TTHHEE TTRREESSCCOO TTIIMMEESSAUTUMN 2010 “OUR VIEWS ARE CLEAR.” VOLUME 5.9

BRINGING THE LAST PIECE OF ENGLAND TO THE WORLD

STILL FREE AND STILL MAKING SENSE OF SCILLY

ISLAND HOTEL REMAINS OPEN 2011

They travelled through 14 countries,crossed mountain ranges and deserts,slept in wilderness and swamp, pushedthemselves to physical and mentallimits - but The Islanders successfullycompleted the Scilly Mission & MongolRally! (Finishing 76th out of 400 teams)Driving from Goodwood (UK) to UlaanBaatar (Mongolia) was the challenge, butin a small family car with an engine nobigger than 1.2 litres. You may have seen

their choice of vehicle, Pete the CitroenSaxo, parked outside Tresco Stores forthe months running up to the event. Much to the surprise of everyone, thatsmall French car survived a journey thatdestroyed so many of the vehicles takingpart, reaching the finish line with only afew niggles (the front shock absorbershad broken and the driver had the luxuryof only 1st and 4th gears).

CONTINUED OVERLEAF �

SCILLY MISSION...29 days 17 hours and14 minutes, 9000 milesand £15,000 for theCystic Fibrosis Trust

As the exciting Sea Garden Cottages re-development programme begins, the Tresco Times isdelighted to announce that, from mid-April 2011, the Island Hotel will open its doors once again toTresco’s visitors. In order to minimise disruption for those staying at Old Grimsby, Tresco Estate hasmade the decision to spread the programme of works at Raven Porth over the next two winters. As aresult, the heart of the Island Hotel, with its terrace bar and celebrated restaurant, will be open to guestsin 2011.A total of thirty-one bedrooms will be available from April to September, including the Main, Garden andCottage Wings, as well as the Golden Ball and Men-a-vaur suites. As part of the ongoing transformationof the hotel, five new ‘cottage’ suites increase the choices offered to guests further.By the time the Island Hotel opens in 2011, the first stage of the Sea Garden Cottages’ development willbe complete. The old Flower Wing, along with the Rocks and Castles rooms, will have been fullyconverted into seven luxurious timeshare properties.Timeshare owners will, of course, be able to take advantage of the fine dining available at the IslandHotel, be it breakfast, lunch or dinner. Changes may be afoot, but the hotel’s standards will remain as highas always.For further information call the Island Hotel’s manager, Wayne Shaw (01720) 422883

1 Front page Aut 10.qxd:Layout 1 14/9/10 11:11 Page 1

Page 2 Tresco Times

Tresco’s Will Ash, James Druce andNick Mackey return from their greatadventure and share with the TrescoTimes some of the ups and downs ofthis amazing trip:We undertook this challenge as a fundraising event; the three of us have beenstrong supporters of the Cystic FibrosisTrust, and been involved with the runningof the Tresco Marathon for many years.In its absence this year, we saw theMongol Rally as a worthy replacement -something very new, very unusual, andvery challenging.

Travelling through Europe was arelatively easy affair, gifted with thequality of roads we’ve come to expectfrom the UK. Most of the continent was aliteral blur, unfortunately not having thetime to stop and admire the hundreds oftowns and cities we passed through.Things started to get interesting once wereached Romania, however, as the roadconditions deteriorated from perfecttarmac to a veritable obstacle course oftarmac peaks and pot holes.

Our challenge was almost cut short in theUkraine, after hitting a small pothole,which resulted in a 3 day wait for parts,whilst being looked after by a local whowanting nothing more than to assist in hishome country. As it turns out, we

managed fix the car using asledgehammer and angle grinder, but tomeet a stranger who’d take so much timeout of his life and ask for nothing in returnwas so endearing.

As we left Europe, borders becameinteresting. At each one, the guardswould take pleasure in strip-searchingour poor car for contraband - neverfinding anything, but instead making up

SCILLY MISSION - THREE GO MAD IN MONGOLIA

Ukranian hospitality and kindness (along with asledgehammer) saved the day.

The three of us agree, the Mongol Rallyhas been the hardest thing we’ve everdone, both physically and mentally.We’ve driven for 36 hours straight, we’vegone a week without a shower, toiletfacilities consisted of the great outdoors(and a spade), we’ve endured our owncompany for a week without hearinganother word of English, and we’vecamped next to roads in the pouring rain.But comparing this to the sense ofachievement in crossing the finish line,the realisation that we’d traversed suchan enormous distance against all odds,the friends we’d made along the way andcultures we’d visited, and the hugeamount of money we’d raised; it all addsup to being a life-changing experience.

This challenge would have been nothingbut a pipe dream without the hugesupport of so many people involved; TheDorrien-Smith family and Tresco Estatefor becoming our main sponsors, ourfriends and families for the constantsupport and sponsorship, the numerouscompanies that advertised on the car, JoAsh and her constant drive andenthusiasm behind the scenes, andeveryone who visited the website andfollowed us as we progressed. It was onlywith the support of everyone wemanaged to finish, and are on target toraise an incredible £15,000 for the CysticFibrosis Trust. From the three of us, wethank you all for all the amazing support.

