Project Volunteer Report: Gizo, Solomon Islands 2009
Pascoe Vale RAWCS Project Volunteer Team
23 August – 9 September, 2009
Project Number 47/2008-09 Rotarians Against Malaria
Gizo, Western Province, Solomon Islands
Sunday 23 August
Departed Melbourne Tullamarine terminal 3 at 3.15pm with David Apps, Chris Lang and Wendy-Grace Williams on Virgin flight DJ333 for Brisbane. Enjoyed a couple of Crown lager beers in new aluminium bottles. Taxi to Motel 85 in Lamington Avenue. Met up with Gerard Hannan. Geoff Bail from RC of Stones Corner and his wife Lorace arrived. After a discussion with Geoff about the pump to be installed at Mile Six village we walked to the Hamilton Bowling Club for a roast dinner.
Monday 24 August
Maxi taxi arranged by the motel took us to Brisbane International airport where we met up with Peter Wilson. Had to fill in time due to uncertainty whether our plane to Honiara would take off today due to a Public Service strike in Honiara. Filled in time with breakfast. Finally called to check in luggage and arrange on board seats. Gerard left his e-ticket at home but I had printed out spare copies for everyone. Changed money at airport. Picked up a bottle of rum at the duty free. Peter left his boarding pass at the security check but luckily it had been handed in. Finally boarded Solomon Air flight IE701 to the Henderson International airport 11 kilometres from the capital, Honiara (population 44,000), two hours late. Otherwise an uneventful flight.
The Solomon Islands (population 532,000) is a double chain of nearly 1000 tropical islands reaching from near Bougainville in the north – west towards Vanuatu in the south – east. The six main islands comprise Choiseul, Isabel, New Georgia, Malaita, San Cristobel (Makira) and Guadalcanal.
Arrived safely and met by Malaria Officer Eddie Leamae. Stopped off at Panatina Plaza to get money from the ATM and buy bottles of water and Coke. Withdrew $1000 SBD. Picked up drill from the container at the old SIMTRI site and went on to the Rotary transit house on Tavio Ridge. Taxi to the Honiara Yacht Club for refreshments. David swore there were two fishing boats at anchor in the harbour whilst others could only see one. Argument decided by agreeing that there were probably three. The yacht club looks across to Savo Island near where HMAS Canberra sank during the Second World War.
The taxis all have a dark film on the windows to help shield the driver from the sun but one wonders how they can ever see where they are going or avoid hitting other vehicles. Taxi to Honiara Hotel for dinner. Monday obviously not the best night to dine there as there was no beef, squid or crayfish on the menu. Settled for spaghetti marinara. David could have soled his boots with his lamb chops.
Taxi back to Tavio Ridge where David brought out his portable DVD player and practised his dance steps for the ‘Nutbush’ and the ‘Macarena’. Thank goodness the ‘Chicken Dance’, Mexican hat dance’ and ‘Congo line’ didn’t get a mention. Made Gerard’s load lighter by helping him with his bottle of Baileys.
Tuesday 25 August
Picked up by Eddie and driven to the domestic airport beside the international. Eddie had neglected to send the power tools to Gizo and gave them to us to take over. To our surprise the airline imposed the 16 kg baggage limit for domestic travel and we were charged $600 SBD excess baggage. Boarded Solomon Air flight IE0388 Honiara to Gizo on board a De Havilland Twin Otter. It seems that the pilot chose the scenic route as we passed over numerous small tree covered islands fringed with sandy beaches and reefs and surrounded by the bright blue of the ocean.
Landed at Nusatupe Island airport which takes up most of the island. Met by Molton and we carried our belongings to the jetty and boarded the 7-metre open fibreglass long boat by which we were ferried to the hospital wharf. Met at the hospital wharf by the Chief Malaria Officer, Hendrick Reuben, and driven to Paradise Lodge which is to be our home for the next 12 days. Like Honiara, Gizo’s roads precariously follow the winding ridge lines that drop away into steep valleys. The narrow, unsealed roads become near impossible for cars after heavy rain.
There was great excitement on our first attempt to reach Paradise Lodge as Hendrick suddenly had to reverse down a steep section of the road when a taxi came hurtling back down the road towards us, having lost power and brakes.
