Opening ceremony honours Games legend: ‘Jewel of the Sea’
Junior Reporters - Robyn Surcombe & Harry Snell
“This is brilliant. We’ve got to do it again. You can all come to Guernsey in two years’ time.”
Those were the words of Guernsey 2023 Communications and Events Director Amanda Hibbs as she recounted the story of how Guernsey-man Owen Le Vallee MBE turned a one-off ‘festival of sport’ into the biannual ‘Island Games’ as we know it.
In 1985, 700 athletes from 15 islands landed on Manx soil for a week competing against each other in eight different sports. And it was Owen, as Vice Chairman of the Inter-Island Games Association (IIGA) at the time, who suggested, as it was such a success, that it needed to continue. 38 years later and the Games now involves 24 islands from all over the world who compete across 14 sports. As an Honorary Life Member of the IIGA, Owen remained involved in the Games every year and although he passed away in January 2023, his legacy lives on within the Games.
A lively procession, colourful flags, and thrilling entertainment brought the Guernsey 2023 Island Games to life on Saturday. Amanda explained how one traditional section of the opening ceremony, the anthem played during the flag raising, was linked to the Games legend.
“When [Owen] brought the Games to Guernsey for the second time in 1987, he commissioned a piece of music called Jewel of the Sea, which was written by a famous brass band conductor called Derek Broadbent.”
The anthem was recorded by Guernsey Concert Brass earlier this year and will be played for the medal ceremonies and throughout the Games, so be sure to listen out!
“I met Owen several times”, Amanda added. “I spent some really fun afternoons with him, so I think it’s lovely that we can commemorate him in this way.”
In spirit of Guernsey 2023’s motto, ‘Inspiring Islanders’, the Games has also encouraged islanders from all over the world to celebrate sport through mediums of art, coordinated by Guernsey Arts. Amanda commented: “It produces great camaraderie with the other islands, and we hope it’s something that will carry forward.”
