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Headlines:
Five fresh faces join LegCo line up; The General Election numbers; Artemis leads the way

Five fresh faces join LegCo line up

ONLY three members of the previous Legislative Council (LegCo) line up have retained their seats in the 2005 General Election. Five fresh faces last night joined LegCo, with three from Stanley and two from Camp. Representing Stanley, new candidates Andrea Clausen, Janet Robertson and Richard Davies joined former councillors Richard Cockwell and Mike Summers, while in Camp, former councillor Ian Hansen retained his place and is joined by Mike Rendell and Richard Stevens. Voter turn out was slightly up on the last General Election, with a 69% response in Stanley, compared to 68.7% in 2001 while Camp turn out was 86%, compared to 82.2% in 2001. Richard Davies gained the highest number of votes in Stanley. He said he had been hopeful of being elected, "but not confident." He explained, "It's difficult to gauge public opinion but I put a lot of effort into individuals and canvassing because I think that as a councillor it is important to put the views of the Falkland Islands across." Reacting to the result, Mike Summers - who has served on council since 1996 - said, "It's okay." He added, "It's an interesting mix of old hands and new faces. It'll be interesting to see how the team shapes up over the next four years." Beginning his third term on LegCo, Richard Cockwell echoed that sentiment: "It's a very interesting result. It's a new team of people to work with and I look forward to it." He added, "I'm sure all the elected councillors will take the Islands forward as they should be." Janet Robertson said she was pleased with the result and admitted she hadn't really known what to expect. She expressed her disappointment that John Fowler was not elected saying, "I would have really enjoyed working with John." However she added, "I'm pleased with the candidates that were successful and look forward to working with them over the next four years." Andrea Clausen said she was "absolutely thrilled" to be elected. She thanked those voters who supported her and promised, "I will do everything in my ability to serve them." Ian Hansen polled the highest number of votes in the Camp. Reacting to the news from his farm at Main Point, Mr Hansen - who was elected at the 2003 by-election - said he really thought he would struggle for third place but added, "I am delighted to be back on council and look forward to the next four years. "I am very happy with the Camp result and there is a good mix and match for Stanley." Speaking from his farm on Bleaker Island, Mike Rendell said he had been nervous about the count: "I have to say I did quite a few parachute jumps in my time and the build up tonight was very similar to a jump." He commented, "I would just like to thank everyone in the Camp for their support and confidence in voting for me. "I hope that us Camp councillors can form a really good team and keep the momentum going." He said he plans to tour the Camp, "...to talk to as many people as I can as soon as possible - there's a lot to do." Richard Stevens, who served a term on Legislative Council in the 1990s said he was surprised to a degree, adding, "I am delighted to be given a second chance." He hoped he could live up to the expectations of people living in Camp, whether they voted for him or not. He was happy with his fellow Camp councillors saying he was sure he could work with them, but added that as farmers dependent on sheep, he and Ian Hansen may have a different perspective on some Camp issues to that of Mike Rendell. Mr Stevens added that he was glad there was some continuity with the previous council. At Port Sussex, while the vote count took place, Richard said he was looking forward to a celebratory drink with his family while considering the four years ahead. Photo:The 2005 Legislative Council line up (pictured clockwise from top left): Stanley councillors - Dr Richard Davies, Mr Mike Summers, Mr Richard Cockwell, Ms Janet Robertson, Dr Andrea Clausen (front), and Camp councillors - Mr Ian Hansen, Mr Mike Rendell and Mr Richard Stevens.

The General Election numbers...

Stanley

John Birmingham 240 Jan Cheek 275 Andrea Clausen 466 Richard Cockwell 302 Richard Davies 546 Mike Forrest 261 John Fowler 276 Eric Goss 276 Kevin Ormond 110 Phillip Middleton 179 Janet Robertson 299 Mike Summers 477 (4 votes spoilt)

Camp

Roger Edwards 91 Ian Hansen 188 Philip Miller 86 Mike Rendell 139 Richard Stevens 121 (0 votes spoilt)

Artemis leads the way

THE cruise ship Artemisis due to visit Stanley today. Included in her 1084 passengers are two holders of the South Atlantic Medal, Dr Rick Jolly - who is well known to Islanders - and Jan Bacon who worked as an accommodation steward aboard Canberra in 1982, one of only 27 women at high risk in the Task Force. On Sunday, Polar Pioneer will visit Sea Lion Island with around 54 passengers and on Monday she will head to Stanley. Andrea(carrying around 112 passengers) will visit New Island on Monday, West Point Island on Tuesday and Stanley on Wednesday. Also on Wednesday, Multanovskiy(carrying approximately 49 passengers) will journey to New Island. On Thursday, she will head to Stanley while Akademik Sergey Vavilov (carrying around 117 passengers) will visit Bleaker Island.

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