The roads turn to rivers in the torrential downpours because no one on the lower side of the slope wants the water to be diverted from the road formation to run through their property. The scenery from the higher points invariably takes in magnificent panoramic views of the harbour and surrounding islands and across to Kolombangara. Dropped our belongings in our rooms and headed for the Gizo Hotel for lunch of crumbed fish and chips and a few Sol Brew beers. The Gizo Hotel is at one end of Main Street opposite the fish market and main wharf and is built in ‘leaf haus’ style with carved poles and beams tied together with strips of bamboo. The roof is covered with palm fronds stitched to poles with strips of bamboo. The first-floor bar
area has the bottom section of the walls filled in but the top is open to provide a view of the passing traffic and the harbour and ventilation from the prevailing breeze. Met Jafa!
Walked around to the shed site and met Kerrie Kennedy from Dive Gizo and president of the Rotary Club of Gizo. Sorted building materials and assembled seven panels for the shed. The old malaria shed needs to be demolished to provide clear access to the newly constructed hospital wharf. The hospital is to be rebuilt by the Japanese Government.
Beef stir fry for dinner at the Gizo Hotel. Chris fortunate to recover his camera and phone which he left in the taxi. Fortunately, the taxi went back to Paradise Lodge to pick up the rest of the group and he was able to recover camera and phone when they arrived at the hotel. Peter tried almost every ‘chat up’ line including “Don’t forget its us taxpayers who pay your wages” trying sweet talk a Federal policewoman deployed with the Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands to give us a ride in the police boat. Only line not heard was “Don’t you know who you’re talking to?” All to no avail.
Wednesday 26 August
Relatively comfortable night. Our rooms are all on the first floor with views to the ocean from the wide balcony which runs along the length of the building. We watch the frigate birds with their long crank-shaped wings and scissor-forked tails as they soar effortlessly on the wind for hours. The balcony provides an ideal place to have a few ‘Sol Brew’ and solve the world’s problems each night. All rooms have ceiling fans, refrigerators and electric jug for tea and coffee although the coffee in the jar had dried up into a solid mass a long time back. The bathrooms have western flush toilets and shower and washbasin but no hot water. Laundry left in the morning is found later that day either washed, dried and folded, on the bed, or still
airing on the clothesline on the balcony. Paradise Lodge, built to house the staff of a Chinese trader, has seen better days. Our presentday hosts, May and John, live in their nearby house. Breakfast of pawpaw, toast and jam, and tea or coffee.
Picked up by Hendrick in the malaria project Toyota dual cab at 7.45am and driven to the worksite. Hendrick dropped Chris, Peter, Wendy-Grace and me at the PT109 restaurant for the Rotary meeting whilst David and Gerard worked on the shed. The restaurant is at the opposite end of ‘Main Street’ and doubles as the Gizo Yacht Club. The Dive Gizo jetty which was destroyed by the tsunami is next door and across the road from the shop and office. Met Newman Aseri a member from Mile Six village.
The timber floor of the restaurant was lifted up during the 2007 tsunami causing the floor to buckle. The whole floor had to be jacked up and the stumps re-seated before it could be used again. New stone/coral retaining walls have been installed along the waterfront as a breakwater. Water rose to be 4 feet deep in the dive shop. Completed assembling wall panels and roof trusses. The Seventh Day Adventist church ladies provided morning tea and lunch of cordial or lime juice, pineapple, watermelon, bananas, grapefruit and cake.
Dinner at Paradise Lodge. May produced an excellent buffet meal delightfully served by the ever-smiling Julie.
Kerry Kennedy came to visit. She is originally from Sydney and has been in Gizo for 22 years. Her husband Danny hails from Florida and she has been in Gizo for 25 years. The ‘tensions’ which erupted into a virtual civil war in Guadalcanal in 1998-9 were mainly between the natives of Guadalcanal feeling they were being overrun by those from the overpopulated island of Malaita. The civil unrest in 2006 which resulted in the burning of Chinatown in Honiara arose from perceived corruption and political interference by the recent
arrival of Chinese businessmen.
Thursday 27 August
Breakfast as usual at Paradise Lodge and picked up by Hendrick. The roof trusses were installed and Mr Nicely’s Munda labour force screwed down the roof sheeting under Peter’s direction whilst Gerard tended to the PA doors and the rest of us finished drilling and installing the dynabolts which hold the panels to the concrete. The local boys are careful and willing workers and always eager to participate. Each day we are concerned to watch hospital staff carry bins of medical waste, used gloves and dressings to a site near the shed and set fire to it. Nearby drums of used hypodermic needles, used vaccine ampoules and tablets of all description are strewn around the ground. There is new and unused incinerator nearby but it appears that they can’t afford the power to operate it and the old one required too much wood to burn the waste.
