History of the Association

The British Empire and Commonwealth Games Association of Jersey
Report of the formation of the Association and of Jersey’s participation in the 1958 Games
Association Post Games Report compiled by the Association’s Honorary Secretary, Ken Webb.

Origin:

Early in 1957, leading representatives of three sports; E.W. Groizard – Weightlifting, L.Austin – Lawn Bowls, and K. Webb – Athletics, simultaneously and independently applied to the British Empire and Commonwealth Games Federation asking for information regarding the possibility of their sport competing in the Empire Games of 1958. All three received letters asking them to contact each other, as the Federation could only accept one affiliation and a Jersey Association consisting of three sports, would have to be formed. After consultation, the matter was left in the hands of Mr. K. Webb to see if he could arrange for the formation of a Jersey Association.

Formation:

On being approached by Mr. Webb, Senator George Troy expressed a willingness to take the chair at an exploratory meeting and kindly loaned his premises for the purpose of the meeting. Circulars were then sent out to representatives of all nine sports catered for in the Games, viz: Athletics. Boxing, Cycling, Fencing, Lawn Bowls, Rowing, Swimming, Weightlifting and Wrestling.

A meeting was held at Troy’s Travel Centre on 23rd October 1957 and the matter was fully discussed. After lengthy argument in which views both for and against the motion were fully discussed, a formal proposition by Mr. Groizard (Weightlifting) seconded by Mr. Austin (Lawn Bowls) that a Jersey Association be formed was carried unanimously. Senator Troy was elected President and Mr. K. Webb, Honorary Secretary, the remaining officers to be elected at a further meeting.

Sub committees for Constitution, Finance, Equipment and Uniform were set up and the Association was in being.

At a subsequent meeting, Mr. P.H. Beveridge was elected Chairman, Mr. E.R. Holmes, Vice Chairman and Mr. L. Austin, Honorary Treasurer. The Council of the Association was to consist of these officers and two representatives from each of the nine sports who affiliated to the Association. As Rowing, fencing, and Wrestling were not on an official basis in the Island, these three sports dropped out, leaving the remaining six in affiliation.

Our application for affiliation to the Federation was unanimously accepted and an official invitation to compete in the Games was received from Cardiff. We were on our way.

Funds:

The acquisition of funds was our first objective. The Council anticipated an expenditure of £50 per head for all selected to compete in Cardiff. In addition, funds were required for the preparation of likely athletes of both sexes for future Games. General running expenses, though naturally kept to minimum would obviously require the expenditure of some money. Your finance committee came forward with the following plan:-

A reception to be held at which notabilities of the Island should be invited to subscribe to the Association’s funds.

A postal appeal to be made to all businesses for the same purpose.

Finally, the man and woman in the street be invited to join the Association at a membership fee of 5/-.

By the good offices of Messrs. Seymour Hotels Ltd., the Merton Hotel was placed at our disposal free of charge; the Jersey Hotel and Guest House Association provide refreshments at no cost to the Association, Mr. Chris Chataway agreed to travel to Jersey to launch the appeal and Messrs. Linscott kindly donated a solid silver Jersey Milk Can to the Association to present to Chris Chataway as a souvenir of his visit. Messrs. Ommaroo Hotel kindly accommodated Mr. Chataway free of cost to this Association and in addition donated the magnificent sum of £50 to start our campaign. This reception realised the sum of £508. 3. 0.

The postal appeal to the businesses of the Island realised the sum of £674. 9. 4.

To the appeal to the man and woman in the street to join this Association for a nominal sum of five shillings, 121 persons responded, realising £30.10.6.

As it was obvious that your Council would be short of funds, various entertainments etc. were organised for the purpose of raising money. In this connection your Council would like to thank Messrs. R. Ronald and W. Jones for the magnificent work they put in on our behalf. Their efforts were instrumental in realising £409. 10. 6.

Our grateful thanks are extended also to Messrs. Olwyn Grove Hotel and Messrs. Parkins Holiday Camp for kindly placing their premises at our disposal gratis and for additional generous support.

One welcome feature was that six sports concerned with the Games helped organise their own money-raising efforts and materially assisted the Association in reaching a worthwhile figure.

The Honorary Treasurer’s report will show you the exact state of our finances. Your Council wishes to remind all of you that the next Games are to be held in Perth, Australia, and will cost your Association somewhere in the region of £700 for every person sent. You will doubtless see the urgent necessity for everyone not to slacken in his efforts to raise the balance of the Association’s funds.

Team Selection and Equipment:

As it was impossible to set a definite standard for all competitors – a runner has a time to beat, but how do you set a standard for a boxer or a lawn bowler? – Your Council decided on a general method of selection, viz: -

“The Council of the Jersey Association are prepared to consider applications for a team place from all its member bodies and selection will be made according to the following principle :- That only athletes whose standard of performance both on and off the field are such as to enable him to compete in the high company he will find at the Games, without bringing disgrace to himself or the Island that sent him, will be considered.”

