FINN(COM) DAILY RECORD:
Compiled by J. Brock (FINN)
LIBERATION DAY: WARM AND INTIMATE DESPITE THE COLD
By J. Brock (FINN)
A Church service and wreath laying ceremony to mark the 22nd anniversary of liberation from Argentine occupation took place in
Monsignor Anthony Stark, of St. Mary’s Catholic Church, welcomed all to the Cathedral:
“We come here to worship Almighty God. We thank Him for the liberation of these
The hymn “Immortal, Invisible, God only Wise,” followed, with the welcome of Rev. Paul Sweeting.
“Firstly, a very warm welcome to your Cathedral here in
The first lesson, Micah 4:1-4, was read by H. E. the Governor Mr. Howard Pearce. And this was followed by the hymn “Praise My Soul the King of Heaven.” A senior representative from the Royal Navy read the second lesson, Psalm 46. Then the congregation sang, “Guide Me O My Great Redeemer.” The third lesson was read by the Commanding Officer, Falkland Islands Air Wing on behalf of the Chief of Staff. Romans 8:31-39 was followed by the hymn, “Fight the Good Fight.”
Rev. Paul Mellor, the Armed Forces Chaplain at MPA, Rev. Ken Newton of the Seamen’s Mission and the Rev. Scott Brown, the Chaplain of HMS Cardiff, read intercessory prayers. Rev. Brown also remembered the “D Day Landings” and prayed for them and their families, as well as thanking them for their sacrifice. A musical setting of “The Lord’s My Shepherd” followed the intercessions.
Krysteen Ormond, a representative of the young people in
Rev. Paul Sweeting gave the sermon.
“A while ago I sat in this Church listening to a woman speak to me. She asked me, what happened here in 1982? We sat in the quietness of this building. The pews creaked a little, the Para ’s colours above us swayed gently in the draft. And, I was silent as she spoke. She spoke of trenches being dug in people’s front gardens and of the roads turned to filth and how the innocence of these Islands seemed to have been lost.
There would be a knock at your door one evening, next there would be a gun in your face and a hungry Argentine soldier would push into the kitchen – it was usually the kitchen they wanted. And, they would sit down at your table and eat everything, even as far as pouring the tomato catsup, straight from the bottle, down their throats. Let me put it this way: you soon learned not to put your cat out at night if you wanted to see it in the morning.
And, then there were the nights sleeping in a different house – in a stone walled house because wooden walls are no protection against bullets or shrapnel. So your nights were spent on someone else’s floor along with other families gathered there. As the 14th of June approaches, so, too, does the sound of battle high in the hills – hills going by the names of Two Sisters, Harriet, Tumbledown, Longdon and Wireless Ridge.
And, this woman was here when the liberty of these Islands was won. at sea, under the sea, on land and high in the air. And, she says that in Stanley the knowledge that the British had landed at San Carlos that the British were coming. That meant everything because you knew that your liberator was coming to you. They might be out of sight – miles away over the horizon but your liberator is there and is coming with determination to free you. How can I describe that feeling?
We will go back just a few years in history – 60 years or so – and we find ourselves on other beaches with other liberators. But the landings at Normandy were the start of the liberation of Europe. It was, you might say, the break in a very dark cloud – a cloud that had cloaked the utter darkness of places named Auschwitz, Bergen-Belsen and Treblinka. How can I describe the feelings of people in France or Norway or Holland, knowing that your liberator has landed, perhaps out of sight and over the horizon but your liberator is here.
This time last year at Liberation Day I met Steve, who served on a submarine – HMS Spartan – here in 1982. And I remember chatting with him. He said there were times when HMS Spartan slipped in, just outside Stanley, and watched the occupied town to learn of such things as troop dispositions and the like. Silently they came, liberators slipping in unnoticed, watching over Stanley so the day of liberation would come.
So, I hope that today of all days we can understand something of these words that Jesus reads from the Prophet, Isaiah, ‘He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners, and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.’
