheless, stalwart Tristan Association member Ann Ashworth from Norfolk was determined to fly the Tristan flag from her Wells-next-the Sea home on 14th August. Ann won the flag in a competition when she again visited Tristan aboard RMS St Helena earlier in 2011 and will return to celebrate Christmas with island friends John and Vanessa Lavarello when cruising to 'Tristan da Cunha and Beyond' aboard MS Island Sky later this year.

Ann's photographs below show her and the flag on Anniversary Day 2011.

The photo left shows the Tristan flag flying outside the Tristan Admin Building.

BBC Films feature The Story of Asthma Island

On Tuesday 9th December 2009 the BBC first broadcast two films featuring Tristan da Cunha.

In the first one hour Horizon programme titled 'Allergy Planet' shown at 9pm on BBC2, research into asthma on Tristan da Cunha was featured alongside other allergies across the world.

In the second, 30 minute programme, broadcast at 10pm on BBC4, and titled The Story of Asthma Island, the Tristan content from the main Horizon film was shown and extended. The film was made by a Horizon team in May 2008. The team travelled out on MV Edinburgh, expecting to spend a week on the island, but, due to typical winter weather, were 'stranded' for three weeks from 1st - 21st May, and so extended their filming to allow the second specialist Tristan programme to be made, though all the Tristan Horizon footage is repeated and extended. The Horizon team, including Rebecca Harrison was accompanied by the Asthma expert Dr Noe Zamel from University of Toronto, Canada.

The programmes have been well received, and a separate page with a detailed report and review of the content is being prepared for inclusion in the February 2009 Tristan da Cunha Newsletter in association with Dr Zamel, the BBC and the Tristan Government. A separate website page will also highlight a summary of the report and review.

The BBC 4 programme 'the Story of Asthma Island was available to download via the BBC iPlayer for only 7 days, so we have removed the link formerly on this page.

There is a report about the programme from Rebecca Henderson on the BBC website : http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7766656.stm

Tristan flag raised on Canadian mountain

Tristan Association member and regular Tristan dental team visitor Bob Carse has sent this brilliant picture taken of him and his son on the peak of Moose Mountain near Calgary. Bob's daughter's home overlooks this peak, which is almost 8,000 ft high, but we understand that Bob was able to get transport up to 5,500 ft before scaling the summit on 6th January 2008. The flag was presented to Bob by Herbert Glass before departing on last year's SA Agulhas in early October.

Canada attracts many visitors to www.tristandc.com who together made over 100,000 hits on the site since January 2007.

Isle of Man - Tristan da Cunha Bus Service Introduced

Stalwart Tristan da Cunha Association member Ken Rogers, became fascinated by the Tristan community as a boy in the Southampton area during the islanders' sojourn during their volcanic exile. He and his wife Fran have attended all the recent residential Tristan Association Annual Gatherings and have already booked for the April 2008 Southampton event.

Ken works on the Manx buses and arranged this picture of himself by the spoof Douglas - Tristan da Cunha service as it prepares to depart on 25th October 2007!
Thanks Ken

The Flore Commonwealth Flag Project and Fellowship Scheme

The Tristan da Cunha flag flies proudly with others of the Commonwealth and British Overseas Territories outside the Millennium Hall in Flore, Northamptonshire. This photograph from Johnnie Amos was taken in November 2006. This project is understood to be unique to Flore, since the Commonwealth Institute, which used to fly all these flags in London's South Kensington closed in 1996.

Flore also runs a Fellowship Scheme to provide education or training for young people from the Commonwealth or British Overseas Territories.

Check out their website on www.commonwealthflagproject.org