FIVE Islanders have been honoured by King Charles III in the New Year Honours List.
Advocate Cyril Whelen, Detective Superintendent Alison Fossey, Nicholas Kershaw, and Solange Rebours have become Members of the Order of the British Empire while Gordon Burgis has been awarded the British Empire Medal.
Cyril Whelan
Advocate Cyril Whelan has become an MBE for services to Jersey’s judiciary.
He spent 28 years as the senior legal adviser in the Law Officers’ Department and was appointed to the office of Crown Advocate immediately upon its creation in 1987. He has also acted as Attorney General from time to time.
Advocate Whelan was head of the department within the Attorney General’s chambers responsible for serious crime and international mutual legal assistance, and has advised on all aspects of public law, advising and prosecuting in the full range of serious crimes – murder, rape, serious and complex fraud and money laundering.
He wrote a book called Aspects of Sentencing in the Superior Courts of Jersey, which was the first piece of substantial work aimed at isolating and identifying the main structural principles upon which criminal sentencing is based in Jersey. It was commended by the Jersey Court of Appeal and has been of frequent use in the senior courts.
During a sabbatical at Jesus College Cambridge, Advocate Whelen authored a supplementary work on Newton hearings with particular reference to Jersey. He has also made contributions to the Jersey Law Review.
Advocate Whelan said: “To be favoured with recognition in my native island by the good grace of His Majesty is deeply touching and I am truly grateful.
“Although I am named on the award, the iceberg effect prevails. The award is founded on the sacrifices made by caring parents, the patience of mentors, the support of friends and family, and the long road travelled with my wife, Renata, without whose love and guiding influence this happy circumstance could never have arisen.”
Advocate Whelan is also a judge of the Jersey Employment and Discrimination Tribunal and a Relief Coroner.
Alison Fossey
Detective Superintendent Alison Fossey has become an MBE for services to Island policing and the wider community of Jersey.
Det Supt Fossey has been instrumental in implementing innovative strategies and campaigns that have strengthened protection for victims and improved investigative standards.
Her leadership in initiatives such as the Violence Against Women and Girls action plan and Operation Soteria has set a benchmark for policing excellence, ensuring that survivors receive the support they deserve, and offenders are brought to justice. Her commitment reflects the highest values of public service and community safety.
Chief Officer Robin Smith said: “Alison’s award is richly deserved and a source of immense pride for the States of Jersey Police. Her professionalism, dedication, and compassion have made a profound difference to the lives of many in the Island.
“As Chief, I am proud to have had the opportunity to work with Alison, she is – as many will testify – a genuine force of nature.”
Nicholas Kershaw
Nicholas Kershaw has become an MBE for services as Chair of Every Child Our Future and Co-chair of the Jersey Community Foundation.
Mr Kershaw said he had been “shocked and surprised” when the Lieutenant Governor, Vice Admiral Sir Jerry Kyd, had called him with the news.
“It was a lovely moment,” he reflected. “He was charming and kind, and I was rather speechless at the time.”
A former managing partner of law firm Ogier, Mr Kershaw’s charity journey started in 2013, when he was chair of governors of Jersey College for Girls.
He said: “I found that there were a lot of businesses interested in supporting education, and I thought there was an opportunity for them to do more in that field, so I arranged a lunch with four business leaders and two head teachers, and that ultimately grew into the Channel Islands Student Business Challenge, which involved nine schools in Jersey and Guernsey, and over 230 students a year.
“Then, in 2016, I co-founded Every Child Our Future. There were two drivers for that: I had a dyslexic daughter, so I have witnessed first hand the debilitating impact that struggling with literacy can have on a child’s learning.
“So, there was a personal aspect for me but also, with my work with JCG, I had seen that there was quite significant educational inequality in Jersey and I wanted to see whether I could do something that could help.”
He continued: “We founded Every Child Our Future to focus on literacy, numeracy, and, latterly, speech and language, and it’s been a great success. Over the years, we’ve supported thousands of volunteers and thousands of children. It is in 22 primary schools and delivered some fabulous programmes, including Ready to Read, Story Starters, Book Buddies, and we now have ten programmes in total.
