MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Falkland Islands: Weekly Penguin News update

PM Gordon Brown with FIGO representative Mrs Sukey Cameron and Cllr. Ian Hansen

Headlines: Party Conferences : PM Gordon Brown thanks Falklands for support; New airbridge in action; Tornado F3 flies south the easy way; Disappointed shearers return.

Party Conferences PM Gordon Brown thanks Falklands for supportFOR the 21st consecutive year, the Falkland Islands Government (FIG) took exhibition stands at the Labour and Conservative Party Conferences in Manchester and Birmingham respectively. This year the stand was staffed by Councillor Ian Hansen and FIG Representative Sukey Cameron, who said they were kept busy at both events by many visitors. The Conferences gave them the opportunity to update old contacts and make new ones, especially among the Parliamentary Candidates, who have been selected to fight seats in the next election. At the Labour Party Conference they were congratulated by the Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, (pictured) and thanked for their continued support of the Conference. The Falklands stand occupied a prime site at the Conservative Conference and it was used as a back drop for several news reports and the visit of the Conservative Leader, David Cameron, to the stand featured on a BBC Newsnightreport. Mr Cameron was especially interested in the MoD flights to the Islands as RAF Brize Norton is in his constituency." New airbridge in actionFLYGLOBESPAN, the Scottish airline contracted to supply the airbridge to the UK, made its first flight into the Falklands last week and is now reported to have secured deals to lease up to four of its aircraft to airlines in Chile. The deal is the latest move by FlyGlobespan to utilise its aircraft over the slower months as the industry faces increasing pressure from soaring fuel costs and the economic slowdown, reported Times Online."These leases are a very good means of generating income during what is traditionally a difficult time for the UK holiday trade," said Flyglobespan's owner Tom Dalrymple. FlyGlobespan has responded vigorously in recent weeks to media reports that it might be the next airline to go under as rivals Zoom and XL have, insisting that it is in good shape and will return a profit next year. One airbridge passenger commented that the inflight service was largely unchanged, adding that the airframes are old with the Air India logo visible under the paint work. A business class passenger said he had travelled in comfort, although the flight had been three hours longer due to an extended stopover in Ascension and an additional hour on each leg of the journey. Tornado F3 flies south the easy wayAMIDST strong winds and occasional blizards, one of the largest aircraft in the world, an Antonov AN-124 Condor, landed at Mount Pleasant on Saturday, carrying three aircraft in its vast hold. A Tornado F3 from RAF Leuchars in Scotland and two Lynx helicopters which have been specially modified for South Atlantic flying were packed inside the massive aircraft as it touched down at Mount Pleasant Airport. This piggy-back arrangement was part of Operation Southern Cross, described by a Mount Pleasant spokesperson as a 'roulement' of aircraft between RAF Leuchars and 1435 Flight at MPA, designed to avoid airframes stress issues. A nine man team of Air Movements staff unloaded thethree aircraft and loaded an out-going Tornado, bound for BrizeNorton, all within 24 hours of the Antonov's landing. Disappointed shearers returnTHE Falklands shearers left Norway somewhat down hearted following the 13th Golden Shears Championships this week. Jan Clarke and Lee Molkenbuhr travelled to the competition after qualifying in the Falklands earlier this year. Both men are top shearers, capable of remaining at the top of the board throughout the season and have claimed and broken shed records around the Islands. Jan competed three years ago in Australia with fellow Islander Paul Phillips. Shearing fine merino sheep they achieved fifth place in the team shear and Jan was seventh overall in the individual competition. This year Jan finished 17th and Lee 21st out of about 100 shearers from a record 28 countries, in what was the first time ever the championship was held in a non-English speaking country. New Zealand dominated the competition, taking home four of the six titles up for grabs. Speaking to Lee as he made his way to Cumbria in the UK on Wednesday, he said they were both, "very disappointed" with their final positions. The sheep used for the competition were 'strong' woolled, unlike the finer breeds the men are accustomed to shearing. The first and second rounds were on Norwegian Whites and although they didn't do well in the first round they felt they had improved considerably in the second, said Lee. However, in the third round a native Norwegian sheep the Spael was introduced: "They're more like goats," he added. The two men shared a proud moment when they carried the Falklands flag at the opening and closing ceremonies for the event. It's back to the Falklands for Jan and Lee on Monday, where the Golden Shears will fade into a distant memory as shearing in a contract gang gets underway. There's plenty of time to sharpen the cutters and skills before 2010 however, when the top shearers from around the world will gather in Wales and no doubt the Falklands flag will proudly fly again.