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Many hundreds of spectators were on hand on Tuesday 24 May to see the first
plane land at the new Gerald's Airport. The WINAIR Twin Otter aircraft made
a picture-book landing bringing with it the Company's officials, pilots and
the media. The first fixed wing aircraft to land in Montserrat since the
closure of W.H. Bramble Airport some eight years ago, landed at 8.30 am to
be met by officials including the Hon Chief Minister Dr John A Osborne,
Airport Project Manager Mr Claude Hogan and Mr Ian Young of DFID.
The WINAIR flight will be the first of several test flights over the next
few weeks before the company starts regular commercial flights on 11 July.
The plane was flown by pilots Roberto Richie and Gavin Peterson. Spectators,
including several hundred school children, cheered as the plane landed.
At an official ceremony following the landing the Chief Minister elaborated on the economic importance of opening up the island through direct flights from Antigua to Montserrat by WINAIR. "It will be a great boost to the economy" said Mr Osborne.
WINAIR's Managing Director Edwin Hope told those present at the ceremony
that his company's last flight from Montserrat was over ten tears ago out of
W.H. Bramble Airport which has been destroyed by the volcano. "This has been
a sentimental and operational journey, made more special by the fact that I
was on one of the last relief flights in the early days of the volcano" said
Mr Hope.
Captain Richie said that the airport had created a positive impression on him and he went on to make six landings at the airport during the day.
The airport terminal is already in use by passengers using helicopter services to Montserrat. It was opened by the Princess Royal in February of this year.
Pictures show: arrival of the first flight, excited spectators prior to the arrival and the official party after the landing.
The On-site Operations Coordination Centre (OSOCC) training module in International Search and Rescue Operations and other disaster scenarios formed part of the United Nations Disaster Assessment and Coordination Team's (UNDAC) training programme.
This training module was designed to train UNDAC members, support staff, national disaster managers and Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) liaison officers who were likely to be called upon to establish an OSOCC.
Thirty-nine (39) participants from a total of eighteen (18) countries/islands and ten (10) regional/International organizations participated in the course.
The Participants were introduced to the historic evolution of the OSOCC Concept and the OSOCC in a multi-organization environment, training in the use of the equipment needed to establish a functioning OSOCC, the "UNDAC" Mission software and the Virtual OSOCC.
Furthermore, participants were trained in the establishment of Receptions/Departure centre and Sub-OSOCC and were informed on the principles on which International responses are based and the role of the United Nations in Sudden- onset disasters. It was the result of a collaborative process among OCHA, the Montserrat authorities, the United Nations Resident Coordinator for the Eastern Caribbean States, based in Barbados, and the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Response Agency (CDERA).
In order to create a realistic understanding of the emergency and the international relief environment, several simulation exercises were be played during the training event, interrupted by theoretical course sessions, as appropriate.
The course ran for twenty (20) hours including evening sessions.
The main funding for the UNDAC training course was provided by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) based in Geneva.
Participating Countries are Antigua and Barbuda, Anguilla, Bahamas, Bermuda, Bolivia, Brazil, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Dominica, Montserrat, panama, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Turks and Caicos Islands, Switzerland, The United Kingdom and the United States.
Regional/International Organizations are:
The ceremony which was chaired by DMCA Director Captain Horatio Tuitt, was held in the newly-commissioned Media Centre.
During his address, Montserrat's Chief Minister John Osborne reminded the participants of the need to place greater emphasis on Disaster Risk reduction by putting mitigative measures in place in an effort to lessen the impact of natural disasters on communities.
He highlighted the commitment of the Government of Montserrat towards this objective by pledging national support to the Disaster Management Coordination Agency (DMCA).
Mr. Osborne said an empowered DMCA would ensure an empowered community. He urged all the other participating states to stay focus and committed to the goal of working to provide safer communities globally.
Representing CDERA, General Earl Arthurs, through a thorough power-point presentation, outlined the agency's mandate for embracing the new paradigm shift towards Comprehensive Disaster Management (CDM).
He stressed the importance of governments investing in CDM and ensuring that it forms and integral part of their national, regional and international sustainable development plans.
There were also remarks by Ms. Rebecca Arias, Deputy Resident Representative, United Nations Development Programme, UNDP-Barbados, and Roger Bellers, Disaster Management Adviser, Network of Emergency Managers of Overseas Territories, NEMOT.
Ms. Katarina Toll-Velasquez, Field Coordination Support Section, Emergency Services Branch, Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, OCHA Geneva provided an overview of the course objectives.
