Report on The
Jersey Zoo and subsequent adventures in collecting animals with
Gerry was followed by the moving film on Gerry’s life and the
Amateur Naturalist Week significant impact he had in the conservation world.
14
th
-19
th
September 2008
A local speaker, Dirk Stoller gave a talk on some of the problems
the island of Corfu is facing in dealing with refuse and pollution.
Dirk joined us on our field trip to the Ropa Valley, where walks
led by a botanist, zoologist, and several conservationists were very
T
his was one of the first seminars to focus on the life and works
informative and appropriate; in the grounds of one of the houses
of Gerald Durrell and it was appropriate that the start of the
used in the filming of My Family and Other Animals in both BBC
proceedings was marked by the unveiling ceremony of statues
productions of Gerald’s book, and later at the estate of local sup-
commemorating his life on Corfu and that of his brother Lawrence,
porter Anthony Stevens, who also gave a very interesting talk
at the The Bosketto/Durrell Gardens, which was dedicated to the
about the immediate area.
brothers in 2006.
A field trip to the ancient village of Old Perithia, was blessed with
good weather - unlike past trips to this botanist’s haven.

The day was rounded off with a BBQ, where the conversation
was lively and enjoyed by all, ending with Jeremy Mallison ani-
mated at the prospect of a “crocodile” on the way to the coach back
to town.
The final day of the seminar was concluded with a walking tour
of Corfu, putting into context the Garden of the Gods, which was
shown beforehand. Similarly, the farewell evening on the nearby
Island of Vidos, gave opportunity for some intrepid explorers to
follow in Gerry’s footsteps, and snorkel off shore for what seemed
like a very long time for those patiently waiting on the shoreline.
Conclusion
This was a well-attended seminar, 23 people attending some days,
and the mix of age ranges contributed to very lively debating and
Lee Durrell unveiling the bronze statue of Lawrence.
cross generational learning environment.
The words below the statue, are of course:
‘Greece offers you the discovery of yourself’
Sponsorship from local businesses enabled the school to finance
accommodation for the key speakers, and assisted with expenses
and hospitality, for which we are very grateful. Acknowledgement
to Dr Spiros Giourgas and Dr Anthony Stevens who supported
The following day, our Amateur Naturalist Seminar was opened
the school’s activities for the week by providing venue and gifts
by a key note lecture from Dr Lee Durrell on her life and work
in kind.
with Gerald and how Gerald’s early years in Corfu led to the found-
ing of Jersey Wildlife Conservation Trust (Now known as ‘Dur-
rell’) and their passion for “little brown jobs” (small rare breeds)
as well as how important a holistic approach to conservation is, in
order to save endangered species in the long term.
The rest of the first morning was a privilege of information from
speakers ranging across six decades. Dr David Bellamy, with his
characteristic exuberance and wealth of knowledge, talked about
his relationship with Gerry Durrell. How Gerry’s passion for ani-
mals had enabled him to develop a conservation approach to sav-
ing endangered species rather than the traditional ‘zoo’ system;
and how this had influenced David in his own career in botany and
conservation.
This enthusiasm was echoed in the two presentations from the
two young winners, Sam Hubbard (14) and Richard Van Neste (19)
of the Amateur Naturalist Competition, which was sponsored by
Lombard Odior Darier Hentsch Bank, Jersey. Their knowledge
and passion for conservation was inspiration indeed for the future
generations and their arduous task following in Durrell footsteps.
Despite inclement weather, the field trip to the endangered Sky-
ros Horses at the Sylva Estate was a great success, and the discus-
Jeremy illustrated his unique affinity with animals,
sion over dinner inside Sylvia’s house was congruous surrounded
by her many rescued animals, whose excitement at such an inva-
which demonstrated his success in his life’s work. His
sion led to a few bitten fingers and funny incidents worthy of com-
ability to enjoy himself and others was evident even
parison to scenes from My Family and Other Animals.
when sheltering from the rain prior to a field trip!
Jeremy Mallinson’s entertaining talk on his life in founding the
ISLAND 
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