I’ve finally done it!!

After much toil, sweat and tears, (and ably assisted by my fellow Masters colleague, Vanessa, in the UK) my Masters (Strategic Change Management) dissertation has been printed, bound and handed in to Northampton University!
I won’t say it’s been easy, but it has certainly been a fascinating insight and has aided me considerably in my work.
I was heavily involved in Change Management over a 3 year period when I worked at Wealden District Council. My Director, Mr Nigel Hannam, sponsored me to enrol at Northampton University and complete my Masters in Strategic Change Management. The idea was that I would then have a valuable, transferrable nationally recognised qualification which would enable me to support Nigel and the council in their extensive Transformation Programme. We had moved a long way already: Introduced a Customer Contact Centre for the organisation, consolidated the offices onto a single site, with almost zero disruption to ‘business as usual’, largely due to my fantastic ICT team who worked incredibly hard, firstly relocating staff and networks to several remote offices to enable a total refurbishment of the main offices to take place, maintaining some pretty outdated equipment, then moving back to ‘new’ premises. Every one of them worked tirelessly for many weeks to achieve what I can only describe as almost text book delivery and project management. We also faced considerable resistance which required careful management. We still had a way to go, so when the opportunity arose for me to complete the Masters as a largely distance programme at Northampton, I grasped it firmly. Even at the beginning (September 2012) I knew it would be difficult. There were several weekend lectures at the university campus, which involved a three and a half hour journey each way. Andy and I were often seen leaving the house at 6am to make the journey on Saturday morning up to Northampton. After attending the four or five hour lecture, we would drive back home arriving early evening. I would then spend most of Sunday writing my notes up and completing assignments – there was little time in the week, what with working long full-time hours and helping with the children’s homework – it was pretty full on.
When I saw the job on Saint Helena Island advertised, I didn’t consider the impact of a job offer on my university commitments. So it wasn’t until I had accepted the job in February 13 that the enormity of what I was taking on hit home! Luckily I was able to attend all the lectures and complete the assignments before I left the UK in May 13, leaving me with the dissertation to complete remotely. I had already submitted the dissertation proposal which had been accepted and I was able to adjust the research questions once on Island, maintaining contact with my dissertation supervisor, Ilias, via email. Even this is tricky at times as there are regular power outages – the latest one blew up our printer/scanner! And the internet is flaky – although improving slowly. And to think we would complain if we didn’t have a superfast connection in the UK – now we only mutter about NO connection and a 1 Mb connection is a luxury – how priorities change.
So I’ve now completed many hours of research, data collection and analysis and produced a bound dissertation:
Isolated Islands – Managing Change

An Examination of St Helena Island, South Atlantic Ocean – ‘The Most Extraordinary Place on Earth’
Thanks to Vanessa, it has been submitted to the university and thanks to an unusually stable internet connection, I was able to submit it electronically via Turnitin. Now for the marking and moderation. Apparently we will hear late March – so fingers crossed for now. But what an amazing opportunity to study at first hand a remarkable Island, unique in many ways, but also similar to other cultures too. Fantastic!

Well, Well, Well

Or ‘Welly’ as Wellington, the Governor’s dog is affectionately known. Welly moved in with us for his Xmas break on December 22nd. Although we had met him out and about, walking in Plantation Forest etc, we weren’t sure how our girls, Smudge and Pippy, would react to ‘the new kid on the block’!

Initial signs were good and he and Smudge played together pretty much all the time. He was unsure of Pippy – he couldn’t understand why she didn’t interact in the same way and he often just went gently up to her without her knowing and watched her in wonderment. A couple of times when Pip was in her spinning mode Welly received a bang to the head! Smudge knows to stay out of the way, but I think Welly hadn’t quite grasped that Pip can’t see. They have all been sleeping in the same room together and they seem to have got on fine – they do set each other off though and Welly has a deep throaty bark – opposite to Pippy’s quite high pitched chirp, so we’ve had a couple of early rises!
We are lucky to have a large fenced garden so they can all play outside – Smudge and Welly have quite a rough and tumble, but they keep each other in their place if it gets too rough for either one. Pippy joins in sometimes too and Welly, now more accustomed to her odd ways, plays gently with her too.
The Governor is back this week and Welly will be returning to grander surroundings at Plantation House. I think he will miss the friendship that has developed between them – particularly Smudge. He and Smudge often lay together on the floor, just touching with the odd playful nip thrown in. He is also expert at getting between us on the sofa and he has no concept of 'there's no room' choosing to lay on top of us or Smudge just to get in with us!
I am sure he will also miss his breakfast – Cereal and milk which he has grown used to having with the girls every morning. He has also enjoyed Bakers Complete, rather than Wagg.
He needs a firm hand and we have tried very hard with him – he’s better than when he first arrived – he doesn’t jump all the time now, but he has a deep rooted distrust of strangers – he doesn’t like anyone new visiting and he makes his feelings very clear! But he can also be very loving and likes to be the centre of attention – not sure who’s made him like that, but I can guess!

