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Government and Police Officials at Mrs Beatrice Williams’ Funeral

CHARLESTOWN, NEVIS — Deputy Governor General for Nevis, Her Honour Hyleeta Liburd, MH, OBE, and Mr Elmo Liburd, on Tuesday February 15 led scores of family members and friends in celebrating the life of Mrs Beatrice Adina Williams who passed away on January 21, 2022, a few days shy of her 85th birthday.

The Late Mrs Williams was the mother of, among others, Nevis-based Woman Sergeant Marva Chiverton of the Royal St. Christopher and Nevis Police Force, and Ms Julet Chiverton who is the Administration, Member Services and Human Resource Manager at the Nevis Co-operative Credit Union Limited (NCCU).

The service to celebrate her life, which was held at the United Pentecostal Church in Marion Heights, Nevis, was also attended by Premier of Nevis the Hon Mark Brantley, former Premier of Nevis, Ambassador Vance Amory, Commissioner of Police Mr Hilroy Brandy, Magistrate Her Honour Jasmine Clarke, and General Manager of the Nevis Co-operative Credit Union Limited, Mr Sydney Newton.

Also present at the service were Assistant Commissioner of Police Mr Andre Mitchell, Forces Chaplain Rev Ericson Cumberbatch, and Chairperson of Nevis Co-operative Credit Union Limited’s Credit Committee, Ms Catherine Forbes.=

Officiating at the service were Pastor Cecil Bartlette, Rev Bernard Browne, Rev Mrs Marcia Tomlinson, and Rev Basil Dobson.

In welcoming those present at the service, Rev Mrs Marcia Tomlinson said: “Welcome to all well-wishers, and welcome particularly to the family and pray that in the weeks and the months to come that indeed you will find strength, comfort and the solace in the Almighty God and my call to you is to take one day at a time, and He will see you through.”

Tributes were paid in song by among others, the Nevis Co-operative Credit Union Limited staff led by General Manager, Mr Sydney Newton, the Royal St. Christopher and Nevis Police Force led by Commissioner of Police Mr Hilroy Brandy, the Charlestown, and Brown Hill Wesleyan Holiness Churches, and the family.

“On behalf of the Credit Union Family in the Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis, I would like to extend our deepest sympathies to our colleague Julet, as well as Marva,” said General Manager of the Nevis Co-operative Credit Union Limited, Mr Sydney Newton.

Other Credit Union movements mentioned by Mr Newton were the St. Kitts and Nevis National Co-operative League Limited and its affiliate members, the St. Kitts Co-operative Credit Union, and the Police Credit Union based in St. Kitts, and the First Federal Co-operative Credit Union Limited that has offices in Nevis and in St. Kitts.

The Late Mrs Beatrice Adina Williams is survived by her husband Mr Hubert ‘Brownie’ Williams. Her other children are Mr Junior Chiverton in Virgin Gorda, and Ms Eudora Chiverton, Ms Evett Chiverton, and Ms Denise Chiverton, all in the USA.

Funeral arrangements were by Oualie Funeral Home and Crematory, and interment was at the Bath Cemetery.

The post Government and Police Officials at Mrs Beatrice Williams’ Funeral appeared first on The St Kitts Nevis Observer.

Hope Nevis Tourism Ambassadors Will Bring Greater Awareness of Island

NIA CHARLESTOWN NEVIS (February 16, 2022) — Following an announcement by the Nevis Tourism Authority (NTA) of its four tourism influencers for 2022, Mr. Devon Liburd, the authority’s interim Chief Executive Officer (CEO) says he is hopeful they will bring greater awareness to the destination

The NTA official made the comment when he spoke to the Department of Information on February 15, 2022, following the social media launch.

“The ambassador programme lasts for 12 months and we are hoping that by the end of this 12 months based on their influence, based on their amplifying what Nevis is all about to their audience we would indeed, through social media, have a greater following to Nevis and certainly have more persons visiting the destination,” he said

Mr. Liburd also gave some insight into how the tourism ambassadors are expected to generate interest which would steer visitors to experience Nevis

“What these ambassadors will do, they, over the next 12-month period, visit us here on Nevis. We have invited them to come, chill, relax, enjoy a vacation on the island of Nevis, and based on their experiences we are hoping that they will create stories; they will make posts; they will write blogs about the destination, and indeed their followers would certainly know a lot more about the destination,” he said

The Nevis Tourism Ambassador Programme was conceptualised by the NTA two years ago. At that time the COVID-19 pandemic had created a slowdown in the travel industry, and as a tourism authority it was forced to come up with creative ideas to promote the destination, while whetting the appetite of potential visitors.