Our website, www.scillymission.com,contains our day by day blogs free toread, along with a comprehensive list ofour thanks to all involved.

We convoyed with other teams forthousands of miles, each sharing in thehighs and lows as we witnessedspectacular scenery and almost alienlandscapes (albeit ones that take pleasurein destroying small cars). Arriving at theMongolian border was an ecstatic affair,our target country and within reachingdistance of the capital city – althoughbeing impounded at the border for 52hours with paperwork issues did make uswonder whether we’d ever make it!

The final push through Mongolia wasthrough a land untouched – 800 miles oftravelling without roads, simply using wornpaths carved into the Gobi Desert andmountain tracks for 4 days. The sight oftarmac as we approached the capital citywas a welcome one, providing theequivalent of a long smooth red carpet aswe drove the last few hours into the capitalcity towards a jubilant finish line.

strange taxes in the attempt to extortmoney from us (“Too big light bulbs tax”and “Spare wheel tax” are just twoexamples!). We experienced corruption forthousands of miles, eager policemenpulling us over every hour with bogusclaims and bogus fines. All of this,however, added to the experience of beingthe hardest, yet most rewarding thing we’dever done.

We travelled across Russia, witnessingfirst hand the forest fires that dominatedinternational news as they spread out ofcontrol through the vast expanses of land.The car never complained as we drove forup to 36 hours at a time in ridiculous heat,soaring to 45C at one point (a world awayfrom the temperate UK conditions we’re sovery used to).

Every country we entered, huge culturaldifferences could be found, separated bythe invisible political border lines –crossing Russia into Kazakhstan, forexample, made the transition from aseemingly rather hostile nation of people tosome of the friendliest we’d ever met.Local Kazakhs went out of their way toassist us where needed, crowds formed insmall villages as we went through greetedby a plethora of waves and smiles.

2 mongol rally.qxp:Layout 1 14/9/10 11:15 Page 1

Tresco Times Page 3

TRESCO FETENo summer on Scilly would be completewithout island fetes and Tresco’s tookplace on a blessedly dry August after-noon. Face-painted children andbeer/Pimms-drinking adults swarmedacross the cricket pitch to the sound ofexcellent local bands. From welly-wang-ing to cream teas, there was somethingfor everybody (some found the music notto their taste see below). The fete was or-ganised by the gig cluband all proceeds went tothe renovation fund forthe Men-a-vaur, whichwas brought over fromNew Grimsby for theday. Over £5000 wasraised so a big thankyou to everybody in-volved and all thosewho attended.

Charity events andfund-raising are is-land obsessions and this summer hasseen frenetic activity involving the MongolRally and the Cystic Fibrosis Trust. Atriathlon (see p.10), raft races,bands atthe New Inn...mention must be made ofthe Brothers Lawson (Andrew andRobin) who undertook the 3 Peaks Chal-lenge to raise money for the ProstateCancer Trust. They were successful intheir gruelling 24 hour attempt to scaleBen Nevis, Snowdonia and Scafell Pike.However, they were fortunate to make itto the start line as their driver dropped outat the last minute. Step up Geoff Taylor,a regular visitor to Tresco for many years.Geoff, or the Stig as he was known by theteam, volunteered to chauffeur the Law-sons from peak to peak. Geoff, an ex-TVR racing driver, proved invaluable and

drove them swiftly and safely throughoutthe challenge. The Brothers Lawson com-pleted the 3 Peaks Challenge in a fantas-tic 21hr 25 min. Their team raised over£7000 for Prostate Cancer, of which£5450 was raised over the bar at the NewInn. WELL DONE!

On the sporting front, the Tresco and Bry-her Cricket Club enjoyed mixed successat this year’s Triangle Competition, whichwas hosted on Tresco. Playing St Martin’sfirst, T&BCC were given something of apasting by one St Martin’s batsmen fromwhich they never really recovered.Against St Agnes, however, the team ral-lied and triumphed. This same pattern of1 victory, 1 loss was to be repeated byboth St Agnes and St Martin’s, so for thefirst time in many years the competitionwas a three-way tie.

Robin and Andrew Lawson (back left andcentre) and Geoff “The Stig” Taylor in the

foreground.

One of the most sophisticated charita-ble events to be held was the exhibitonof local art organised by Lisa Robertsand Jo Ash (above) on Saturday 3rdJuly at the New Inn restaurant.Jo and Lisa contacted artists from allover Scilly to ask them to exhibit, with50%of all the sales to be donated tothe Cystic Fibrosis Trust. Jo and Lisaended up with an array of fantasticwork from handmade wooden furni-ture, jewellery, paintings, photography,pastels, felt work, sea glass mobiles,pottery ...and the list goes on!The night was a huge success whichLisa described as “crazily busy”, withpeiople from all over the islands at-tending. Lisa commented“We raised an amazing £2678 in justtwo hours, so all the hard work paidoff. We had work from islanders andestablished artists; it was great toshow off some hidden talents! A lot ofhelp was given to us on the nightwhich was fantastic . Thank you to allwho took part!”Some of the work is still available andis up in the New Inn restaurant, feelfree to go in and have a look.

