Peter Tonks, president of the Sark Chamber of Commerce, which has inaugurated a range of awards in recognition of the contribution to the community by some of its citizens. (0640841)

AT THE end of the month Sark’s Chamber of Commerce will be recognising contributions to the island’s community and commercial life. The Chamber, which is having a new lease of life in 2008 after a few years in limbo, has inaugurated a range of awards which president Peter Tonks hopes will recognise the sterling efforts of a number of individuals.

He said that the categories were designed to acknowledge the contributions of all age groups – from young people to those who had given very many years of service to the community and to commerce.

Mr Tonks explained that the idea had come about when several members suggested that the Chamber should promote a Sark Citizen of the Year Award.

‘It really snowballed from there because when the council looked at the nominations recently, it became clear, particularly in respect of service to the community, that so many people do so much for their fellow citizens,’ he said.

‘Sark is renowned for its generosity – not generosity in simply financial terms, although there is much of that, but its generosity of spirit – and it was the unanimous view of the council that we should spread the net and categorise the nominations.’

Mr Tonks added that as a result there are also categories for a young persons’ award, an overseas award for those who work for Sark from afar and lifetime achievement awards.

The ceremony will take place at a buffet supper on 30 September.

Many people are now aware of the tragic incident in Sark last week in which a Dutch yachtsman died in the early hours of the morning after being pulled from the sea near Creux Harbour.

I spoke a few days later to someone who, in a capacity to which he was appointed, was called to the scene. He was very much on the periphery and saw the efforts made by the island’s rescue services to save the man’s life.

He told me that in his view nothing more could have been done and he was fulsome in his praise of everyone involved.

‘I doubt that I have ever seen such professionalism,’ he said. ‘Sark is indeed well served by those who volunteer for these tasks and I am full of admiration for the way in which this tragedy was handled. Unfortunately, their efforts were in vain but it was not through lack of either skill or effort.’

There are many here, not least the cliff fall victim of a few weeks ago, who would happily endorse what this observer said. We can indeed be proud of our emergency services and I include in that remark the medical officer, Dr Peter Counsell, as well as Sark’s resident volunteers.

Chief Pleas sits on 1 October for, as I remarked recently, the last statutory sitting of an assembly which includes both elected politicians and land-owning tenants.

To mark this historic occasion – the removal after almost 450 years of the tenants from the legislature – members will assemble early for an official photograph.

Attendance will be limited to deputies and tenants, which means that substitutes – those who replace tenants unable to attend through ill health – will not be included.

I make no observation on the reasons for this but it means that there will be no place for Werner Rang, who in recent years has attended on behalf of Gwendoline Drawmer. Since he was first elected as a deputy he has sat in the assembly for 32 years, virtually without a break.

The email address for comment is fallesark@sark.net.