> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.ilesanglo-normandes.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # VEF 50: "They have been sitting in the dark for 50 years" photographs of the first Earth Fairs, unearthed down under. - URL: https://www.ilesanglo-normandes.com/festivals-vef-50-they-have-been-sitting-in-the-dark-for-50-years-photographs-of-the-first-earth-fairs-unearthed-down-under/ - Published: 2026-08-29T10:00:00.000Z - Updated: 2026-09-16T08:29:45.000Z - Description: "All those faces..." - Author: îles - Tags: Guernési, Jèrri, VEF 50 Guernsey-born Andy Chauvel photographed the early festivals of Folk, Country & Rock Music, as it was called back then - from building the stage to the bands and festival-goers on the day. "Back then my hobby of photography was big for me and I devoted a lot of my time to it, but I had bought my first camera only the year before, so I was very much a keen amateur." After leaving Guernsey for New Zealand in May 1978, Chauvel didn't return to the island for 15 years. He then moved to Australia, to Sydney, before heading 200km north to Newcastle, where he's now based with his wife near their family. And where this summer, for the festival's 50th anniversary, he dug out a "treasure trove" of film that had been "sitting in the dark for 50 years." > "I thought I had a few photos, but as it it turns out there is a bit of a trove of pictures of the build of the stage." ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d1/c7/d1c79ccb-3da4-4ed2-8fda-9b60db236f61/content/images/2026/08/Vale-Earth-Fayre-L-R-Andrew-Chauvel-Errol-Groves-Martyn-Tolcher-1.jpg) Left to right, Andy Chauvel, Errol Groves, Martyn Tolcher, unknown ©Andy Chauvel - taken by Mike Coughlin ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d1/c7/d1c79ccb-3da4-4ed2-8fda-9b60db236f61/content/images/2026/08/Vale-Earth-Fayre099-1.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d1/c7/d1c79ccb-3da4-4ed2-8fda-9b60db236f61/content/images/2026/08/Vale-Earth-Fayre-Adec-De-Kooker-2.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d1/c7/d1c79ccb-3da4-4ed2-8fda-9b60db236f61/content/images/2026/08/Vale-Earth-Fayre100.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d1/c7/d1c79ccb-3da4-4ed2-8fda-9b60db236f61/content/images/2026/08/Vale-Earth-Fayre139-1.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d1/c7/d1c79ccb-3da4-4ed2-8fda-9b60db236f61/content/images/2026/08/Vale-Earth-Fayre074-1.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d1/c7/d1c79ccb-3da4-4ed2-8fda-9b60db236f61/content/images/2026/08/Vale-Earth-Fayre097-1.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d1/c7/d1c79ccb-3da4-4ed2-8fda-9b60db236f61/content/images/2026/08/Vale-Earthe-Fayre033.jpg) ©Andy Chauvel > "I helped build the stage in year one and two. The stage ‘technology’ didn’t change between '76 and '77\. As you can see, it was built on 40 gallon drums and tied back to the wall with scaffold tubes, it was a bit wobbly. The power came from a 15-amp lead plugged into the quarry below the parapet!" ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d1/c7/d1c79ccb-3da4-4ed2-8fda-9b60db236f61/content/images/2026/08/Vale-Earth-Fayre067.jpg) Foreground Carolyn Myryam (Groves) background Trudie Shannon, Tom Roffey with Tia Roffey in babycarrier ©Andy Chauvel > "What pleases me the most is that all these years later the images are still on the celluloid which means I got the developing process down correctly." ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d1/c7/d1c79ccb-3da4-4ed2-8fda-9b60db236f61/content/images/2026/08/Vale-Earth-Fayre-Jim-Delbridge-2--1.jpg) Jim Delbridge ©Andy Chauvel > *"This is my favourite image, there is something about a young person rocking out."* --- ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d1/c7/d1c79ccb-3da4-4ed2-8fda-9b60db236f61/content/images/2026/08/Vale-Earth-Fayre-Colette-6.jpg) Colette playing her first Earth Fair in 1977 ©Andy Chauvel ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d1/c7/d1c79ccb-3da4-4ed2-8fda-9b60db236f61/content/images/2026/08/Vale-Earth-Fayre-Zephyrs-Wing.jpg) Zephyr's Wing, Nick Windsor (left) and Pete Norman (right) played in 1977 ©Andy Chauvel ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d1/c7/d1c79ccb-3da4-4ed2-8fda-9b60db236f61/content/images/2026/08/Vale-Earth-Fayre-Zephyrs-Wing-Paul-De-Garis-L-Nick-Windsor-R-1.