On Wednesday 20th February islanders helped celebrate the marriage of Brett Moore and the former Yolandi Visser. Brett and Yolandi had planned a very quiet wedding at the Greffe in St Peter Port (the registry office on Guernsey) but several islanders took the day off work and donned their wedding outfits to witness Brett and Yolandi exchange wedding vows.
Yolandi first came to Herm in 2004 when she came to work, with her sister Jhani, for the season in the White House Hotel. They both returned in 2005 which is when Brett moved to Herm. Brett had applied for the seasonal position of campsite warden but ended up working as a seasonal ‘truckie’. Just before he came to Herm to start the job Adrian Heyworth said that a full-time truckie position had become available and asked if Brett was interested. He jumped at the chance to move here permanently – Brett knew Herm well as he had spent several holidays on Guernsey with his family when he was younger. Brett and Yolandi didn’t really notice each other in 2005 but luckily Yolandi decided to return from her native South Africa to work on Herm for a third season!
In January 2006 Brett landed on his feet again when he was offered the job of assistant gardener. Brett’s background is in horticulture. He trained at Pershore College and before he came to Herm had been working for Webbs of Wychwold, a large garden centre near Droitwich. When Peter Hollett left Herm in December 2006 Brett took over as head gardener.
It was in 2006 that Brett and Yolandi noticed each other! Yolandi was working in The Ship and had spotted Brett when he was on ‘cargo duty’ delivering stock from the Herm Sea Horse to The Ship. It was Yolandi's name that Brett first noticed and quickly referred to her as Yo-Yo – and so the relationship began!!
Yolandi went back to South Africa at the end of the season in 2006 but missed Brett so much she returned in time to spend Christmas with his family in the UK. Brett and Yolandi have made their home in Lower Belvoir House and love the remoteness of the house. At the end of October 2007 Yolandi took Brett to South Africa for a month long holiday. Brett enjoyed seeing South Africa for himself after hearing so much about it from Yolandi and other South African staff who work on Herm. ‘It is a beautiful country and I enjoyed the Pretoria botanical gardens and Kirstenbosch gardens in Cape Town.’ Yolandi misses her family but loves Herm and doesn’t want to be anywhere else. They plan to return to South Africa for a holiday Christmas 2009.
Although they were expecting a quiet wedding day they were delighted when a group of islanders turned up at the Greffe. Yolandi was very touched when Mel gave her a bouquet of flowers to carry, something she hadn’t anticipated. A few of them joined the newly-weds for a celebratory meal at Da Nello restaurant. In the evening residents gathered at The Mermaid Tavern to share the wedding cake and to toast the happy couple.
February 20th 2008