As holders of the trophy, Tresco & Bry-her retained the cup. After several re-freshing glasses of beer at the New Inn,the team convinced themselves that, asthe trophy was still in their possession,they had therefore actually won, whichcalled for more glasses of beer. Ohappy delusion!One of the highlights of tournament forT&BCC regulars was provided by ouryoung keeper for the day, Charlie Drew.Not only did he prove to be an excellentcricketer, he gave a bravura sledgingperformance, much to the delight of histeam mates and even some of the op-position. Batsmen failing to impressCharlie were treated to quips such as“More blocks than Legoland.” and“More holes than a polo factory” . TheEditor’s pick was a chirpy “Moremisses than Henry VIII”. The teamwould like to thank all those who helpedmake it a wonderful day, in particularPete Marshall, Andy Lawson, KateClement and our umpire, Paul Wilson.Paul was to return to the cricket field ascaptain of the opposition in the regularIslanders vs Timesharers game. A veryfine knock from Ben Coleman setTresco up for a victory that was nearlysnatched away by an excellent inningsfrom Ben Marchant for the Timesharers.

SCILLY ART

Flying low on the fund-raisingradar this year has been Trudy Pot-ter of the Abbey, who has been qui-etly and industriously looking afterthe Precious Lives Appeal shop atthe old heliport hut. This year shehas collected over £2000! Welldone Trudy and all who con-tributed!

Cricket Triangle: Win,Lose And Draw

INSULAR THINGS

3 INSULAR THINGS.qxp:Layout 1 14/9/10 08:02 Page 1

The thought of a boat,loaded with 1000 lobsters,making its way betweenTresco and Bryher isenough to make anyScillonian fisherman smackhis lips. This June, just such acargo motored up the channel butthe lobsters on board were boundfor the sea not the kitchen. Thelobsters in question would nothave made much of a meal aseach one was not more than acentimetre long.

These were baby lobsters andtheir release was part of anongoing campaign to maintain abalance between the islands’sealife and a sustainable fishingindustry. The lobster release wasan intiative organised by our veryown Phillip Callan, Manager ofHell Bay Hotel, and DomBoothroyd of the National LobsterHatchery in Padstow.

Dom Boothroyd explained: “Weare all about promotingsustainable fishing andaquaculture. The process for usstarts with a call from a fishermanwho has landed a female witheggs. Once the eggs hatch, weraise the larvae in tanks, feedingthem plankton.”“After about two weeks, thelarvae actually start to look liketheir parents. At this point, theyall have to be separated as theystart to become very aggressiveand fight each other. They aregrown on in individual cells.”The lobsters that Dom and hiswife Sarah had transported toScilly were all between 2 and 7months old. They had sailed overon the Scillonian and been met atthe quay by Philip and TrescoHarbourmaster Henry Birch. Theteam were accompanied by alocal TV crew and aided byTristan Dorrien-Smith.Phillip had first made contact withDom, after one of the hatchery’strustees had stayed at Hell Bay.Phillip remarked:“We always have local shellfishon our menu, so I thought it animportant project to get involvedwith. ”The area for the release, selectedby Henry, was close toHangman’s Island. The tinylobsters were decanted from theircells and placed into a tank.

From here, the lobsters weregently pumped into a wide pipeand down into the sea towardsthe ocean floor. There they willbury themselves into sand andgravel for a further two years.Philip is looking to the future:“Dom and I hope to develop thisjoint project further, with apossible protective cage for babylobsters, secured to a mooring.”Philip and Dom are not the onlyones looking forward to thefuture.The junior lobsters werehelped on their way by Hell Bay’sChef Glenn Gatland, who washeard to be softly singing “We’llMeet Again” under his breath.Another six years, Glenn, anothersix years.

Harbourmaster Henry Birch chose the release site:Henry’s knowledge of the local waters was vital inchoosing the right location. The TV crew that was aboardthe harbour boat spotted his talent right away and Henryappeared on the local news that very evening.

A lobster in the hand is worthputting in the dispersal tank...

Tristan and Phillip transferlobsters to the dispersal tank.

Sarah andDom Boothroyd of the

National LobsterHatchery, along with

Tristan and Glenn, commitlobsters to the deep.

One of the best things about baby lobsters is that, after five to seven years, they grow intodeliciously large lobsters. Beautifully prepared dishes of sustainably-fished, local lobsterand crab can be enjoyed at the Hell Bay Hotel, the Flying Boat Club, the New Inn and atthe Island Hotel. Alternatively, order island shellfish from Bryher fisherman Mike Pender(01720 422975), delivered to New Grimsby quay for you to devour in your cottage.

