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The Falklands Appeal The Falklands Appeal for the benefit of the Islanders was launched on 10 June 1982 under the patronage of Lord Shackleton when it became apparent that the South Atlantic Fund was not able to help the Islanders in any way whatsoever. The Appeal is a non-charitable discretionary Trust with four Trustees in the United Kingdom and three in the Islands. A deliberate decision was taken not to register as a charity in order to allow the Trustees the widest discretion in the speedy distribution of the fund, and in the full knowledge that it would not be able to accept donations from organisations whose terms of reference allow them to donate only to registered charities. However donations of this type have been directed to, and accepted by, the United Kingdom Falkland Islands Trust, a registered charity established in June 1981 for the longer term development of the Islands for the Islanders. Starting from scratch with no funds behind it donations to the Appeal from firms and individuals in the United Kingdom have reached a total of £622,759. Of this sum £250,000 derived from the donation of £5 million to the United Kingdom Government by the State of Jersey; £75,300 from the Crown Agents from the sale of rehabilitation postage stamps; £12,500 from the Great Falklands Action (and about £12,000 more to come); £15,000 from Independent Television News from the sale of their cassettes 'Battle for the Falklands' and £12,000 (with a further £1,000 expected) from the Falklands Ball. Several other large donations have also been received, but the greater part of the balance has come from members of the public. In addition Sir Rex Hunt, who is one of the Trustees, has received donations to his fund in Stanley amounting to £9.325. An advertisement in the Daily Telegraph asking for help for Cheryl Bonner, whose mother was one of the three women killed by a British naval shell and who suffers from severe cerebral palsy, brought in special donations amounting to £3,600. The Appeal arranged for her accommodation at Kilmore House, an Ockenden Venture home in Camberley, where she is being very well looked after. The Appeal paid her maintenance costs for two months until the Government agreed to take responsibility and refunded the amount paid out, but the Appeal is finding extras for her comfort, such as a special wheelchair to enable her to sit upright. Up to now it has been difficult to obtain detailed information as to what is needed by the Islanders. This is understandable as government compensation has only recently been settled, and one of the anticipated aims of the Appeal has always been to help fill the gap between the level of compensation and the cost of replacement of items lost or destroyed. An outstanding exception has been the Education Department where John Peatfield submitted a detailed and comprehensive list of equipment needed to get the children's education going again, especially in the Camp where disruption of communications demanded education by remote control. Equipment to a value of about £11,000 was despatched in mid-October, and was quickly brought into use. Families stranded in South America have been helped to return to the Islands via the United Kingdom, and funds have been sent to the Falkland Islands Government to pay work forces effecting emergency repairs on houses and buildings damaged in the fighting. One of the earliest requests was for an automatic car to replace that belonging to partially disabled Laurie Goodwin which was smashed by the Argentines, and whose mother was killed by the British shell. The car was provided by the Returned Services League of Australia through the good offices of the British Commonwealth Ex-Services League, and the Appeal paid for a crate and for freight to the Islands last November. Early assistance was given to the farmers with the supply of seed potatoes and cattle feed to the value of about £6,500, and also of polythene greenhouse covers to replace those destroyed in the fighting. Improvements to the racecourse, costing about £2,500, have also been funded by the Appeal. Several small items have also been provided bringing the total of benefits dispensed to date about £41,500. Cindy Buxton and Annie Price have raised about £4,000 for the Appeal by giving film and slide shows, and have asked that this money together with £7,500 from the sale of ITN cassettes be devoted to conservation. As the Falkland Islands Foundation is better equipped to decide priorities in this field these sums have been passed to the Foundation, but we have asked them to let us know how the money is to be spent. Amongst projects in hand are the provision of equipment for seven Camp community centres which is expected to cost about £10,000; of furniture and equipment for the hospital; and of a Noah's Ark to carry a very mixed bag of livestock (cattle, horses, sheep, goats, pigs, poultry, dogs, cats, and budgerigars) to Port Stanley leaving the United Kingdom in mid-July. The latter idea was first mooted by Steve Whitley last year and looks like being implemented at last, unless the cost proves to be prohibitive. We are waiting for a detailed proposal for extension of the 2 metre band radio link by provision of two VHF repeater stations and transceivers for those communities without them. The Education Department have asked to be included in this scheme. Resulting from Cindy Buxton's recent radio interview we have received a number of requests for help from individuals direct. Because the Trustees in the UK cannot be aware of the local situation we have to refer these requests to the Trustees in the Islands for their approval before we can take action upon them, but we welcome this direct approach so long as those individuals concerned understand that some delay is inevitable. The Appeal funds have been placed on long and medium term deposit with our bank, and interest amounting to £31,081 has accrued up to 5 April 1983. The Inland Revenue has given special dispensation to allow us to pay this sum directly to the United Kingdom Falkland Islands Trust without deduction of income tax for the year ended 5 April 1983 only, for which we are very grateful. The cost of running the Appeal to date has amounted to £36,840, or 5.9% of the donations received. Finally we should like to express our warmest thanks to all who have so generously contributed to the fund, whether in cash or in kind, and we shall try to ensure that it is deployed in the very best interests of the Islanders. This article first appeared in the Falkland Islands Newsletter, Edition 14, May 1983. The Falkland Islands Association is an independent organisation which brings together those who support the continuing freedom of the people of the Falkland Islands. Its Constitution states that its objectives are to assist the people of the Falkland Islands to decide their own future for themselves without being subjected to pressure direct or indirect from any quarter.
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Introduction, Brief
History, Timeline, 1982
Articles, 1982
Timeline, 1982 Documents, Articles,
Agreements, UN
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