It’s been hard work having 3 but I am sure we will miss him when he returns to the Governor’s residence later in the week.
Anecdotally - I have heard from Plantation that he is much better behaved now - Let's hope he keeps it up!

Looking back over 2013 – The Highs and the Lows

2013 has drawn to a close and an eventful year it has been. Even though I consider us far too young to start losing friends, at least 2 have been taken from us far too early.
Steve Waughman – A lovely, polite, gentleman who I had the honour and privilege to know and work with for 7 years. Although, as Steve’s Head of Service, we didn’t always share the same views and opinions, we were always able to share banter and a joke during the working day. Following the relocation of our offices to a single site, I often sat at the desk next to Steve and on that tragic day, that was exactly where I was, although Steve was working from home. A couple of months earlier Steve had learnt of my impeding departure to the middle of nowhere (St Helena Island) and he had been fascinated by the prospect of me upping roots and trekking half way around the world. It did stimulate much interest and discussion and Steve often came up with previously unknown facts about my new home! Steve was a very keen (and talented) photographer, so I had intended to send him photos of the stunning landscape and rare birds/plants etc. He would have been in his element. But it wasn’t to be. My colleague Phil took a phone call that afternoon informing us that Steve had been rushed to hospital following a suspected coronary. A couple of days later, the life support machine was switched off and a life was lost far too early. A few weeks later, just before I was to leave the UK, a friend of Andy’s, Mark Stretton, was diagnosed with a brain tumour. Surgery was attempted, but he never recovered and he died a few days later. I was unable to attend Mark’s funeral as I had already left the UK. Andy undertook this sad last tribute on our behalf. It certainly makes you think about life. This was the first complete year since my Dad passed away and this time of year always reminds us of our eldest son whom we sadly lost too.
I left family, friends and beloved pets behind when I set off at the end of May 2013. Andy and Henry due to follow in July, when the dogs would be dog sat by Simon and Dawn until their ever changing departure date, which finally came around in September. Leaving my son, George, behind was hard too, but I know it was an opportunity for him to take charge of his life rather than being reliant on us.
And so to the highs – what a fantastic Island St Helena is! We have been to places we’d never ever imagine – made some great new friends, settled into Island life, seen Whale Sharks in their natural habitat. Andy and Henry have been learning to scuba dive – Henry’s now qualified and Andy is not far behind, now his plaster is off! I’ve been completing my Masters in Strategic Change it. It’s been hard work at times, but very rewarding – I am looking forward to whatever 2014 brings us

Whale Sharks and Fishing
Andy and Henry were invited to go fishing at the weekend – an early start – picked up from the wharf steps at 06.30. Sun cream, pizza and beers were packed, along with hats and swimming gear the night before – the weather looked good and there had been lots of Wahoo and Tuna caught recently too. After motoring out towards Lemon Valley, they watched the sun come up over the Island before settling into some serious fishing. The fish had other ideas though and bites were slow. David caught a 20lb Tuna and some others caught Congers and smaller fish (including Henry) but it was the incredible sight of Whale Sharks accompanying the boat and dolphins swimming alongside that really made the trip. Unfortunately the photos don’t really do it justice, but 4 huge Whale Sharks swam just a few meters from the boat.
Tired and hot, the intrepid fishermen returned home some 5 hours later. Andy offered to help David with the Tuna. I am not sure what observers would have thought to Andy and me leaving David and Hazel’s house with a cleaver along a blood splattered path…. Ando so to the next social event – Sundowners on Friday – a boat is hired and copious amounts of food and alcohol are taken on board for consumption whilst the boat bobs around whilst watching the sun go down.