Page 4 Tresco Times

FREE LOBSTERS ON SCILLY

THE NATIONAL LOBSTER HATCHERYopen all year 7 days a week from 10amwww.nationallobsterhatchery.co.uk

01841 533877info@nationallobsterhatchery.co.uk

4 LOBSTER PAGE.qxp:Layout 1 14/9/10 11:35 Page 1

Tresco Times Page 5

The editor was delighted to receivethis article from budding-journalist,13 year old Amber Rees. Entitled‘Isle of Freedom’, the piece reflectsupon the youthful pleasures ofholidaying on Tresco.

Being a child on Tresco is likeliving in paradise; the freedom you feel isunbelievable. Each sunrise brings a newand wonderful day that is filled withadventure and enjoyment. I have spentmany of my holidays here, cyclingeverywhere and anywhere with a sense ofexcitement and happiness. Tresco was, infact, the first place that my younger sisterand I learnt to swim and cycle – giving usyet greater freedom and independence.When the blistering hot sun is out, I alwaysfind myself biking to the New Inn to buy oneof the most amazing ice-creams in the worldor, after meeting up with a friend for a swimat the Flying Boat Club, it seems natural tokick back in front of the beautiful beacheswith my favourite drink of all time - a hotchocolate (with extra squirty cream ofcourse!). However, freedom is not just greatfor kids, as, when my sister and I charge offon our bikes, making our own little

isle of freedom

adventures and exploring the island, ourparents can relax in the knowledge that weare safe, and have a break from ourendless banter! On Tresco, you really are

allowed to let your hair down and have awhale of a time - that’s why I love it!Amber Rees

To be certain of the best-priced tickets and best-choice of flight times for flying direct to Tresco in 2011,book your seats in 2010. As the Tresco Times goes to print, there is no news yet as to 2011 ticket prices,

except, of course, the guarantee that they won’t be going down in cost. Regular visitors, most particularlythose with timeshare cottages, may wish to take advantage of this and book early.

Flying Boat ClubMembers

SpecialFrom this autumn, allmembers of the Flying BoatClub will be entitled to anexclusive 25% discount onall treatments at Tresco’sluxurious and relaxing spa,all year round.Hannah Shaw of The Spasaid:“We would like to reward theloyalty of our club members,with this offer, which coversany treatment, from amassage to a manicure.”

HH EE LL II CCOOPP TT EE RR TT II CC KK EE TT SS :: BB OO OOKK NN OOWW FF OO RR 22 00 11 11 TT II CCKK EE TT SS AATT 22 00 11 00 PPRR II CC EE SS

5 Amber.qxp:Layout 1 14/9/10 11:16 Page 1

Page 6 Tresco Times

The question I am always asked from prospec-tive “first time” visitors to the Isles of Scilly is“Which is better for birds, Spring or Au-tumn?” Indeed, how long is an ornithologicalpiece of string is my reply?!

In Spring…….the birds are singing, seabirdsare present, busy nesting on the Outer Islands,islets & rocks, the wild flowers are much inevidence and butterflies can be in profusion.To walk down early morning to the Great Pooland perhaps hear the Sedge Warblers, theirfast erratic song emanating from deep in thereedbed, whilst the keener ear will soon pickout the slower, more rhythmical song of theReed Warbler, perhaps slowly climbing upthe reed stem into full view. With luck a dis-tant GrasshopperWarbler may be heard, its“reeling” song so very distinct, but the birdprobably hidden deep in scrub. Overheard thefirst Barn Swallows and House Martins arealready hawking for insects, whilst suddenlyamongst them appears a Red-rumped Swal-low, the pinkish-salmon rump obvious, as arethe black undertail coverts. Strolling alongBack Lane a Peregrine dashes over, whilstthe distinctive “croak” of the Raven reveals apair disappearing over Castle Down. A whiterump flicks over the stone wall – NorthernWheatear, whilst a Cuckoo sings from thedead conifer tree. Spring is here!

The boat ride after breakfast around theNorthern Rocks is great fun – Fulmars, Ra-zorbills, Guillemots and Shags are vying fornesting space on Mincarlo, the most south-westerly of the mini-archipelago, whilst in thewater a dozen Puffins bob around, suddenly

On 6th July the Old Grimsby Bypass was declared open by Robert and Lucy Dorrien-Smith, alongwith their children Marina and Tristan (the blue-hatted gentleman on the left is not a Dorrien-Smith butGordy Richards,digger driver extraordinaire). Rather smaller in scale and lighter in traffic than mainlandbypasses, the road has been greeted with unanimous approval. The new route joins up with Back Lane andmarks the closing of the seafront road to all traffic other than pedestrians and cyclists. For those staying bythe harbour at Old Grimsby, the diversion has been particularly welcomed, allowing for a return to morepeaceful times of years gone-by. Many years ago, however, the view along the seafront road was obscuredby the tamarisk trees, which were allowed greater freedom to grow. A century ago, any pruning was done byfishermen not gardeners. This description of Old Grimsby was written by Jessie Mothersole in 1910: “Herealso are fringes of tamarisk and other low trees, along the shore. St Martin’s men come over in boats and cutoff the branches for making crab and lobster-pots - “trimming our trees for us”, as the Tresconians put it.”