According to Mr. Liburd, the programme has been successful so far

“We would have had a slate of ambassadors last year. I think there were about six ambassadors and the programme was very successful

“During that time, they weren’t able to travel so we were sharing the information with them and through their own media, through their own platforms have amplified what we had shared with them

“What they will be doing this year, because they were not able to visit Nevis during the time of the pandemic, they will be coming as part of the agreement that we have with them, to come and enjoy the destination and it is hoped that when they do come during this time, now we are opened and they can fully enjoy the destination, that they too will share positive information about the destination of Nevis,” he said

Mr. Liburd registered the NTA’s satisfaction with the programme, citing that so far, the objectives are being met.

“We are happy that our ambassador programme has met the objectives that we’ve set, and we feel that given the slate of ambassadors for 2022 that the impact, the objectives would be much greater met because of the influence of these persons.

“Last year we had a few travel agents and one or two travel writers. This year we have gone a bit larger in terms of including actors, those persons with a bit more influence,” he said.

The 2022 Nevis Tourism Ambassadors are Melanie “Mel B” Brown MBE, a singer, songwriter, author and television personality; Nikeva Stapleton, a dancer, actress and model; Ava Roxanne Stritt, a luxury travel journalist; and Brian Major, a travel journalist.

They were chosen by the NTA based on their status in the tourism market place, their popularity and high following, and their ability to easily influence persons.

Looking ahead, the interim CEO said the NTA wishes the 2022 programme well as looks forward to 2023.

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Adelaide Fringe director tears up at festival launch

Adelaide Fringe Festival director Heather Croall struggled to hide the desperation in her voice at a press conference today, after South Australia Premier Steven Marshall said his government would not provide the festival with an additional $8 million in funding.

"We have been fighting through this pandemic so hard to make sure we can give money to artists and venues to make sure that South Australia can get the festival they want," she said, choking back tears.

"I'm sorry, because it is a heartfelt battle that we have been driving and I am absolutely passionate."

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Adelaide Fringe Festival director

"I truly believe that the Adelaide Fringe is the jewel in the crown in this state, and it needs the funding to double down so that we can disperse that money to artists and venues who are taking the risk every year."

This comes as opposition leader Peter Malinauskas announced Labor's plan to double the event's funding with an extra $2 million for each of the next four years, additional to the baseline $2.4 million annual operating grant.

Premier Marshall held a press conference to open the Fringe Festival on Thursday morning where he stated the Liberal Party has no plans to increase funding "at this stage".

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Adelaide Fringe Festival 2010

Defending his position, Mr Marshall said his party had "significantly increased the expenditure going to the Fringe" since coming into power.

"In the previous term of Labor, they spent $7.17m supporting Fringe – we've driven that up to $11.58m over our four years," he said.

In 2021, the state government gave 2022 Fringe additional funding of $1.4 million — $600,000 for COVID-safe operations, $500,000 in grants for artist support, and $350,000 for its drone event, Sky Song.

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Adelaide Fringe Festival 2020

The drone light show will no longer be happening on Friday night at the opening of the festival after organisers failed to gain the appropriate permissions to fly over Adelaide.

Adelaide Fringe is the biggest arts festival in the Southern Hemisphere and runs for 31 nights, from February 18 to March 20, 2022.

Two-metre crocodile spotted at popular swimming spot

A Northern Territory business owner has captured the moment a 2m crocodile cruised through a popular swimming spot, prompting warnings for nearby locals.

Tim Walker, who conducts motorbike tours through the area, jumped out of his car when he spotted the crocodile near the banks of the creek, which runs into Girraween lagoon in Darwin.

"I saw what I thought was the head of a crocodile and so I slowed down a bit as I looked, and it ducked under the water which was really cool," Mr Walker said.

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"He or she played around in the water there for a few minutes, thrashing about and then it left up the creek so I got that cracking look at it."

Mr Walker said he notified wildlife rangers immediately, as the creek is a popular swimming spot frequented by large groups and families.

"It's a very busy little swimming hole. For the last two months there's been people swimming there almost everyday," he said.

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He said when he came back to the area, a trap had been set to catch and relocate the crocodile.

"The crocodile is still at large. A couple of larrikins went out and sat in the water which was insane," Mr Walker said.

The business owner said residents were likely to keep swimming in the area but he would think twice before entering the water with his two children, aged nine and seven.

"It does make me very concerned for my kids and it is a very real danger," he said.

"Crocs are probably the only animal on the planet that will actually hunt humans. Crocs want to eat you, there's no two ways about it. I'm very respectful of crocodiles.

"It really gets my heart racing when we're close to them and it is a worry."

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How to save on petrol as fuel prices skyrocket

Petrol prices across Sydney have never been more expensive with many dreading filling up the tank.

9News can reveal what you can do to get the cheapest price at the petrol bowser.

Coles and Woolworths still offer four cent a litre discounts at participating service stations if you've spent $30 or more in the supermarket.

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Coles and Woolworths offer discounts at participating service stations for petrol discounts.NRMA members can also receive exclusive discounts on petrol.

NRMA members can save five cents a litre on premium fuel and three cents a litre on regular fuel at Ampol and Caltex service stations.