In the final selection, the following were chosen to represent Jersey :-

Athletics: G.S. Harrison, E. Stafford
Boxing: G. Turmel, D. Turpin
Cycling: D. Ecobichon, S. Perchard, B. Hubert
Lawn Bowls: H. Hall, G. Bewhay, W. McDowell, T. Williams, F. Tucker, A. Crossley, C. Cracknell.
Swimming: K. Liron
Weightlifting: C. Heuze, R. McFarlane

The following were selected as Team Managers:-

Athletics: K. Benest
Boxing; P. Holley
Cycling; R. Le Sueur
Lawn Bowls: L.Austin. Swimming: P. Beveridge Weightlifting: E. Groizard
Genral Team Manager: K. Webb
Team Captain: G. Harrison

Uniform:

The Uniform Sub-Committee had recommended to the Council that the Official Uniform for the party should consist of :-

Brown lace-up shoes
White socks
White flannels
Association tie
White long-sleeved shirt
Black, single breasted blazer with Association badge
White top-pocket handkerchief
White shower-proof hat with red hatband
In addition, one pair of grey flannel trousers should be provided for walking out and a red kit bag be issued to all members.

These recommendations of the Uniform Sub-Committee were accepted by your Council.

Buckingham Palace:

Messrs. E.R. Holmes, G>S> Harrison and K. Webb had the honour to be invited to Buckingham Palace to represent your Association at the Garden Party given by Her Majesty prior to the Empire Games. Due to the very good offices of His Excellency, Admiral Sir Gresham Nicholson, Lieut. Governor of Jersey, all three were presented to Her Majesty the Queen Mother, who was deputising for Her Majesty The Queen who was indisposed.

Empire Games:

This was, quite naturally, the highlight of the year.

As the official party boarded the plane to take them to Cardiff, each and everyone present at the Airport felt that this was the culmination of all their efforts and each and everyone felt that the efforts – hard though they were-had been well worthwhile. For the very first time, Jersey was to be represented on the field of international sports.

After a pleasant and uneventful journey the team arrived at Cardiff where they were welcomed by a reception committee of the organisers, headed – we were delighted to find – by a Jerseyman, Fl. Lt. Whittaker, who was accompanied by our Attache in Cardiff, Mr.A.J. Beuzeval.

The party were immediately driven to their quarters in the Empire Village, Hut No.3 which was to be their home for the next two weeks, with the exception of the Lawn Bowlers, all of whom were billeted in quarters slightly removed from the main Camp.

A detailed account of the next two weeks is more than fully contained in the various reports of team managers, and it would be mere repetition for me pass comment here. One cannot, however, allow this opportunity to pass of stating the unqualified success of this venture. No medals were won, but respect, esteem and high praise, was won by your team on all sides. It is true to say that the Jersey Team displayed team spirit, good manners, smartness, sociability and true sportsmanship at all times and in such profusion as to make them an outstanding team in the village. Some teams may have equalled them but none were better. This is no personal opinion but is an opinion voiced to your officials on many occasions by rival officials.

Thanks to the generosity of the Tourism Committee, funds were made available for your officials to entertain representatives of all the competing countries to a cocktail reception. This was a remarkable success and among the many sights of the Games surely one of the greatest was the General Team Manager leading a relatively large and certainly most interesting group in a discussion on Jerseys and the Herd Book!!! One notable feature from Jersey’s point of view was the large number of farming men in the other teams, most of whom reared Jersey cows, although it must be recorded that one outsider actually had a herd of Guernseys. He was greatly outnumbered and eventually submitted!!

Your official party was most honoured to receive a telegram from the Bailiff of Jersey congratulating them on their display at the Opening Ceremony. Your Officials offered to Sir Alexander, the Jersey Flag which we had so proudly borne in the arena. We were delighted that our offer was accepted. Team Captain, Gerald Harrison, nobly assisted by weightlifters, boxers, cyclists, etc. successfully “arranged the loan of the flag” for the purpose of presentation to the Bailiff. Those of us who had slight twinges of conscience on this matter were easily put at rest. Another Jersey flag was purchased and handed to the organisers to replace the one that they had “loaned” to us.

It was indeed a proud moment for your Council when the Jersey Team, preceded by the Jersey flag, marched into the Arena for the Opening Ceremony. We would like to feel that it was indeed a proud moment for all Jersey men and women, the first time but surely, not the last.

London Welcome Week.

The Association were honoured by the invitation to Mr. k. Webb, general Team Manager and Mr. G.S. Harrison, Team Captain, to represent the Association at an Official Welcome Week in London given by the Federation, to representatives of all teams taking part in the Games.