The hourly wage rate for most workers is $4.75 SBD which has only recently been increased from $2.50.
Cold shower and a couple of cold Sol Brew before arranging for May’s daughter Livia to drive us to Hotel Gizo. Grilled crayfish tails for $150 SBD. It’s show time at the hotel tonight with a bamboo band – this entails a man sitting on a bunch of bamboo tubes of various lengths and hitting the end of each one with half a coconut husk to provide the rhythm for the guitar players and singers whilst young boys perform their traditional dances. Jafa assumed his position front and centre throughout the show and showed his appreciation with great enthusiasm.
Betel nut sellers in their rudimentary stalls illuminated by the dim yellow light of a kerosene lantern, sit side by side along many of the roads. As an added sales line, cigarettes are sold individually. Betel nuts are $2 SBD each but business is not very brisk and you wonder at how they make anything from the time they spend hoping for a customer to pass by.
The corner store which sits opposite the only street light on the road to Paradise opens three times a day, morning, noon and night. Like many Pacific Island corner stores, the most popular items on sale are canned mackerel, canned corned beef, hard tack biscuits and CocaCola.
Rum and coke on the balcony whilst we solved the problems of Rotary and listened to David’s selection of old time music. Much animated discussion as to what David might choose as a theme when he becomes President. Several immediately came to mind including, “Just Do It”– sometimes with an added expletive for emphasis depending on the heat of the day and Peter’s procrastinations, “Trust Me” and “Tell Someone Who Cares”.
Friday 28 August
Breakfast as usual at Paradise Lodge and picked up by Hendrick. Peter commenced cladding the walls
Walked to Dive Gizo and found the pump had arrived. Made arrangements with Danny Kennedy for a vehicle and driver for Monday. We watched in amazement as a couple of locals took to their dugout canoes and paddled until they were almost out of sight. Interesting that the canoes don’t have outriggers like many
other Pacific Island canoes.
Peter fell from the step ladder causing a nasty scratch and severe bruising to his upper arm. There were five witnesses who saw nothing but, in spite of rumours circulating, I can assure everyone he that he was pushed.
David’s sunburnt legs are beginning to look like a paint colour chart with varying shades of red depending on the height of his socks each day.
May produced another excellent buffet dinner of fish curry and chicken sweet and sour and boiled rice.
Saturday 29 August
Usual breakfast of pawpaw, toast and tea. Picked up by Hendrick. Cut holes in roofing sheets and prepared base plates for ‘whirlygigs’. Notched and fitted roof capping whilst others finished external and internal wall cladding. Peter bought fruit at the market for lunch which he prepared back at Paradise. All wandered off for a well-earned siesta before Livia drove us to PT109 late in the afternoon.
Another of May’s excellent buffet dinners with beef, chicken and ‘tropical’ fish dishes before drinks on the balcony to the tune of David’s music machine and further solutions to the world’s problems.
Sunday 30 August
Scrambled eggs and toast and tea for breakfast for a change. Walked to the wharf opposite Hotel Gizo at 11.00am to catch the boat for the 20-minute ride to Fatboys Resort on Babangara Island. Stewart Speedie from Kyneton, and now serving with the Federal Police as part of RAMSI, allowed David to get photos of him in the police boat.
Fatboys is a traditional timber pole construction floor, low walls and palm frond roof sitting on stilts out over the water. The resort looks across to Kennedy Island where John F Kennedy was marooned after his patrol boat PT109 was run down by a Japanese destroyer in World War II.
Grilled crayfish and chips for lunch for $110 SBD was a bit dry and over cooked. David’s order seemed to have gone missing but he was rewarded with a larger and better presented serving.
Went for a swim in the warm turquoise water and found thousands of tropical fish of a multitude of colours and shapes darting around the coral and rocks. A 75cm ‘sleeping’ python in the men’s toilet caused a bit more excitement than final round of AFL football on the TV between Melbourne and St Kilda.