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d1/c7/d1c79ccb-3da4-4ed2-8fda-9b60db236f61/content/images/2026/08/Vale-Earth-Fayre103.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d1/c7/d1c79ccb-3da4-4ed2-8fda-9b60db236f61/content/images/2026/08/Vale-Earth-Fayre119-1.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d1/c7/d1c79ccb-3da4-4ed2-8fda-9b60db236f61/content/images/2026/08/Vale-Earth-Fayre128-2.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d1/c7/d1c79ccb-3da4-4ed2-8fda-9b60db236f61/content/images/2026/08/Vale-Earth-Fayre-Amazing-Hat-Show.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d1/c7/d1c79ccb-3da4-4ed2-8fda-9b60db236f61/content/images/2026/08/Vale-Earth-Fayre-Paul-Perrio--4-.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d1/c7/d1c79ccb-3da4-4ed2-8fda-9b60db236f61/content/images/2026/08/Vale-Earth-Fayre-Pete-Wickins-2.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d1/c7/d1c79ccb-3da4-4ed2-8fda-9b60db236f61/content/images/2026/08/Vale-Earth-Fayre138.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d1/c7/d1c79ccb-3da4-4ed2-8fda-9b60db236f61/content/images/2026/08/Vale-Earth-Fayre-Amazing-Hat-Show--Jim-Le-Messurier.jpg) (Top - left to right) Zephyrs Wing, Colette, Pete Wickens (Middle) Rising Moon, Amazing Hat Party, Paul Perrio (Bottom) Pete Wickens, Chris Dean - Tempus, Jim Le Messurier ©Andy Chauvel > "All those faces...These are scans of B&W negatives, they have never been printed or edited, no one has ever seen these before either." ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d1/c7/d1c79ccb-3da4-4ed2-8fda-9b60db236f61/content/images/2026/08/Vale-Earth-Fayre-Neil-De-Kooker-and-Pete-Wickins-girlfriend.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d1/c7/d1c79ccb-3da4-4ed2-8fda-9b60db236f61/content/images/2026/08/Vale-Earth-Fayre-Neil-De-Kooker.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d1/c7/d1c79ccb-3da4-4ed2-8fda-9b60db236f61/content/images/2026/08/Vale-Earth-Fayre102.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d1/c7/d1c79ccb-3da4-4ed2-8fda-9b60db236f61/content/images/2026/08/Vale-Earth-Fayre112.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d1/c7/d1c79ccb-3da4-4ed2-8fda-9b60db236f61/content/images/2026/08/Vale-Earth-Fayre136.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d1/c7/d1c79ccb-3da4-4ed2-8fda-9b60db236f61/content/images/2026/08/Vale-Earth-Fayre-Linda-and-Adec-De-Kooker.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d1/c7/d1c79ccb-3da4-4ed2-8fda-9b60db236f61/content/images/2026/08/Vale-Earth-Fayre-Monica-Smith.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d1/c7/d1c79ccb-3da4-4ed2-8fda-9b60db236f61/content/images/2026/08/Vale-Earth-Fayre066.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d1/c7/d1c79ccb-3da4-4ed2-8fda-9b60db236f61/content/images/2026/08/Vale-Earth-Fayre132.jpg) Top row: (middle) Neil de Kooker, middle row (right) Linda & Adek de Kooker, bottom row (left) Monica Smith, (middle) Alan Edwards (right) Chris Dean ©Andy Chauvel ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d1/c7/d1c79ccb-3da4-4ed2-8fda-9b60db236f61/content/images/2026/08/Vale-Earth-Fayre121-1.jpg) ©Andy Chauvel ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d1/c7/d1c79ccb-3da4-4ed2-8fda-9b60db236f61/content/images/2026/08/Vale-Earth-Fayre140-1.jpg) ©Andy Chauvel > "All these pics would have been taken on a Rollieflex TLR 3.5f and home processed. > I'm very happy to have played a small part and helped out. Fifty years lends a certain weight to the original effort, but the real accolades must go to those people who produce the event every year and the community participation to keep the event going. That's no mean feat for a small community, I think Errol would have been pleased. ### *The first festivals of Folk, Country & Rock Music, as photographed by Guernsey-born Andy Chauvel.* --- [Vale Earth FairVale Earth Fair returns to Vale Castle on Sunday 30 August 2026\. Guernsey’s longest-running music festival, volunteer-run since 1976, with all profits going to charity.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d1/c7/d1c79ccb-3da4-4ed2-8fda-9b60db236f61/content/images/icon/favicon-512700a4-ab13-472e-9379-4f93146a4a4d.ico)Vale Earth Fair![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d1/c7/d1c79ccb-3da4-4ed2-8fda-9b60db236f61/content/images/thumbnail/band-acaaf9ef-725f-4ed4-8a47-1c4bbe71fa65.jpg)](https://valeearthfair.org/?ref=ilesanglo-normandes.com)