The Future:

Your Council is most anxious that, at the conclusion of the Games, apathy should not creep into our Association. We have a four year training programme for promising athletes to complete. We have expenses in the provision of premises, facilities, equipment and competition for these boys and girls and overriding all this is the fact that in four years time jersey must be represented in Perth, Australia. All this will require some considerable sum of money and the efforts to raise these funds must be immediate and continuous. A short sharp spurt is not sufficient for our purposes, if we are to be a real live, worthwhile Association and if we are to reach the high objectives we have set ourselves. Only by continuous all out effort by everyone will success be achieved.

Conclusion:

Your Council wish to extend their thanks to each and every person who has contributed in any way to the success of our initial efforts. Space will not permit the personal acknowledgement of all names but the unfailing and support of Sir Alexandre Moncrieff Coutanche, Kt., Bailiff of Jersey, who honoured us with his patronage , has done much to sustain us during our more trying moments. Senator Wilfred Krichefski, OBE and Deputy John Le Marquand, our Vice Patrons, Have always been on hand to most willingly give us the advantage of their knowledge and experience. The Editor and staff of the Evening Post have accorded us every facility for which we could have wished and have most admirably supported our efforts.

To all these people and to all other supporters, from the hundred guinea donator to the five bobber, your Council offer their most grateful thanks.

FOR AND ON BEHALF OF THE COUNCIL OF THE BRITISH AND EMPIRE AND COMMONWEALTH GAMES ASSOCIATION OF JERSEY

Ken Webb
Hon. Secretary

The above report was compiled by Ken Webb and presented to the Association’s Council following the successful participation at the 1958 British Empire and Commonwealth Games.

It forms the introduction to a 37 page booklet and is followed by reports from team mangers of Athletics, Boxing, Cycling, Lawn Bowls, Swimming and Diving, and Weightlifting. The final two pages of the booklet include a Statement of Accounts and a Balance Sheet for the Associations expenses for the period 23rd October 1957 to 31st October 1958. It is interesting to note that the total cost of clothing for the team for the Games was £566. 2. 1 and that travel expenses amounted to £250. 7. 6. The Association raised the sum of £1,628. 19. 5 prior to the Games and emerged from the Games with a surplus of £728. 11. 8 in their bank account.

We are now 53 years on from those early days when the Association was formed and, I trust, share the same feelings of pride in representing our Island on this International stage as did our predecessors participating in the Cardiff Games in 1958. We must always recognise the efforts of those officials mentioned in this report who were responsible for establishing our Association and applaud them for their industry in securing a place for Jersey at the Commonwealth Games.

A copy of the booklet including all reports (typed on foolscap paper) is available for reference purposes only via the Association’s Secretary General.

Alan Cross
Secretary General
Commonwealth Games Association of Jersey
Dated: March 2010

A Potted History of the Association

The formation of the Association
The Commonwealth Games Association of Jersey was formed in 1957, being the initiative of Mr. Ken Webb

Games attended since the formation of the Association in 1957.

1958 - Cardiff, Wales British Empire and Commonwealth Games
1962 - Perth, Australia
1966 - Kingston, Jamaica
1970 - Edinburgh, Scotland British Commonwealth Games
1974 - Christchurch, New Zealand
1978 - Edmonton, Canada
1982 - Brisbane, Australia Commonwealth Games
1986 - Edinburgh, Scotland
1990 - Auckland, New Zealand
1994 - Victoria, Canada - a Team of 19 competitors in 3 sports
1998 - Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – a Team of 20 competitors
2002 - Manchester, England - a Jersey Team of 25 competitors covering 8 sports
2006 - Melbourne, Australia - 35 competitors plus 16 support staff involving 7 sports

Key Officers of the Association during its life.

President

1957 – 1966 Mike Troy
1966 – 1978 Torty Hubert
1978 – 1999 Bill Marett
1999 – 2003 Cliff Mallett
2003 - Martin Hebden

Secretary

1957 - 1974 Ken Webb
1974 – 2003 Gordon Wright
2003 - Alan Cross

Honorary Life Members (known as Life Vice Presidents prior to December 2003)

Ken Webb (Founder Member who died in 1990)
Eldred Holmes (Died in 2003)
Torty Hubert (Founder member of the Association and elected as LVP in 1979)
Bill Marett (Elected as LVP in 1999)

Jersey medallists

Bert Turmel – Boxing – Welterweight Division (67kg) - Bronze medal in Perth in 1962

John Sillitoe – Boxing – Bantamweight Div (54kg) - Bronze medal in Edinburgh in 1986

Colin Mallett – Fullbore shooter – Gold medal in Queen’s Prize Individual event and Bronze Medal with father Cliff in Queen’s Prize Pairs event – Auckland 1990

Cliff Mallett – Fullbore shooter – Bronze medal in Pairs event with son Colin in 1990