taking to flight on their tiny whirring wings.On the way back several Sandwich Terns flylazily by, en route to further northern climes,whilst a distant Gannet plunges into the sea.To round off the trip, a flock ofWhimbrelcan be heard, their “seven-note” whistle soevocative and to me, the sound of Spring. OnBryher we are luckily enough to find both theDwarf Pansy and the Orange Birdsfoot,both plants not found on the Mainland, whilstHolly Blue, Speckled Wood and Red Admi-ral butterflies abound in the warm Spring sun-shine. A pair of Swifts appear overhead, asplendid late male Ring Ouzel lands brieflyon a granite rock, sporting it’s white bib andto then, to cap the day, a superb maleWood-chat Shrike perches in the bracken behind theCamp Site, rounding off one of those specialSpring days on Scilly.In Autumn……just what will appear? Lightnorth-easterly winds and it’s looking good.Strolling along the Middle Fields a CommonRedstart flicks up onto the hedgerow, its fieryorangey tail quickly revealing the identity,whilst a dozenWood Pigeons suddenly flyingoverhead makes one look carefully for theraptor – a small maleMerlin dashing throughthe conifers. At the southern end of the GreatPool there is plenty of exposed mud after thedry Summer, so careful scanning with the tele-scope along the water’s edge soon picks up asmall flock of Dunlin, one juvenile LittleStint and a further juvenile Curlew Sand-piper, all busily feeding in the soft mud.More scanning along the edge of the reeds re-veals two Common Snipe and suddenly,dashing through the reeds, a superb SpottedCrake – what a start! Several Chiffchaffs areheard calling from the sallow bushes, a freshjuvenileWhinchat alights onto a fencepostand then a cracking Pied Flycatcher flits outonto an isolated gorse bush for all to see! Fur-ther scanning over Simpson’s Field produces aYellowWagtail, whilst a mixed flock of

Redshank and Greenshank begins to as-semble on the rocks as the tide rises. Plentyof Gadwall are swimming in the Pool, thefirstWigeon of the Autumn appear and sev-eral Little Egrets fly into roost. Wanderingslowly back to the New Inn and suddenly asmall Dunnock-like bird appears along thestone wall in front of me, with strange black-ish markings and a relative long tail –Wry-neck I exclaim! I rest my case.

Come and join David next year for a superBirding Holiday on Tresco or Bryher withvenues as follows – it’s very relaxed, infor-mal and great fun!

Hell Bay: 5 nights, April 27th-May 2nd.

New Inn: 5 nights, May 2nd-7th

David Rosair, Island VenturesTel: 01227 793501

Email: drosair@aol.comwww.islandventures.co.uk

www.tresco.co.uk

Take a trip aroundScilly with Birdman

David Rosair.

6 Birdman.qxp:Layout 1 14/9/10 11:08 Page 1

Tresco Times Page 7

LAURIE TERRY1930-2010

OBITUARIES

Laurence Edward John Terry or Laurie,as he was known, was born on 15th April1930. At that time his parents, Jim andMary Terry, lived in Old Grimsby beforelater moving to Bay House.

Laurie’s father was the island’s woodmanand as a boy Laurie often accompaniedhis father and helped plant trees. It wasthe sea rather than the land that was toclaim Laurie’s abiding interest. He startedboating and fishing at the age of seven ina small wooden punt, before progressingto building his own boat, from which hewould fish crab and lobster for sale.

Laurie left school on Tresco aged 15 andwent off to the Outward Bound TrainingSchool in Wales. From there, Laurie wenton to serve in the Merchant Navy. Twoweeks after returning to Tresco, Lauriereceived his call-up papers for NationalService. He joined the RAF Air SeaRescue, working on motor launches out ofFowey.

Upon his return to Tresco, Laurie becamethe 2nd Boatman to the Dorrien-Smithfamily, working alongside Willie HowardJenkins. When Willie retired, Laurie tookover as Boatman and in all, Laurie was toserve three generations of the Dorrien-Smith family.

He took a great pride in his job and felthonoured to have met all of the visitingRoyal Family and many celebrities. Heoften spoke of fishing trips and picnics onMelledgan and would recall how a youngPrince Harry broke a biscuit in half toshare it with Laurie.

Laurie courted Daphne, who lived onBryher, rowing over from Tresco in theevenings. They married and had twodaughters, both of whom were married inSt Nicholas Church, Tresco. Laurie leftbehind him five grandchildren and, todate, eleven great-grandchildren.

As well as being the Dorrien-Smiths’Boatman, Laurie was the Harbour Master,a fireman, Customs Correspondent andReceiver of Wreck. He was involved withthe church, dug graves and laid out thedead. He was a devotee of the dancesheld in the Reading Room and was akeen gardener of flowers and vegetables.During winter months, Laurie would befound in his shed, making willow pots forthe following summer’s fishing.

Laurie retired in 1994 and moved toBrixham to live with his youngestdaughter Rita and her family. He sworethat his boating days were over but, aftera year or so, he became the ferryman forthe Res Nova, a floating restaurant on theRiver Dart ,where his son-in-law Martynwas Head Chef. He continued to enjoy hisgardening and found a new pleasure inwalking the family dog.Laurie suffered a stroke in May 2001,which was severe enough to force himinto a care home, where he remained untilhis death on 21st June 2010.