May excelled again with roast chicken, beans and potatoes, fish and ginger, followed by crepes and ice cream. Another night on the balcony with David’s music machine.
Monday 31 August
Scrambled eggs on toast and tea for breakfast. Hendrick drove David, Wendy-Grace, Chris and me to Dive Gizo where we loaded the pump into Danny Kennedy’s vehicle and gathered up the tools we required. Gerard and Peter went on to the shed to finish installing guttering, barges and capping and installed the ‘whirlygigs’.
‘Dougie’ drove us to Mile Six village on the road that passes the power station with its three diesel generators that provide electricity for the town. For some unknown reason the rubbish dump runs along the side of the road and there is no attempt to restrict access by the kids that live around the area.
Many small villages or family settlements line the road with garden plots growing pineapples, bananas and cassava. Kapok trees with seed pods looking like baubles on a Christmas trees stretch into the sky. Bush taro with elephant-like leaves but little value for food are very prevalent along the road side. Quite a few houses are still of a temporary nature whilst the people relocated from the coast settle issues of disputed land title. Others are covered by yellow tarpaulins provided for temporary accommodation after the 2007 tsunami and we see a Rotary Shelterbox at one point. Small bush timber mills operate in the remnant forest along the road. Mahogany and other tropical timbers provide very durable building materials.
Newman Aseri, Nelson Alepio and Paul Robert from the village provided directions and assistance with getting the pump to the stream. David and Wendy-Grace laid out and glued the sewer pipes that make up the drive tube whilst Chris and I created a trench and base for the pump and pipeline. Carried the rocks from Mick Willis’ upstream dam to create a new dam closer to the pump site. Cut a length of 40mm poly pipe for the supply inlet pipe and attached it and delivery pipe to the pump. The pump was primed and, after much debris
sucked down from the new dam was cleared it started to operate but during the lunch break stopped for some unknown reason. We decided to try again the next day.
The community provided a delicious lunch of pineapple, bananas, freshly opened coconuts complete with drinking straw, and ‘peanut butter sandwiches’. Not surprising when the village follow the Seventh Day Adventist faith.
Livia drove us to PT109. Chilli mud crab for dinner and tried Saratogo – whiskey and coke. Lawrie Wickham, the owner and charter president of the Rotary Club drove us home for the usual drinks on the balcony before bed.
Tuesday 1 September
Heavy overnight rain. After the usual breakfast we drove to Dive Gizo with Hendrick and made the decision to wait for the weather to break before we tried the road to Mile Six. Instead we went to the shed and tensioned the roller door whilst Gerard fitted the door locks and screwed the purlin overlaps whilst Peter and the local crew finished off the internal wall and door cladding. Mr Nicely and the boys raked and generally cleaned up around the shed.
Arranged with Hendrick for the handover and farewell presentation on Thursday after which he will arrange for trip to Sanbis resort for us. Abandoned the idea of going to the village after lunch due to continuing rain.
Julie brought out a delicious plate of fresh mackerel with a soya sauce, lime and chilli dip as a pre dinner appetiser. Dinner at Paradise Lodge with chicken and capsicum, and curried fish, followed by ice cream and chocolate for dessert. Presented Julie with a pair of Mick Noonan’s ‘Cheetah Girls’ slippers which she much
appreciated.
Wednesday 2 September
Heavy rain again overnight and well into the morning. Broke my tea bag in my cup however, if the rain hadn’t let up, I would at least have had something to read for the rest of the day. Taxi to PT109 for the Rotary club meeting. District 9600 Governor Walter Buchanan and his wife Margaret were in attendance for his official visit. Pascoe Vale (Peter, Wendy-Grace, Chris and I) outnumbered the locals two to one at the start of the meeting but their numbers improved when the DG inducted a new member.
PT Burger with egg, rissole and 3 slices of bread for lunch.
Walked along main street, Gizo. Described as ‘a gold mining town after the gold has run out’, the streets have not been sealed since the tsunami devastated the town in 2007 leaving them dusty and potholed when it is dry and muddy when it rains.
