News

In July 2024, Executive Director of Jersey Overseas Aid (JOA) Simon Boas passed away.  

In the eight years that Simon worked at JOA, he transformed the organisation. Through their support and partnership with Durrell’s conservation livelihoods work, Simon and JOA reshaped the Trust’s Madagascar programme, helping hundreds of thousands of people. This is just a fraction of the people Simon impacted throughout his life. 

“I had the pleasure of travelling to Madagascar with Simon and can honestly say it was one of the most enjoyable trips I have made. He was an incredible writer and storyteller. We swapped stories of some of the crazy experiences we had had whilst working internationally. I thought I had some good ones, but his made mine pale in comparison – many were beyond anything you could make up. I think it is fair to say he lived life to the full. It is hard to put into words what a remarkable person Simon was. You just need to read some of his writings or listen to some of the interviews from the last few months, and you will see for yourselves. Humanity doesn’t get much better than Simon Boas, and his death is a loss to us all.” – Chris Ransom, Director of Field Programmes

“I’ve never met or worked with anyone quite like Simon, who was able to put people so quickly at ease and make everyone in the room relaxed, engaged and entertained. I met Simon in several situations which could have been intimidating. As the Executive Director of a government agency, Simon had a lot of influence and decision-making power, but he never used this to make Durrell’s partnership with JOA feel anything less than equal. His knowledge of how conservation works on the ground and the challenges we all face from working in challenging contexts was informed by his own rich experience and career. This made him an invaluable partner who we really knew and understood the situation on the ground and was able to provide valuable input and advice on how to make our programmes better. A unique part of working with Simon was that he allowed us the space to innovate and make mistakes, a rare and valuable trait in a donor. The Durrell Madagascar programme has changed forever thanks to Simon and his team’s partnership.” – Eleanor Harvie, Field Programmes Manager

“I was lucky enough to meet Simon on several occasions during my visits to Jersey. Despite his size, he was never intimidating, as he appeared at first sight to be a person full of sympathy and humanity. I was impressed with how easy it was to communicate with him and the enthusiasm and interest he showed in our Madagascar programmes. JOA's support for Madagascar has grown steadily over the past eight years, and its impact has made a huge difference not only to the lives of the very vulnerable Malagasy communities but also to the conservation of our rich biodiversity. In part, this is thanks to Simon. He long expressed the desire to visit Madagascar, and I'm delighted that he was finally able to do so. It was an absolute honour and a privilege for me, my colleagues, and our village communities to have been able to spend wonderful time with him and show him our work in Madagascar. It's quite rare for us to receive very important visitors, but even more so in the company of pleasant people like Simon. On behalf of the Malagasy communities, we would like to express our sincere gratitude and thanks to Simon Boas.” – Hanitra Rakotojaona, Head of Community Conservation-Acting Programme Director, Madagascar

Through JOA's partnership with Durrell, Simon left an indelible mark on the organisation. His input helped reshape Durrell's conservation livelihoods work in Madagascar, benefiting countless people across the country. This is just a glimpse of the profound impact Simon had during his lifetime. His unique qualities deeply impacted many people at Durrell and far beyond. Simon's absence will be felt by many, and he will be greatly missed.