BRIAN DAN1936-2010

Brian was born on July 1936 in Plymouth,a third son to Jack and Maud Dan. Brian’searly interest in outdoor pursuits led to ayouthful passion for cycling. A regularevening’s training would involve himcycling from Plymouth to Exeter and back:a round trip of about 90 miles. Brian’stalents on two wheels served him wellduring his National Service in the RAF,when he spent most of his time trainingwith one of Britain’s best competitivecyclists.Prior to National Service, Brian had servedan apprenticeship as an electrician withthe firm Heath’s in Plymouth and it was tobe his skills as an electrician that were firstto take him first to Scilly in the 1960s. From

the very first time that Brian came to theislands, it was clear that it was where hewanted to be.

At first he came as a contract electrician,staying for short periods of time but in1963 Brian moved over to Tresco with hisfirst wife Maureen. Living with their twochildren, Kerry and Sally, in Palace Row,Brian threw himself into island life. Brian’sbrother Ken and his wife Sylvia were alsoto move out to Tresco for a number ofyears. Brian became friends with LaurieTerry and was often out potting with him,learning much about boating and the localwaters.

Boats were to remain another of Brian’sgreat passions for the rest of his life. Evenwhen he was being treated for leukaemia,Brian would hop in his boat and motoracross to the mainland to visit TreliskeHospital. He loved to talk about his trips upto Cowlands Creek on the Fal and hisadventures with Laurie. Working with thegifted Bryher boat builder, Keith Bennett,Brian was to hone his skills as a craftsmanto such an extent that he was to build hisown catamaran, Snowbird.

Snowbird was to be where Brian was tofind happiness once again after the breakup of his first marriage. During hiscourtship of Gill Parkes they spent much

time on the boat and after they weremarried in 1976, Snowbird was their firstmarital home. By this time Brian haddeveloped his skills as a refrigerationengineer, something much in demand fromthe flower farmers on Scilly. Brian was nowself-employed and the islands’ leadingelectrician.

Brian and Gill moved on to dry land andthe island of Bryher, shortly after the birthfo their first child in 1977, to Carn Villawhich remains the family home today.Brian was the quintessential family man aschildren, Steven, Kate, Gem, Zoe, Georgieand David will testify.

Family life at Carn Villa defined Brian. Heworked very hard to provide for his family,using all his skills as an electricianthroughout the islands but most particularlyTresco. Brian’s first job on Scilly washelping to rewire parts of the Abbey and bythe time he retired, he had worked in everycottage on the island. From refrigeration tolight sockets, Brian’s handiwork remainspart of the island’s infrastructure.

Diagnosed with leukaemia in 2005, Brianfinally retired from work but spent manyhours sailing in his mirror dinghy in thechannel between Tresco and Bryher.During the last year his health declinedand Brian died in St Mary’s hospital on17th July 2010.

7 Obituary.qxp:Layout 1 14/9/10 11:13 Page 1

TRESCO TIMESOUR VIEWS ARE CLEAR LETTERS

Thank you to everyone who wrote tothe Tresco Times expressing theirsadness at Richard Barber’s death andsending their condolences. A smallselection of these letters is printedbelow.

To all at the Tresco Times, family andfriends of Richard Barber,I send my deepest sympathy for yourloss, and our loss too.with all good wishesBarbara Wakelin.Herts.

I was both shocked and saddened to re-ceive the latest Tresco Times, with itsfront page news of Richard’s death. Hiswit, energy and tendency to take life bythe scruff of the neck were evident in hiswriting. He will be sorely missed. Pleasepass on my condolences to his wife andchildren.Penny Haine

I was very saddened to hear that Richardhad died. He was certainly a larger thanlife character and clearly made a greatcontribution to island life...He will be muchmissed by his wider friends, we readers,but much more acutely by his friends andfamily who have my deepest sympathies.kind regards to all at the Tresco TimesPhilip WollardMallorca

We have been reading the fantasticTresco Times for more years than wecare to remember. Even though we havenever been to Tresco, we have felt part ofthe island’s community through readingthe Tresco Times.How terribly sad we were to read ofRichard’s passing. This is the only time inmy life that I have ever felt compelled towrite to offer condolences about a personwhom I have never met. Richard’swarmth, wit, intelligence and his ability toturn a parish magazine into an outstand-ingly interesting publication will, we’resure, be only a small legacy of his life.Please pass on our heartfelt thoughts toRichard’s wife and children.Chris and Tina WaughMilton Keynes

IRASCIBLE MR HYAMS ONTRESCO

As frequent visitors to Tresco and num-bered among the many who passionatelylove the island, which we visited last May,we were interested and pleasantly sur-prised to read the piece 50 Years of theIsland Hotel. There was a quote from theformer owner of our house, plantsmanand gardening writer, Edward Hyams.Given that he had a reputation for being

somewhat irascible and hard to please,the praise he had for Tresco is praise in-deed.We have a book of his called The EnglishGarden, published in 1964. Hyams writesextensively about Tresco:“The garden acted on me like a drug towhich one grows addicted;...all I wantedto do after breakfast at the hotel, and forthat matter after dinner and a long day,was to get back inside the gardens.”He goes on to say:“By bringing together into one blessedplace and by harmonising the elementsonto an integral whole, the loveliest of theearth’s plants from every continent and byso planting them as to make use of theshape of the land to exclude the rest ofthe world, the Dorrien-Smiths of four gen-erations have realised the Eden in theheart of every romantic...”

