WHEN Sark Constable Alan Blythe (pictured) called me over in The Avenue earlier this week – it was reminiscent, I have to say, of an incident almost 60 years ago when a member of the Jersey Police wanted ‘a word in your ear, son’, about some apples missing from an orchard. But his word in my ear was altogether nicer.

Mr Blythe gave me a copy of a letter he’d received from Don Williams, the visitor who on 19 August last year fell down the cliff at Rouge Terrier in Little Sark and was badly injured.

Happily, Mr Williams’ bones, cuts and lung have all healed and he was due to return to work a couple of weeks ago. Almost five months off work is perhaps the most graphic illustration of how serious his injuries were.

That said, Mr Williams’ view is that ‘all in all I was extremely lucky and am extraordinarily grateful’ and it was to ensure that his thanks went to everyone involved in his rescue and removal to hospital that he wrote to Mr Blythe.

He asked the Constable to pass on his thanks to ‘all those wonderful skilled people who played their part in my rescue and gave me the opportunity of life and a full recovery’.

He said in his letter that his primary reason for speaking to the Guernsey Press after the accident was that it was a way of expressing thanks to so many people ‘who, for much of their lives are unseen and unknown but who acted with such skill, care and courage when I needed them’.

He continued: ‘I have said to many people who I work with – colleagues and clients – that one of my abiding memories of the accident is the calm assuredness of each of the people and how they all acted as one team despite the fact that they came from five different services – each taking their turn to command at the appropriate time and each offering their expertise as required.

‘If all organisations and communities could work in such a way, what a world we would live in.

‘All in all I have many wonderful memories of Sark and these have not been diminished by my accident – actually, they have been enhanced by the kindness, care, expertise and generosity of all those wonderful people that helped me.’

Telling Mr Blythe that he was one of those people – one with the knowledge to reach all the others – Mr Williams said that he looked forward to returning to the island in the future but in the meantime wished all those involved in his rescue much happiness and success.

I doubt very much that I could have written a more heartfelt tribute to those people – mostly unseen and unknown, as Mr Williams said – to whom he and this small community owe so much.

I was delighted that Conseiller Paul Williams referred in Chief Pleas to the trials carried out recently by the road mending machine. He paid tribute to those who had made the exercise possible and also expressed the hope that people would give the experiment a chance.

I’ve already heard a couple of whingers going on about mud on roads and reminded them that it’s rain which caused that, not Chief Pleas trying to do their collective best.

While on the subject of Chief Pleas, I felt the new look assembly was more focussed and businesslike than I’ve ever seen it. Hopefully the new mood will continue.

The email address for comment is fallesark@sark.net