From Chris Fairbairn.‘
GOODBYE Uncle Frank’ were the words spoken in a sad but strong Jersey accent by an elderly parishioner as we slowly sipped our limpet, mayonnaise and winkle soup in the Royal Square the other day together with other friends from the north coast.

The lady in question was wearing what one might suppose were sensible laced shoes complemented by a fawn tweed skirt and floral blouse more associated with an autumn sale at Hamon’s. Her warm cardigan in pale beige retained all the hallmarks of a distant Amyson’s January clear-out. Was this lady the widely admired Enid Brioche, or just one of many tens of hundreds of Islanders who now say farewell and bon voyage to Jersey’s first Chief Minister?

Who else but Uncle Frank could have taken the unknown perils of the poisoned chalice of ministerial government with such strength and honesty, placing our beloved Island in a unique global position to face a future that some say is as uncertain as the outcome of the fight to bear the other poisoned cocoa cup – the post of Transport Minister?

My customary call to my bookie in the high parish to place a seasonal bet on how my old political master and one-time sparring partner Senator Alan Breckon would do against our Terry gladly won me six pounds of russet apples and a ticket to the Grosnez racecourse private enclosure. However, my side-bet on how many people would turn out for Jeremy Maçon’s precious soirée lost me my winnings. Mind you, I won it all back again on whether or not his mum would be there.

Uncle Frank undoubtedly will leave a huge void in Island politics, one which Terry Le Sueur has been well groomed to fill. As for Alan, well he will get back to that which he does best – chewing at the ankles of other Members and those others who fall foul of his often single-minded northern manner, the scars of which one still bears.

As Uncle Frank and Fiona ply the seven seas in search of sparkling sunrises and stunning sunsets in sheltered romantic coves, they are certain that after all those years as a States Member, even the pirates of the Malacca Straits cannot be half as bad as those who have attacked him in the House.
Even the Pitman duo, now worth almost £84,000 in combined income, will be long out of sight for ever, churned in the wake of a well-earned and peaceful retirement. A comforting thought at Yuletide, and one for the future as well.
Bon voyage!
La Rougette,
Grande Route de la Côte,
St Clement.