At one end of town is the PT109 restaurant which doubles as the Gizo Yacht Club and at the far end are the markets and Hotel Gizo. A fishing boat that once sat awaiting restoration now lies decaying in its last resting place, having been washed off its blocks in the tsunami. The shops with their verandas that provide some form of shelter from the hot sun and frequent rain are painted in pastel colours of pink, blue, green and yellow besmirched by greasy handprints. All have small windows invariably covered with security mesh or shutters and the solid front door is designed to prevent unwelcome visitors after hours. There is a distinct lack of advertising and no shop appears to have a full range of items for sale. Each has a strange mix of products from hardware to clothing to laundry powder to imported items of food which can only be discovered by entering the premises. Retailers are predominantly of Chinese origin. The eagle-eyed owner or manager usually sits atop a high stool in a prominent place and issues directions to the local staff to ensure that a potential sale opportunity is not missed.
The peaceful appearance is broken by the harshness of the pillar box red of the Telecom building and turquoise blue green and yellow ochre of the Uniting Church. The fiddler crabs, red female, and red and iridescent blue spotted males, that inhabit the storm water drain beside the street attract our interest but our presence raises the attention from the nearby gambling game who wonder if we presence is more about their illegal activity than the crabs.
At the far end of main street the ladies at the fish market sit on the low stools and sprinkle water over a variety of colourful fish laid out on woven mats to ensure the day’s catch keeps its fresh appearance. Large tuna, mackerel and king fish sit side by side with colourful reef fish. No doubt many of the large tuna have been caught around the Fish Accumulation Stations that have been placed around the islands. Eight to ten 44-gallon drums are filled with concrete and attached to a thick rope that can be up to 2000 metres long. The other end of the rope is attached to a bamboo raft and the drums are sent to the bottom of the ocean. A steel trace up to 60metres long is often attached between the raft and the rope to stop anyone from cutting the raft free. Over time plankton grows on the rope which attracts small fish which then attract ever larger fish. Fishermen use GPS to locate the stations which are free to swing on the tides and currents.
The fruit and vegetable market provides a wonderful range of fresh produce at competitive prices. As we walk along main street we notice a Telecom worker sitting on a piece of cardboard at a pit the middle of the road repairing telephone wires completely oblivious to the traffic flowing around him. Not a witch’s hat, man with lollypop or plastic barricade tape in sight!
The ‘Tomoko’ a coastal steamer berthed at the wharf, and with a grandstand view from Hotel Gizo, we watch the kids climb up the mooring ropes and jump into the water from the bow. The wharf also provides further entertainment as two men try to change a car wheel only to have the car fall off their improvised jack.
Dinner at Paradise Lodge of meat balls, raw fish in a coconut sauce, beans silver beet and rice. Peter arranged for Julie to serve up some Angove’s white wine that didn’t impress David. May has obviously schooled Julie in serving wine as she gave Peter the opportunity to taste the wine before serving it to the rest of us. All compliments to Julie are met with a “you’re welcome” and a broad smile.
Very heavy overnight rain.
Thursday 3 September
Collected by Hendrick after breakfast and driven to the shed site at t he hospital for the formal handover and presentation. Speeches by Chief Malaria Officer Oscar, hospital administrator Joshua and Molson. Presented with a printed ‘Solomon Islands’ table cloth. Team distributed last of Mick Noonan’s pens, clocks and wrist bands.
We went on a tour of the hospital which was very run down and quite depressing. Men’s, women’s, children’s, maternity and obstetrics wards all appear to have about 10 beds. The hospital also has a radiography section with adequate facilities, two operating theatres, an eye clinic and an outreach clinic for the outer islands.
Rain cleared at 10.00am but very windy. Lunch at PT109. Bought Gizo Yacht Club pennant. Allan drove us to Mile Six to complete the pump project. Stream running very fast due to heavy overnight rain and small fish present in the water. David and Peter fiddled with the pump and set it operating. Chris taped inlet pipe and fitted strainer. Strengthened dam wall with more rock from the old dam and built rock pier under drive tube to support it.
Afternoon tea at Nelson’s house with wife Margaret and children. Served up range of fresh bananas, pineapple and pawpaw but not very impressed with the star fruit and soursop. Nelson had been given a 35mm camera and film by a Rotarian from a previous team and asked if I could get a film developed for him in Australia which he could not get done in Gizo. However, Nelson obviously had a plan in mind and brought out a selection of several cameras and films ready to be developed. I agreed to take two only to find later that one was an unexposed film. The other film, when developed contained surprisingly good shots of his family.
Another of May’s excellent buffet dinners with fish sweet and sour, chicken, beef strips and rice followed by pancakes and ice cream.
