Commissioners Picture Gallery
2003 / 2004

Team Building Exercise

Members of staff from Royal Skandia, whose new office block stands on the site of the former Douglas Bay Hotel on Onchan Head, undertook some community work at Centenary Park in June 2003.

Led Denise Brownless, members of the credit card team spent an afternoon staking hundreds of small hawthorn bushes which had been planted earlier in the year.

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Students at Centenary Park

Students from the cartography department of Oxford Brookes University spent four days at Centenary Park starting on Easter Monday. They were surveying the land as part of a project which will result in maps being available to assist in the future layout of the land which was once the Hillberry Tip.

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Presentation of Oak Trees

Mr Paul Pearn of Rainbow Borders Nursery, Ballaugh, (Tel: 897613) recently presented Onchan District Commissioners with indigenous oak trees which have been planted at Centenary Park, an area once the Hillberry Tip at Cronk-ny-Mona.

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Visit by Lady Loch

On 2nd July 2002 the commissioners were visited by Lady Loch, widow of the third Lord Loch. Her late husband's grandfather was Lieutenant Governor of the Isle of Man 1869 - 1882 and it was he who selected to live at Bemahague in Onchan at the beginning of his term of office. Government House has remained there ever since.

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Visit by Tom Christian MBE

Onchan claims connections with the Mutiny on the Bounty particularly through Captain Bligh who as a young 26 year old Lieutenant married Elizabeth Betham in Onchan Parish Church.

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Presentation by Mr Barrie Perkin

From time to time the commissioners are presented with items relative to Onchan's past. Local resident Barrie Perkin recently handed over to the care of the commissioners a watercolour painting of cottages which once stood in Church Road just around the corner from St Peter's Church. The painting bears the date October 1906, the artist's initials E.M.R. and a note that it was painted for Mr Putt. The painting was officially handed over to board chairman Terry Black by Barrie on 15th July 2002. The picture is to hang in Onchan Library.

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Library Presentation to Imogen Staphnill

Throughout the year promotions are held in the Onchan Library to encourage children to read. One recent competition was for children to draw or colour a picture of their favourite animal and to write about it.

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The Onchan Ladies Choir

The Onchan Ladies Choir celebrated the 40th anniversary of their formation in 1963. To mark the occasion a civic reception was held on Friday 14th November 2003 in the board room at the commissioners' office. A presentation of a limited edition silver plated Onchan teaspoon was made to each of the members and to a number who were unable to be present.

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Outgoing Chairman of the Onchan District Commissioners

Outgoing Chairman of the Onchan District Commissioners congratulates his successor Maurice Kennaugh at the handover of office at the Annual Meeting of the commissioners held on 4th May 2004.

Mr Kennaugh will now serve as chairman until the end of the municipal year (3rd May 2005).

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Civic Reception

A Civic Reception was held on Thursday 6th May 2004 for the officials, selectors and members of the England Women's Flat Green Bowling Team.

The visitors chose the Isle of Man and the flat green at Onchan for its final selection process for the Women's World Championships to be held in Leamington Spa in September.

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Manx Radio Reception

Some of the guests from Manx Radio on their way into the reception. Left to right: Geraldine Jamieson, Mark Grace (director), Terry Cringle, Mike Percival, Roy Colebourn, Harold Colebourn, Ewan Leeming, Charles Webster, Ian Cannell, Sue Richardson, David Callister, George Ferguson, Roger Watterson and Bernie Quayle.

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Manx Radio Reception Welcome Speech

Board Chairman Maurice Kennaugh reads a welcome speech as David Callister records the event. On the left is Commissioner Wendy Megson whilst organiser of special events, Peter Kelly looks on from the right.

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Manx Radio Presentation

Charles Guard, one time presenter and now a director of Manx Radio receives an engraved glass plaque to commemorate the opening up of the radio station in a caravan at Ballachurry, Onchan in June 1964.

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GARDENS COMPETITION

On Friday 1st October 2004 the prize presentation took place for the Commissioners' Estates Garden's Competition. All the houses owned by the commissioners have their gardens inspected during the summer months and points awarded by two different judges.

The points are aggregated and the winners are invited to a prize presentation but nobody knows the results until they are announced.

There are separate cups for the winners of the sections covering: The Park and Nursery Avenue; Ballachrink and School Road; Birch Hill Estate (Ashley Park, Hackett Close, Meadow Close); Heywood Park; Properties without gardens (Springfield Court, Marion Court, Heywood Court).

There is then a second and third prize together with a number of highly commended certificates.

Prize Winners

A number of the prize winners pose for the photographer following the prize presentation in the boardroom at the Commissioners' office.

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John Fargher Memorial Cup

Jean Alker of 40 Ballachrink Drive receives the John Fargher Memorial Cup from Commissioners Chairman Maurice Kennaugh. The cup is presented to the person with the highest number of points awarded in the whole competition.

Mrs Alker and her husband John also won the Ballachrink and School Road section.

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