They were sent in 1944, they were sent in 1982 and Christ says that he was sent in His time, for our time, to liberate us. I am willing to bet there is not a person in this building who doesn’t believe that this world needs liberating. The world of random terror where some will kill out of cold conviction, be it on the streets of Northern Ireland, or a car bomb in Baghdad, or by the million in the depths of the Congo, for that matter, we need a liberator. When it gets to a point when a man can’t get out of his bed without needing a drink first from the bottle that oppresses him, we need a liberator when we live in a world where 40,000 children die every day because they don’t have clean water to drink. Such a world needs a liberator.
Don’t get me wrong. As a Minister, there are times when we struggle to show our faith or show our appreciation. I began just now with a woman sat in this Church. Lets return to her for a moment because I think that for many who were here in 1982 the trauma that was done to these Islands was too much. I think that some will carry that with them to the grave itself. This woman said that at the end of it all, as she spoke to me quietly, of life after liberation, she said that we couldn’t believe it was all over, there wasn’t an opportunity to express their gratitude, they were numb.
Ours is a beautiful and bitter world, a world in which people are sometimes hurt and in which people sometimes do the hurting. This is a world that needed a liberator. Jesus says ‘He sent Me to proclaim freedom to the prisoners, the recovery of sight to the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour. Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the Synagogue were fastened on Him and he began by saying to them, today, this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”
Amen.
“Eternal Father Strong to Save” was the offertory hymn. The collection was divided between the Cathedral Ministry and Sama’82. After the hymn, the “Our Father” was prayed and the blessing given. Ending the service was the National Anthem.
A wreath laying ceremony then took place at the 1982 War Memorial.
Contingents from the Royal Navy, Falkland Islands Defence Force, and the RIC at MPA took part in the parade, which was in place prior to the arrival of CBSAI and H. E. the Governor. Members of the youth groups, Sea and Marine Cadets, Scouts, Guides, Cubs and Rainbows were also standing on parade.
Prayers were read by five clergy - Monsignor Stark of St. Mary’s Catholic Church, Rev. Scott Brown off the HMS Cardiff, Rev. Ken Newton from the Seamen’s Mission, Rev. Paul Mellor from Mount Pleasant and Rev. Paul Sweeting from the Cathedral.
Taps and Reveille were played prior to the laying of wreaths by H. E. the Governor Mr. Howard Pearce, Air Commodore Lacey, representatives of the three Armed Services, the Royal Fleet Auxiliary, Falkland Islands Defence Force, Chief Executive, the British Legion and Royal Naval Association.
A march past completed the ceremony. All retired to the Town Hall for a reception hosted by H. E. the Governor Mr. Howard Pearce.
(100X Transcription Service)
FIBS NEWS DIRECT: 15 JUNE 2004
CHILDREN AND SEATBELTS:
From today, children under the age of 14 must wear a seat belt. New regulations were passed in Legco at the end of last month. As well as children belting up, adults must also wear a seat belt when travelling on roads with a speed limit more than 25MPH. Most vehicles must have seatbelts fitted according to law but for those who don’t Police will give an amnesty to give people time to get in line with the latest regulations, as David Lang (DL) explains.
DL: What we are doing –this is a concession to people – we are giving them 6 months to get themselves in compliance with the law subject to three conditions because the law is going to have to be complied with. First, they must tell the Police within the next 21 days that they are not in compliance with the law and let the Police know the make and the model of the vehicle and the registration number. The reason for that is because when you know the make and model, it’s possible to check what the seat belt requirements are for that vehicle are. Without that, you won’t know. They then have to take urgent steps to get appropriate seatbelts fitted in their vehicle. They can do that in two ways. They can go along to a garage and do it or they can acquire the kit from overseas or from a garage, if they are competent to do so and fit them themselves. As soon as they get them fitted, notwithstanding that the 6 months’ amnesty has expired, they must use them where they are required.
SG: I also asked David about the expense that some people might face.
DL: We can’t look at the law and say it’s too expensive, therefore, don’t do it, we are talking about children’s safety. And, fankly, the law as for the fitting of these things has not changed. They should have done so long ago.