Stone carvers who have paddled for 5 hours from Ranonngo Island appeared at Paradise Lodge and laid out their wares on the balcony. Despite initial protestations from all of us, they finished up doing quite a bit of business. Bought small stone ‘ngusu ngusu.
Friday 4 September
Very heavy rain and wind since 3.00am. Rain eased at about midday and we went to Hotel Gizo for lunch of very tough salt and pepper squid. Paid Hendrick $120 SBD for fuel for the boat to take us to Sanbis resort on Baganga Island for a few drinks. Walked to the village and looked at the new two storey school and composting toilet block being constructed by RC of Brisbane Planetarium.
The offer to go to Kennedy Island was too good to refuse but unfortunately I think too much of our money for petrol ended up the too many Sol Brew beer for the guys and we ran out of petrol in the harbour. Fortunately for us, another boat from the Forestry Department came by and towed us into the wharf. Highlight of the trip home was watching a pod of dolphins jumping out of the water. Kennedy Island is famous as being the island John F. Kennedy and his surviving crew members swam to after the PT109 was run down by the Japanese destroyer Amagiri in August 1943. A torpedo from the PT109 was found by Dr Robert Ballard in May 2002. The
stern section has never been found but the forward section was found after drifting some distance from the crash site. The island is small and insignificant and the survivors had to decamp to a larger island before being rescued.
Enjoyed a BBQ with rissoles, sausages and mati-mati fish and drinks at Danny Kennedy’s after which we went to Hotel Gizo to try and watch the AFL football on the television. The television only has two channels available tonight and AFL is not on either so we adjourned to the balcony for a few drinks whilst Chris went to May’s house and watched the game with her.
The rain finally disappeared and by the light of the full moon we get our best view of Kolombangara without cloud cover.
Saturday 5 September
Late breakfast at Paradise Lodge. The wind has subsided and the weather turned humid and overcast after the recent heavy rain. Packed up our belongings and walked to Dive Gizo to drop off pump guide and say our
goodbyes to Danny. Danny has agreed to visit Mile Six and check that the pump is still operating effectively.
Lunch at PT109 – crayfish omelette. Walked back to Paradise Lodge and waited for Hendrick to pick us up and drive us to the wharf where we catch the boat to Nusatupe Island. We wait in great expectation as the motor
won’t start. Spark plugs and drivers are changed and we make the trip across to the island with a fresh breeze bringing up a fine spray. The coral landing strip at the airport takes up most of the island which is surrounded by mangroves and a small sandy beach at one end.
This time, having presented the letter introducing us as team of RAWCS volunteers undertaking a Rotarians Against Malaria program, there is no problem with excess baggage but, having weighed our bags, we are asked to hop on the scales ourselves. After waiting for over an hour for our plane to arrive at the airport, our flight path takes us out over the beautiful turquoise water and hundreds of sand fringed islands below and the darker blue islands in the distance. Every now and then we can make out the wake of a lone paddler
in his dugout going about his business in the middle of nowhere. We soon pick up and then follow the coastline of New Georgia to our scheduled stop at Seghe. Seghe airport is a short, narrow strip that lies across a forested peninsula and starts and finishes with the water at each end. There are signs of numerous small bush timber mills but no obvious signs of clear felling.
Arrived in Honiara after dark only to find that Eddie had not appeared and was not answering his cell phone. Arranged for the last taxi to send a message to base to send out two other taxis however our taxi ran out of fuel on the last hill before we arrived at the Rotary Transit house. Our problems continued when we found that the team from South East Devonport were still occupying the house due to their plane to Lata having been cancelled that morning. Peter, Gerard and I walked to Iron Bottom Sound hotel and arranged for 3 twin rooms for the night. Moved a mattress from Wendy-Grace’s room for Gerard.
Dinner in the Shogun Restaurant. Delicious tuna fillet with wasabi sauce but almost too hot
and tired to enjoy it.
Sunday 6 September
Weather hot and humid. Continental breakfast in the restaurant. Walked from Iron Bottom Sound to the recently opened New Heritage Hotel, to the Kitana Mendana Hotel and then on to King Solomon Hotel to check out room options. Finally, after much in-depth, animated discussion and a round of Sol Brew, settled on the Mendana.