The Royal Navy's HMS Liverpool paid a successful courtesy call to Montserrat from 9 - 11 May 2005. The ship, under the command of Commander Gerry Northwood, had a total of 259 officers and crew on board. Crew members assisted the MVO to de-bush helicopter landing sites in the mountains of the island, toured the volcanic sites, played sports including tennis, basketball, football and cricket and attended several social events.Commander Northwood and several of his officers paid courtesy calls on H.E. the Governor, the Hon. Chief Minister and visited the MVO and the EOC for briefings.
The ship's helicopter also assisted the Royal Montserrat Police Force in their drug interdiction programme. Our photograph shows HMS Liverpool at anchor in Little Bay on the evening of 9th May.
Captain Horatio Tuitt, hosting the Conference, reported that the National Hurricane Centre is forecasting a season with a well above average number of named storms for 2005.
Names to be allocated to storms this year are; Arlene, Bret, Cindy, Dennis, Emily, Franklin, Gert, Harvey, Irene, Jose, Katrina, Lee, Maria, Nate, Ophelia, Philippe, Rita, Stan, Tammy, Vince, and Wilma.
Billions of dollars of damage was done in the Caribbean region during 2004 because of hurricanes and Captain Tuitt is urging everyone to prepare. Members of the public can collect Hurricane Preparedness Tips and hurricane tracking maps from the EOC in St Johns Montserrat.
The Montserrat Red Cross has also started its programme of hurricane preparedness tips on local radio broadcasting them in both English and Spanish and recently Mr Adrian Galloway of the local branch attended the annual Red Cross hurricane planning workshop held in Panama.
Mr Joseph L. Irish of Woodlands Montserrat, currently employed as a Project Officer in Government's Development Unit has been awarded the Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO) prestigious Chevening Scholarship for the academic year 2005 / 2006.Mr Irish will study for an MSc in Project Planning and Management at Bradford University in North East England and will leave here in September.
Chevening Scholarships are provided by the FCO in conjunction with the private sector in Britain and are aimed at students with a first degree desirous of completing a higher education.
As Mr Irish leaves, two previous Chevening Scholars will be heading home on completion of their courses. Miss Laverne Rogers has been studying for an MSc at Edinburgh University and Mrs Desreen Silcott for an MSc at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine.
The Governor's Office has extended congratulations to Mr Irish for receiving this scholarship.
Picture shows Mr Irish being presented with confirmation of his scholarship by Mr Russ Jarvis, Head of the Governor's Office.
For more information on Montserrat and its breathtaking scenery, unspoiled coral reefs and volcanic vistas, visit www.visitmontserrat.com and to book your Montserrat Weekend Getaway package for June and July 2005, call your local travel agent.
The vessel 'RRS James Clark Ross' of the National Environmental Research Council spent two weeks in Montserrat waters in May carrying out scientific research. The ship was operating in the island's coastal waters to map seabed sediment that has been deposited due to volcanic action over the last ten years.The on-board research team was headed by Professor Steve Sparks of Bristol University who has worked closely with the Montserrat Volcano Observatory (MVO) over the years and is a former chairman of the Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC).
It is thought that their provisional findings will be presented at the Tenth Anniversary Scientific Conference of the Eruption of the Soufriere Hills Volcano to be held in Montserrat next month.
Picture shows the RRS James Clark Ross anchored in Montserrat's coastal waters
Are you one of the many savers or borrowers who are receiving or paying interest? What do you know about your interest rate? And, do you fully understand the concept of interest? An interest rate is not a complex concept. Simply put, an interest rate is a price, which relates to a financial transaction. In the case of savings deposits, the bank compensates the depositor for the use of the funds over a period of time. In the Eastern Caribbean Currency Union the minimum statutory interest rate on deposits is 3%, having been reduced by the Monetary Council of the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank from 4% to 3% as at September 2002. This implies that as of that date, deposit-taking institutions can compensate savings depositors for the use of depositors' funds from as a low as 3%. This compensation is the interest.
Similarly, for a loan or another type of financial transaction the borrower receives funds for a given period of time and agrees to repay the borrowed funds at a specified time in the future. Because the lenders sacrifice the immediate use of their funds, they ask for compensation in addition to the repayment of the funds loaned. This compensation is the interest, the price the borrower must pay for the immediate use of the funds loaned. Simply put, interest rates are the price of credit.
Various factors influence the differing interest rates related to credit transactions. These include:
Her Royal Highness The Queen's Birthday Parade was held at the new Gerald's Airport on Saturday 11 June 2005. The heavy rain did not dampen the spirit of all those taking part, which included The Royal Montserrat Police Force, the Royal Montserrat Defence Force, the MSS Cadet Corps, Montserrat's uniformed volunteer bodies and the band of the Royal Antiguan Police Force.Taking the salute were H.E. the Governor and her Defence Advisor, Captain Steve Wilson RN.