"We had these images of hospitals being overrun in Italy...we had no idea what was going to happen over here"

Friday 09 April 2021

Guernsey’s former Bailiff was asked to be available as a Judge after his retirement, as a precautionary measure when the Covid-19 pandemic reached the island last spring.

Sir Richard Collas stepped down from his role as Bailiff last year during Guernsey’s first lockdown, following an extended and historic term of office.

Pictured: Sir Richard is now patron of a number of charities and sits as Chairman of the Guernsey Community Foundation.

During the uncertainty at the beginning of the pandemic, Sir Richard was retained as a contingency Judge following his retirement. 

“We had these images on the screen of hospitals being overrun in Italy,” he recalled to Express. 

“We had no idea what was going to happen over here, so I agreed to be available just in case one of the full-time judges became ill.”

Sir Richard discussed some of the milestone moments in his career with Express during our latest podcast. You can listen to the full interview HERE.