Tony Perkins announced at the parade’s AGM on Monday evening that he would be retiring after more than half a century’s involvement with the annual summer carnival.
He has been replaced by former vice-chairman Mo Le Var, with Margaret Fitzgerald as vice-chairman.
See our picture gallery of this year’s parade here
Mr Perkins (71) first served on the former Battle Council in the 1970s and was appointed chairman for the first time in 1995 for a three-year term, following which he served in the role for a further year in 2003.
In November 2006, as a result of a critical report by Comptroller and Auditor General Chris Swinson in the aftermath of that year’s parade, a limited liability company was set up to run the Battle and Mr Perkins became chairman of that in early 2007.
He was responsible for bringing about a number of major changes to that year’s parade, including the popular re-introduction of the celebrity Mr Battle role after a gap of almost a decade.
In a letter to current exhibitors, Mr Perkins, a self-employed electrician with two grown-up children, said: ‘I bet you all thought the day would never come when I would decide to hand over the reins of Battle.
‘I am, of course, going to miss it, but I feel it’s now time to move on.’
Earlier this year, a damning independent report commissioned by the Economic Development Department, at a cost of more than £5,000, criticised elements of the parade and said that it had found there to be a poor relationship between some exhibitors and the festival’s organisers, specifically Mr Perkins.
Speaking to the JEP, the outgoing chairman, who will remain an honorary member of the Battle board, said: ‘The report didn’t tell us anything we didn’t already know.
‘When I became chairman ahead of the 2007 parade my aim was to try and get the Battle back on track financially, which I think I have done.
‘Unfortunately ticket sales were down 13 per cent this year as a result of the poor weather, but fortunately there is a small surplus.
‘I just feel the time is now right for me to stand down.
‘Mo was keen to take on the role of chairman and I didn’t want to fight him.’
Read more Battle of Flowers stories here
He added: ‘Being chairman of the Battle of Flowers has been a great experience and I take away many good memories and many good friends.
‘I’m a local man and I think the Battle is probably the largest local community event we have going in Jersey.
‘I think the parade definitely still has an important role to play in Island life.’
Jersey-born Mr Perkins said his first Battle memory dated back to 1953, when he remembers going to look at the floats the night before the parade.
The following year he was involved for the first time with the St Saviour’s Social and Athletic Club float and in the 1960s he became involved with the St Clement team.
He became the parish’s Battle chairman in the late 1960s, a position he went on to hold for more than 20 years.
- The first Battle of Flowers took place on Saturday 9 August 1902 on Victoria Avenue.
- It was originally planned as a one-off event to celebrate the Coronation of King Edward VII and was the idea of the then Constable of St Helier, Philippe Baudains (pictured left seated centre), the president of the Fêtes Committee.
- That first floral parade was watched by around 30,000 people and was reported on heavily in the national press two days later.
- At the end of the event, a spontaneous battle took place, during which spectators ripped flowers from the entries and pelted each other with them.
- Because the parade was such a success it was decided to make it an annual event and it was from that unplanned flower-fight at the end of the first parade that the Battle was given its name
