A MAN described as “the lifeblood” of the Jersey Society in London will be honoured at a tree-planting ceremony in St Ouen today, Monday 23 September.
Edouard Le Maistre – who died in October 2022 – was chairman of the Architectural Association in London for almost 40 years, having worked early in his career as a junior reporter for the Jersey Evening Post.
But he was perhaps best known to many Islanders as the face of the Jersey Society in London, an organisation formed in 1896 to bring together those living in and around London with a particular interest in Island life. It presents talks about Jersey and publishes a twice-yearly bulletin for members.
Nicholas Paines, the society’s current president, explained the genesis of Monday’s ceremony on Hydrangea Avenue in memory of his predecessor.
“The story starts when a few of us attended an event in memory of Edouard at the Architectural Association, where he worked. We learned that they were planting a tree in his memory, and one of us had the idea of planting a tree in Jersey on behalf of the society. With enormous assistance from Edouard’s family we have reached a situation where Edouard’s widow, Jenny, will plant a tree in Edouard’s memory on behalf of the society in Hydrangea Avenue,” he explained.
The Lieutenant-Governor, Vice-Admiral Jerry Kyd, will be present for the event and will also plant a tree – the Governor’s oak – to replace one lost in Storm Ciarán.
This evening the society will hold a dinner which Mr Paines explained was part of an initiative “to make the society less London-centric”.
“We plan to use the dinner to tell those attending of our plans for the society. The message is that it will be worth belonging to it even if you don’t live near London; candidly, we hope to recruit – and in many cases, re-recruit – Jersey-based members,” Mr Paines said.
Details of the Jersey Society in London are available at: jerseysocietyinlondon.org.