Recuperated with an afternoon sleep before going for a few drinks at the Yacht Club. Watched St Kilda beat Collingwood on a large screen television in the dining room.
Monday 7 September
Hot and humid, No wind. Continental breakfast at Mendana. Peter finally got in contact with the very apologetic Eddie at his office and arranged for a vehicle and driver to take us out to Tetere. Our driver turned out to be Sangha who had been our driver in 2007. We all put in $50 SBD for fuel and drove to Tetere to look at our previous project.
The road to Tetere passes through many kilometres of oil palm and cocoa tree plantations. The palm nuts are harvested with a large hook on the end of a long pole and thrown into large dumper type bins ready to be collected and pressed for their oil content.
We are very disappointed to find grass and shrubs growing against the doors of the shed we built last time. Obviously the shed hasn’t been used since we left. It is later explained that The Global Fund which is based in Switzerland and administered from Noumea has not authorised the purchase of the bed nets. How many people have contracted malaria in the time this bureaucratic bungle has gone on?
Drive through the plantations of fern covered oil palms and David considers it the biggest waste of his $50 dollars of fuel and the worst day of his life.
Went to Airport Hotel for a final team drink before dropping off Chris and Gerard at the airport. Met Trevor Crook, formerly from Pascoe Vale, and now serving with the peace keeping police force in the Solomon Islands.
Vanilla thick shake at the Lime Lounge on the way home. Washed shirts. Club sandwich on the terrace. Walked across the road to the National Museum but arrived on closing time. Tried the shops but the only second-hand book on the second world war worth buying is priced at $350 SBD.
Taxis to Sheridan Chinese restaurant. Small bowl of sweet and sour soup and a beef dish is enough to feed us all. Peter still trying to find a bottle of wine worth drinking. Taxi home for ice cream in the restaurant and then to our room to finish off the last of Gerard’s rum.
Tuesday 8 September
Continental breakfast in Mendana restaurant. Another hot, dry day in store. Met with Eddie in the lobby of the hotel and gave him receipts for taxis from airport, accommodation and meals at Iron Bottom Sound and excess baggage to Gizo. David, Wendy-Grace and I went to National Museum a looked the various types of house construction and totem pole carving from the different island groups whilst Peter did his shopping for souvenir T-shirts. Bought stone carving of man and crocodile at the museum shop.
Wandered over to the Yacht Club for lunch of battered fish and chips and a couple of Sol Brew. Eddie arrived and reimbursed us for expenses incurred. Sangha picked us up and, after dropping Eddie at this office, took us to the new War Museum at industrial suburb of Ramadi. Unfortunately, the museum is far from complete. Many exhibits are no more than piles of scrap and drums of bullets gathered from battle sites. A few collections of rusty helmets and water bottles, arms and ammunitions have been restored and
mounted for display. Several Japanese ‘woodpecker’ machine guns have been brought back to near original condition and the restoration of a US army jeep is well under way. They may be able to make something of it in the future if their plan to locate the museum in town next to the Prime Minister’s office comes to bear.
Went to Rotary Club of Honiara meeting in the Flamingo Room at Hotel Honiara.
Wednesday 9 September
Breakfast at the Mendana. Looked for t-shirts but nothing of interest so went and talked to the group surrounding the betel nut stall. The Betel nut is the fruit of the areca palm. The husk is removed and the kernel chewed with ground slaked lime that is made by burning clam shells. The chewer dips a bean-like vegetable into a small container of ground lime and places it into the side of the mouth and chews the betel nut. The effect is that of a mild stimulant but has the problem a staining the mouth and teeth Chewing betel nut produces copious amounts of red saliva which the locals have a bad habit of spitting on the ground.
Final visit for a cold, refreshing vanilla thick shake at the Lime Lounge. Packed for the last time and checked out of hotel Solomon Kitano Mendana at 1.00pm. Sangha drove us to the airport but we were informed that the plane had not yet left Brisbane and would be a couple of hours late departing Honiara. Went over to the Airport hotel to fill in time and avoid the heat with a couple of San Miguel cans.Finally departed Honiara on Solomon Air flight IE700.
Arrived Brisbane International, collected our luggage from the carousel, and nervously waited to be cleared by customs and immigration. Grabbed a quick taxi ride to the Domestic Terminal, and as we were being called over the PA system, boarded our 8 o’clock flight to Melbourne on Virgin DJ354.