“More than 25 businesses also support us with volunteers who go into schools and read with children.”
Mr Kershaw’s association with the Jersey Community Foundation began in 2020, when the Government was looking to establish a new organisation to distribute money from dormant bank account money for pandemic support. This grew into the JCF, which has awarded almost £14m to Island causes.
Mr Kershaw said: I’m honoured to receive this award but this is absolutely a tribute to those amazing organisations and the incredible people who I have been lucky enough to work with it.
“We have great teams in Every Child Our Future and the Jersey Community Foundation, and they have made those organisations the successes that they are.”
Solange Rebours
Guide leader Solange Rebours has become an MBE for services to the Girlguiding movement.
Reflecting on receiving the news, she said: “I was very shocked as it was not something I was expecting. Once it sunk it, I felt absolutely thrilled. I would like to thank and pay tribute to the leaders in Jersey, who really are absolutely amazing. This award is for them.”
Ms Rebours joined Girlguiding when she was ten years old. She said: “I was very lucky to have some inspirational Guide leaders who helped me to grow and develop in Guiding, and I achieved my Queen’s Guide when I was 13.
“I went on through the movement and became an adult leader, running my own unit. I wanted to help girls and young women benefit from the lessons I’d learnt as a Guide, and to ensure they had the same experiences and learning opportunities: the teamwork, fun, friendship, leadership and learning life skills that I had enjoyed.”
Ms Rebours went on to be Island Commissioner for six years and Chief Commissioner for South-west England for five years, the first Channel Islander to be appointed to that role.
She said: “Throughout my Guiding journey, I’ve been very lucky to work with some very talented and very capable people who have shared a vision, and we’ve worked together to develop Guiding for girls and young women in Jersey and in southwest England.”
She continued: “I’ve led and been part of some excellent teams; there is fun, friendship and a camaraderie in Guiding because, at the end of the day, it’s all about giving girls and young women the opportunities to grow and develop, to find out more about themselves, to learn more about the wider world, to have international opportunities where they can go and learn about different cultures and different countries, and my job has just been to help them along on that journey.”
Ms Rebours remains Island treasurer and a Guiding vice-president, and a trustee of the movement in both Jersey and Southwest England.
Gordon Burgis
Pioneering surfer and sailor Gordon Burgis has been awarded the BEM for services to Jersey’s sailing community.
He said: “I am honoured and feel very privileged to receive this award granted by his Majesty the King.
“The award reflects the wonderful collective support I have been fortunate to receive from two major clubs in the Island, the Jersey Surfboard Club and the Royal Channel Islands Yacht Club.
“The recognition also represents the energy and dedication of all those participating in the Hobie fleet’s activity over the years especially the junior sailors.
“My sincere thanks and appreciation to those who nominated me for the award.
“I also thank my wife Elaine and our family for their unwavering support and to all those who have helped and believed in me which has been so instrumental in this journey. This award is not mine alone it belongs to everyone who has helped guide me and shared in this path.”
Mr Burgis started surfing in 1959, beginning a long association with wave-riding that would last more than four decades. He and fellow surfer Barry Jenkins had first seen Hobie Cats in action while surfing in California and recognised their potential for Jersey, with a group of friends bringing over five boats in 1985.
In 1990, Mr Burgis was instrumental in getting the lightweight, agile catamaran added to the Royal Channel Island Yacht Club racing calendar, which meant a move from St Ouen’s Bay to their now-familiar home in St Aubin’s Bay.
From there, the sport expanded and it remains a popular pursuit today, with Jersey having the biggest fleet in the British Isles, and one of the largest and most active fleets in Europe. Mr Burgis has been on the RCIYC’s sailing committee for the past 25 years and he remains a key figure in organising racing and junior training.
Away from the water, Mr Burgis also runs a racketball league at Les Quennevais.