Hyams concludes: “I found it necessary toexercise especial restraint in order to lookamiably at other visitors to the gardens,people who had quite as much right as Ihad to be there, in order not to allow my-self to feel that their presence was an out-rage. It was as if they had come marchingand chattering into a very private day-dream; a daydream which, by a miraclehad become realised in three dimensionsand all the forms, all the colours, in theworld.”

Neatly rounding off this small series of co-incidences, Hyams was the first lay ownerof our house, now known as Hill HouseNursery, a former vicarage designed byJohn Loughborough Pearson, the Victo-rian architect who also designed Trurocathedral, to the diocese of which Trescobelongs.Raymond & Sacha HubbardHill House NurseryDevon

EDITORIAL

Over and above the usual summerpleasures to be had on Tresco(boating,beaching, fishing, strolling or just plainlolling), there was a fascinating addi-tion this year. I am not alone on the is-land in having been seriously distractedby the amusing and exciting adventuresof James, Nick, Will and Pete the Saxo,as they made their way from Tresco to

Ulaan Baatar on the Mongol Rally. Follow-ing their progress and reading the blogson their website (www.scillymission.com )

became a daily ritual.

Details of their escapades and fund-rais-ing activities can be found in these pagesand beyond. For all the distance travelledand countries traversed, there must havebeen times when that tiny car was some-thing of an island itself. Through the multi-tude of different landscapes, that small

metal capsule had its own miniscule com-munity of three, coping together with goodtimes and bad. Resourcefulness, toler-ance, humour and companionship wereall vital in keeping their show on the road.

Along with everybody on Tresco, visitorsand islanders alike, I congratulate the

boys on their achievements. I would alsoto thank everybody who helped and sup-ported the Scilly Mission, from Tresco toMongolia. For all the boys’ abilities, enthu-siasm and camaraderie, their journeycould not have been completed without

the aid of those around them and, as is sooften the case when travelling, the kind-ness of strangers. John Donne’s assertionthat “No man is an island entire of itself” isnever more credible than when we are farfrom home: an island we are from but is-

lands we are not.

Page 8 Tresco Times

Editor: Alasdair MooreTresco Times, Tresco,Isles of Scilly. TR24 0QQ

t:01720 422849f:01720 422807

editor@tresco.co.uk

www.tresco.co.uk

8 Ed & Letters.qxp:Layout 1 14/9/10 11:07 Page 1

Dear Editor,Having lived on Tresco for over twentyyears I was very interested to read yourinformative article about the Island Hotel.However, I was surprised that you didnot mention the managers John andWendy Pyatt. They brilliantly managedthe hotel for several years and built up aloyal and esteemed guest list.I feel that they will be upset by your ex-clusion, as no doubt will be many of theirformer guests and friends, many ofwhom they are still in contact with.Needless to say we do usually enjoyyour excellent publication.yours sincerelyCorinna ChristopherSt Mary’sIsles of Scilly

Ed: Apologies indeed for any upsetcaused: an act of neglect rather thanexclusion.

Dear Editor,It was of great interest and surprise to receive from a near neighbour your 2010 SummerIssue of the Tresco Times and find myself on page 4.I was introduced to Tom Dorrien-Smith in November 1958 by Kim Allen, who, with histeam, restored the Valhalla ships’ figurehead collection. Tom’s brief was for a 28 bedroomhotel with a flat for a manager (“hide it out of sight behind the existing cottages”). Otherrequirements were to collect the rain water(hence the flat main roof), use salt water forthe toilets, use estate staff and men to build it (supplemented by trades from Penzance)and no main contractor - a very unorthodox situation for the Architect.I attended meetings with the Treasury and Board of Trade in March 1959 to obtain a grant(Distribution of Industry Act 1958). The design of the hotel was subject to many revisionsto reduce costs, consequently most of the bedrooms were too small, but even so did not

detract from its very successful establishment.Very fortunately, John Fison (some mayremember him with his dog) put in for the winterat New Grimsby in his small yacht, on his wayback to New Zealand. He was taken on as theClerk of Works, with a telephone link to my officein Richmond, a vital contact between my manyregular site visits (night sleeper to and fromPaddington).

