THE distance between Jersey and south-east Asia may have been too great for the Island to be physically affected by one of the deadliest natural disasters in history, but the shockwaves reverberated massively on the other side of the world.
On Boxing Day 2004, at just before 8am Indonesia time, an earthquake struck off the coast of northern Sumatra. It was subsequently assessed as being among the three most powerful quakes since modern seismography began in 1900, and triggered a tsunami around the Indian Ocean, with waves of up to 30 metres high. Communities around the region were devastated and almost 228,000 people were estimated to have lost their lives.
Islanders were among those around the world who woke up to the news on Sunday morning, the day after Christmas. It may have been some time before the full extent of what had occurred became evident but, nevertheless, the scale was sufficient to spark an incredible reaction in Jersey.
Monday 27 December was a public holiday across the British Isles, but that didn’t mean there was nothing happening in Jersey.
Independently of each other, two former States Members were making phone calls that morning, seeking to speak to someone from the British Red Cross in London.
“We didn’t realise the extent of the tsunami, but there was already a desire to help, and quickly more things were organised,” former Senator Jean Le Maistre told the JEP.
Before too long, Mr Le Maistre realised that his former States colleague Mike Wavell was also on the case, as was the Bailiff, Sir Philip Bailhache, who convened an emergency meeting on the Monday.
The first post-Christmas issue of the JEP on Wednesday 29 December featured the front-page headline “Now we must help” and, on the same day, the Jersey Asia Relief appeal, chaired by Mr Wavell, was established, with £64,000 already collected by Friday morning.
Several Islanders were directly affected by the tsunami as they had been in the region over the Christmas holiday, with multiple stories about injuries, evacuations and lucky escapes.
Over the new year’s long weekend, a series of fundraising events took place, including swims, walks, concerts, collections from clubbers on New Year’s Eve and members of the Women’s Institute shaking buckets in St Helier.
On Wednesday 5 January, with the total collected approaching half a million pounds and a further £500,000 given by the Overseas Aid Committee, flags were lowered to half mast and a minute’s silence was observed.
The 12 January edition of the JEP was the first for more than a fortnight not to feature the appeal on the front page, but this didn’t signify any lack of momentum, with the funds collected passing £1 million that day and many Islanders agreeing to give an hour’s pay to the cause.
Anthony Lewis, then news editor at the JEP, was among the journalists working closely on the story, with an idea hatched for a show of solidarity to be staged. The Side by Side concept was unveiled on 17 January, with the idea that as many Islanders as possible gather on the beach in St Ouen’s Bay on Sunday 30 January.
Ultimately, more than 5,000 people turned up on the sands of the west coast, spelling out the Side by Side message, an event captured by a photographer in a plane overhead.
“We wanted to do something, but we had no idea how many people would come out. We were very nervous that morning,” Mr Lewis said. “But, wow, it was incredible to see all the people and their reactions, with quite a few people in tears.
“Mike [Wavell] was the driving force behind the appeal. He really inspired everyone.”
Mr Le Maistre recalled that Sir Nicholas Young, chair of the British Red Cross, had indicated that his busy schedule might prevent him coming to Jersey to be presented with the proceeds of the appeal, until he realised the sum in question was £1.7m before the Overseas Aid donation was added in.
“I mentioned the total and he said ‘hang on, just let me check my diary’ and had a flight booked pretty soon,” Mr Le Maistre said.
The fundraising didn’t stop once the Red Cross presentation had taken place, and Islanders also made a number of trips to the affected areas.
Mr Lewis recalled the emotion of seeing the scenes of “devastation” when he went to Sri Lanka in March, but added that it had been heartening to see homes being built using funds that had been collected in Jersey.
By the middle of 2005, Side by Side had been established and registered as a charity, with Mr Wavell its first chair – a position he held until his death in 2011 – and Mr Le Maistre the vice-chair. In almost two decades since then, projects have been set up in response to disasters in countries such as Pakistan and Haiti, while Ukraine has been a particular focus over the past two years.