FALKLANDS VETERAN KILLED IN IRAQ:
A Falklands veteran was one of two British Citizens killed yesterday after a suicide car bomb exploded in Baghdad. Ex- Colour Sgt. Keith Butler served with 3Para and was one of those in the bloody battle of Mt. Longdon in 1982. He left the Forces in 2003 and was working as a security guard for three foreign workers involved in the reconstruction of the Iraqi electricity industry. His Colleague, John Poole, also died in the blast. The US Military have said that 10 other contractors and 52 Iraqis were wounded by the blast. Iraqi police say the contractors were targeted as they drove in convoy away from the US Headquarters. The suicide bomber drove in between the cars before blowing himself and his vehicle up. The force of the blast demolished the front of one alcohol store and a hotel and left a line of burning vehicles.
Terry Peck (TP) who fought alongside of Butler at Mt. Longdon, is to send a message of condolence to his family on behalf of the people of the Falklands. He told us this:
TP: I had been attached to “A” Company on a couple of occasions on patrols and then on the night that we assaulted Mr. Longdon I went in with “A” Company and Sgt. Butler was with us. Many will remember the lad that left today, Mack French, he was also with us in the same company. And, we shared many of the horrors of that battle of Mr. Longdon. Colour Sgt. Butler was last in the Falklands in March 2000 as part of the Colour Party that laid up 2 Para Colours. And, I think the people of the Islands would appreciate that I will be sending a message of condolence to his family and friends today. He will be another one who will be remembered in the 1982 Memorial Wood Extension.
The Telegraph say that Defence Secretary, Geoff Hoon paid a surprise visit to Basra yesterday as two British soldiers were wounded in a mortar attack outside the city. He said British troop levels would remain the same after June the 30th when the transfer of sovereignty to the new Iraqi Government is complete.
DEVELOPMENT BOARD MEETING:
An Aquaculture feasibility study could be completed in the Islands by the end of this year, the Falkland Islands Development Board heard this morning. The recent Aquaculture fact-finding trip, AI and ET were all on the agenda at this morning’s meeting. General Manager of FIDC, Julian Morris, told the Board about the recent fact-finding trip to the UK. He said each of the members on the trip were still preparing for a report but they were in a much better situation to assess different options. Richard Cockwell asked whether finfish farming was being looked at following the experimental Salmon farm a number of years ago. He said the Salmon had grown 70% faster here than those in the Northern Hemisphere. Members said they would concentrate on mussel farming first. Julian Morris said he hoped to have the aquaculture feasibility study completed by the end of the year.
Also At this morning’s meeting, Director of Minerals and Agriculture, Phyl Rendell told the Board that she was going to ask for a draw-down on more funds from STABX for next year’s AI and ET Programme. This year, 2000 ewes were artificially inseminated and 400 had embryos implanted. Phyl said she was going to increase this to around 3,000 to 4,000 embryo transfers next year. She added that she was very pleased with the work done this year by Adrian Beech and said the Department was keen to work with him again. She said it was still important to bring an expert in to do the work. It was noted that this sort of experience would be noted when advertising for a vet in the future.
The introduction of a quarantine declaration form was agreed by the Board to be filled in by everyone coming in to the Islands. It will help the import of animal and plant s to help maintain the disease-free status of the Islands. The idea won support from farmers at last year’s Farmers’ Week and this morning’s meeting heard that it was important to be stricter with existing legislation now that farmers were looking at the export of genetics and animals. Cruise Ship passengers would complete a form on their arrival in the Islands at the same time that they had their passport stamped.
QUEEN’S BIRTHDAY HONOURS LIST:
The Queen’s Birthday Honours list came out over the weekend. There’s just one person on the list this time with a Falklands connection. Professor John Croxil receives a CBE. John is a trustee and former Chairman of Falklands Conservation as well as being head of Conservation Biology at British Antarctic Survey. He’s carried out a lot of work on the conservation of the Albatross and was an early advisor to the UK Government in the drawing up of the agreement for the protection of Albatross and Petrels. His honour is awarded for services to Ornithology.
(100X Transcription Service)