Loyalty card discounts are also available at 7-Eleven.

Prices can differ by up to 40 cents a litre on any given day, so checking the NRMA and NSW Government FuelCheck apps tell customers in real time where the cheapest petrol is.

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Petrol prices reach record highs in Sydney.

"Get access to that data, use it when you're filling up," NRMA spokesperson Peter Khoury said.

"That's the best way to save at the bowser and that's the best way to push back against these rising oil prices."

SAS soldier claims Ben Roberts-Smith threatened to kill him

An elite soldier who served in Afghanistan alongside Ben Roberts-Smith has claimed the war hero bullied and threatened to kill him.

The serving SAS member, known as Person 1, gave evidence for Nine newspapers in its defamation case today and told the Federal Court he was the victim of a seven-year intimidation campaign.

Following a 2006 mission in the Chora Valley, Mr Roberts-Smith was awarded a Medal for Gallantry for single-handedly fighting off 16 Taliban insurgents.

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Ben Roberts-Smith arriving at the Federal Court. Sydney, February 16, 2022. Photo: Rhett Wyman/SMH

The trial was told about a major mistake made during that battle by Person 1, who

admitted his machine gun jammed at least three times because he forgot to bring his weapon oil on the operation.

He later received an officer commanding warning for "not performing to standard".

This incident followed several alleged run-ins with the Victoria Cross recipient, which the witness claimed turned into threats.

"If your performance doesn't improve on the next patrol, you're going to get a bullet in the back of the head," Person 1 alleged Mr Roberts-Smith told him back at base.

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Ben Roberts-Smith leaving court on February 17.

Person 1 told the court he then lodged a formal complaint, which he said led to him being confronted again.

"If you're going to make accusations —- you better have some f—— proof," he claimed Mr Roberts-Smith said to him.

"Not only did I have to worry about the Taliban, but I also had to look over my own back at my own people," Person 1 told the court today.

Even after Person 1 switched patrols and climbed the ranks, he claims Mr Roberts-Smith described him to other soldiers as "incompetent" and a "coward".

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They ended up in mediation in 2013, when they agreed to disagree and shook hands.

Not only does Mr Roberts-Smith deny the bullying, but he is also suing Nine newspapers for articles alleging he is a war criminal.

What lured a great white shark to shore before fatal attack?

Fatal shark attacks in Sydney are extremely rare and now marine experts are trying to work out what lured a suspected great white to our shores before yesterday's fatal attack.

Diving instructor Simon Nellist was swimming at Little Bay Beach in the city's east yesterday afternoon when he was attacked by the shark.

Human remains were found yesterday about 4.30pm and witnesses were left reeling after the confronting incident.

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A swimmer has been fatally attacked by a shark at Little Bay Beach.Human remains have been found after a suspected shark attack in Sydney's south-east.

The Department of Primary Industries (DPI) said a great white shark was likely responsible for the death, which is Sydney's first fatality in almost 60 years and forced the closure of beaches from Sutherland Shire to Bondi.

Marine experts said unseasonably warm ocean temperatures and an abundance of baitfish may have enticed the shark closer to the shoreline than usual.

Buchan Point, near where Mr Nellist was swimming, is known for its game fishing because of the northerly currents and how deep it is.

The water temperature right now is pushing 26 degrees, leading to an increase of fish below the surface.

The higher number of fish can attract larger predators, such as the great white shark involved in yesterday's tragic attack.

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Wildlife scientist Dr Vanessa Pirotta believes the shark was lured to the coast by fish.

Wildlife scientist Dr Vanessa Pirotta said the shark may have been lured to the beach due to the number of fish.

"This animal may have been following prey in the area and simply, unfortunately, came across a swimmer at the time," she said.

Multiple SMART drumlines have been installed to search for the shark.

Queensland man charged with murder over death of 16-month-old boy

A 33-year-old man accused of killing a baby boy in south-east Queensland will remain behind bars after his murder case was mentioned in court for the first time.

Aaron Harley James was charged with the murder of 16-month-old Jaylen Priest last night.

Paramedics were called to a family home on Staaten Street at Burpengary, north of Brisbane, on the afternoon of December 30 in relation to the "medical welfare" of the baby boy.

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He was transported to hospital in a critical condition and died nine days later after his health deteriorated.

An investigation was subsequently launched by the Pine Rivers Child Protection Investigation Unit in conjunction with the Child Trauma Unit and homicide detectives.

Police have not yet disclosed the nature of the boy's injuries or the exact cause of his death.

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After appealing for information yesterday afternoon, Mr James was arrested and charged with the boy's murder overnight.

It is understood the accused was well-known to the family.

He was not required to appear when his case went before the Roma Street Magistrates Court in Brisbane this morning, where members of the boy's family attended.

The matter has been adjourned for a committal mention on March 28 where it is expected Mr James will make his first appearance.

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