News

Mine clearance in the Falkland Islands is due to begin at Surf Bay on 2 December.  British company BACTEC International Limited is carrying out the project and further clearance will take place at Sapper Hill, Goose Green and Fox Bay.  BACTEC has experience of working in over 40 countries and has a strong track record in safety.

Chief Superintendent Gary Finchett, Northern Area Commander of Cheshire Police, will be taking up the post of Director of Community Safety in the Falkland Islands on 11 January 2010.  This post includes the role of Chief Police Officer and Chief Superintendent Finchett will be taking over command of the Police from Superintendent Paul Elliot. He will also take on overall responsibility for the Fire and Rescue Service, Customs and Immigration and the Falkland Islands Defence Force.  To read the press release in full click here.

A tug boat set sail on 24 November to haul a North Sea oil and gas exploration rig from Invergordon, a deep water port in the Scottish Highlands, on its 62-day journey to the Falkland Islands.  The Ocean Guardian rig will be used by Desire Petroleum to explore reserves in the North Falkland Basin.  The company expects the semi-submersible to remain off the Islands until next August, when it would be towed back to Invergordon.

The following Executive Council papers were considered at the meeting of Executive Council held on 26 November 2009 are available to download:
221/09: New Members for Transport Advisory Committee
225/09: The Road Traffic (Approval of Devices for Breath Testing and Analysis) Order 2009
226/09: Fox Bay Airstrip
227/09: Government Charitable Funds and the Role of Commissioner of Charities
229/09: Recognition of UK Charities in the Falkland Islands – International Agency for Prevention of Blindness
230/09: Proposed Schedule of Meetings: January-December 2010
232/09: Defence Related Taxation Exemptions
234/09: Members Remuneration and Pension Arrangements
236/09: Constitution – Permanent Right to Remain
238/09: Removal of Permitted Development Right at the Leading Lights Development
243/09: Approval of Committee Memberships
245/09: Illex Fees 2010
246/09: Proposal to complete a second phase of the Conversion of Old PWD Plumbers’ Workshop into a Training Centre
247/09: Commencement of Public Accounts Committee Ordinance and Connected Issues

The annual Remembrance Sunday Ceremony was marked in the Falkland Islands at Stanley’s Cross of Sacrifice on 8 November.  Detachments from the Royal Navy, Army, Royal Air Force and the Falkland Islands Defence Force (FIDF) led by the Band of 93 (City of Bath) Squadron Air Training Corps, along with veterans and associates, marched to the Cross of Sacrifice following the Memorial Service at Christ Church Cathedral.  The group was met by an impressive turnout from members of the public.  After a short service, and the Roll of Honour, there were two minutes’ silence held at 11am, which was marked by the firing of the Victory Green saluting guns.  His Excellency the Governor, Councillor Emma Edwards and Commander British Forces Air Commodore Gordon Moulds laid wreaths, followed by representatives of the Armed Services, the FIDF, The Royal Fleet Auxilliary and the Royal British Legion, followed by others.

The Remembrance Day Parade held in London included 120 South Atlantic Medal Association (SAMA) members this year.  The Salute on Horse Guards Parade was, for the first time, taken by two Falklands Veterans – HRH The Duke of York and Lt Gen Sir John Kiszely KCB MC, who is the National President of the Royal British Legion, and was in the Scots Guards in 1982.  The wreath laid on behalf of the Overseas Territories by the Foreign Secretary David Miliband was constructed by Kew Gardens and made up of plants from all the Territories.

Oral History Archivist Maurice O’Keeffe recently arrived in the Islands and is now busy recording interviews with members of the Falklands community.  He comes from County Kerry, Ireland, and has spent the last 20 years recording people’s life stories.  His expertise lies in compiling collections which document the history of rural communities and his work will ensure the Falklands way of life is remembered.

The results of the Falkland Islands Tourist Board’s (FITB) first online marketing campaign in the UK have been outstanding, according to Jake Downing, General Manager of FITB.  The campaign ran from 18 August to 27 October, and included a series of print adverts in the Guardian and Observer newspapers, as well as 1.5 million online adverts on the Guardian’s own website. The adverts were designed to encourage visits to a dedicated Falkland Islands ‘microsite’, which included an image gallery of the Falkland Islands, as well as information about what to do and see, links to other relevant websites, plus a competition to win a holiday to the Falklands.  By the end of the campaign the microsite had been viewed by 17,342 users and the competition had received 10,296 entries.

Thirty-three different cruise vessels are scheduled to visit a total of around 215 Falklands destinations in the coming tourist season (until April 2010).  While Stanley will claim the majority of visits with just over 90 calls, Carcass Island, West Point and New Island are also popular destinations with well over 20 planned visits this summer season.

Voters in the Falkland Islands yesterday (5 November) exercised their right to democracy by casting their votes in the first election to be held since the new Constitution was adopted on 1 January 2009.  The Constitution enhances local democracy and reinforces self-determination, which led to a record turnout of 1,232 (77.7 per cent of the electorate) going to the polls.  To read the press release in full click here.

The new Assembly

For more information visit the Legislative Assembly website.