I had to find all the 44 sub-contractors and supplier of built-in furniture, furnishings andkitchen equipment: all delivered to the wharf of Burt, Bolton & Haywood at Eling Wharf,Totton, Hampshire. From here, it was all shipped by the coastal trader Result in twosailings to New Grimsby. BBH were one of two suppliers with ‘wharf facilities’ invited totender for the structural walls, roof and floor timbers.The total cost including fees and expenses was £74,503/8s/9p.I attended the luncheon for the staff and workforce on Saturday 26th September1959.Sadly I learnt that my father had died that day, with no flights on a Sunday, a goodfriend flew down from Sussex to take me home.After 1960, reluctantly, my time had to be concentrated on other major, distant projects.yours trulyJohn A. Strubbe

Above: Transport and Heritage Correspondent Eddie Birch meets architect John A.Strubbe. Left and below - Along with his letter Mr Strubbe was kind enough to send anearly advert and these photographs of the brand new hotel’s dining room in 1960.

GGRRAAVVEE SSIITTUUAATTIIOONN AATT SSAANNDDYY LLAANNEEFollowing recent renovation work atBeach, concerns were voiced that the19th century gravestone that had stoodoutside for many years, had been lost. Ithad, in fact, simply been moved for safe-keeping and was duly put back in its right-ful place. Inevitable questions about itsoriginal provenance have been asked ofthe Tresco Times. In such instances theeditor must turn to wiser heads. EveCooper, Church warden, explains:“The broken Beach gravestone has the in-scription “In memory of / Edmund Ellis /Departed this life April / 1866 / age 14years and 10 months.

Also his father / Martin Ellis / Departedthis life March/1878 / Aged 67 years.”It was replaced after 1891 following thedeath of wife and mother, Elizabeth Ellis.The replacement gravestone is in thelarge block of graves in the Churchyard.(7th row from the west end).When the new gravestone was made toincorporate the name of Elizabeth, the oldstone would have been discarded. Thedamage may have occured at that time.It is known that it lay outside Beach, aspart of the path - possibly covering a pot-hole - and only in recent years was it liftedto lean against the wall.”

Tresco Times Page 9

LETTERSThe Pyatts, managers ofthe Island Hotel

Island Hotel architect John A. Strubbe writes to

the Tresco Times.

9. Letters 2nd page.qxp:Layout 1 14/9/10 11:06 Page 1

ALL IN SUPPORT OF THE CYSTIC FIBROSIS TRUSTAND SCILLYMISSION, 32 HONED ATHELETES, FITNESS FANATICS ANDASSORTED MASOCHISTS TOOK THE PLUNGE, LEAPT ON ABIKE AND HIT THE ROAD RUNNING FOR THE FIRST

TRESCO TRIATHLON

Held as a fund-raiser for theCystic Fibrosis Trust and itssupporters, Scilly Mission, theevent kicked off at 3pm onSunday 11th July.

“I’ve always wanted to do a triathlonand with the annual Tresco marathonnot taking place this year, there was agap to be filled!” said Pete. “Thecourse was a swim from the beach bythe quay to Farm Beach slip, followedby a 7 mile cycle from the Estate Of-fice, past the heliport to Blockhousevia Pentle, back down Pool Road,back to the office. The finale was a 3.5mile run with the finish line at thepub!”

Thirty two triathletes competed withseveral from St Mary’s, as well as onefrom Bryher. Though overcast, theweather was perfect for the competi-tion: dry, not too hot and not too cold.

The triathlon wasofficially startedby the Dorrien-Smiths and, with akeenness rarelydisplayed here bybathers in the sea,the competitiorstore into thewater. For one ofthe company thisleg of the race

was particularly gruelling. RuthNicholls of St Mary’s learnt to swimspecifically for the event! This wasnot the only handicap to face atriathelete - Pete Marshall was at a se-vere disadvantage, having pulled hishamstring a few minutes before therace. He completed the course man-fully.

Tresco provided 14 of the triathletes,including the winner Joe Gresty (Time of 0.59.03) of the Garden Cafeand a 3rd from gardener Dave Hamil-ton. Along with husband and wifeteam Pete and Fiona Hingston, a spe-cial mention must be made of fun-lov-ing Dale Robson from the heliport,who came in strongly in 6th place.The location of the finish line mayhave provided extra motivation.Medals were presented to competi-tors at the New Inn by organisersPete and James Druce of Scilly Mis-sion.

“James and I have to thank the com-petitors, the Dorrien-Smiths and allthe volunteers on Tresco who madethis day such a success. The triathlonhas raised about £5000. We’ll be todoing it all over again next year!” saidorganiser Pete. “ We want to keepeverything quite small scale but itwould be great to make it a regularcharitable event.”You have been warned...get training.

Page 10 Tresco Times

The brainchild of New Inn chef Pete Marshall, thefirst Tresco Triathlon was an unqualified triumph.

Swimmers head from the quay to Farm Beach slip.

Chef Pete Marshallburns rubber.

Above: winner Joe Gresty.

Below: Kate Clement,Tresco’s highest-placed lady,leads the way.

10. triathlon.qxp:Layout 1 14/9/10 11:14 Page 1

Tresco Times Page 11

11. Timeshare page.qxp:Layout 1 14/9/10 11:30 Page 1

12. winter offers.qxp:Layout 1 14/9/10 10:54 Page 1