Posted by Amanda No fatalities after a 350kph cyclone? Simply astonishing...thank God! Isn't the human species resilient? These devasted people are already clearing away the debris. I don't have any money to help them out with their material needs - but they sure have my prayers. Lord, make them strong enough to find peace by pulling together through this crisis. May people of compassion reach out a helping hand to our brothers and sisters in the Pacific and give them the aid they so desperately seek. Thankyou for keeping them safe.
on January 12, 2003, 3:50 am, in reply to "Solomon's update"
Greetings Kevin 
--Previous Message--
: Cyclone: Caritas was on the ball
:
: Jack de Groot is National Director of Caritas
: Australia and hasn't been asleep over the
: Christmas-New Year period. In our report
: yesterday on the Cyclone that hit the
: Solomon Island's we suggested that the
: Church was asleep as we'd not been able to
: find reports from a Church perspective.
: The reality is that we had been asleep. Mr
: de Groot put out a media release on 2nd
: January explaining what Caritas Australia
: was doing. He told CathNews yesterday in a
: further update, "we work closely with
: the Bishops of the Solomons especially
: Archbishop Smith of Honiara, who was the
: source of the BBC comments mentioned in
: our earlier media release -- I attach his
: comments -- and the Caritas of the
: Solomons. This also allows us to work
: ecumenically with the other Churches. My
: understanding from the Archbishop is that
: Tikopia is predominantly an Island where
: most of the people are Anglican and the
: Archbishop has talked with both the
: Anglican Bishop and some Anglican nuns
: about their needs." If you can help
: with a donation contact Caritas on 1800
: 024 413.
: The links below take you to the original
: media release from Caritas on 2nd January
: and to an essay written by Archbishop
: Adrian Smith for the BBC on Sunday, 5th
: January.
: JANUARY 5TH 2003
: Background to the story of Tikopia -- An
: essay prepared for BBC
: by Archbishop Adrian Smith
: In 1966, as a new missionary from Dublin, I
: was the only passenger on the twenty
: seater plane from Fiji to the then New
: Hebrides, now VANUATU, and on to Honiara,
: Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands. There were
: three crew on the flight. We met a cyclone
: as we approached Vanuatu. The pilot came
: to explain there might be delays. He later
: told me he was surprised I did not seem
: concerned about the weather conditions.
: Ignorance is bliss, I had no idea what a
: cyclone was! Now after thirty six years I
: have come to loath and fear cyclones. They
: can do immense damage, their unpredictable
: nature leaves their victims in a prolonged
: state of uncertainty. Strangely like
: Australian bush fires, cyclones seem to
: play a part in the revitalization of soil,
: it is a case of nature caring for itself .
: The recent cyclone which has devastated the
: islands of Tikopa and Anuta has once again
: brought the small island community of
: Tikopia into the world view. Around 1828,
: a red headed Irish sea Captain, Peter
: Dillon, visiting Tikopia discovered what
: the judged to be French cutlery and other
: artifacts which lead him to discover the
: fate of the French La Perouse Expedition
: of around 1780, Peter Dillon was able to
: prove it was wrecked off Vanikoro Island.
: The French Government honoured him with
: the title: Chevalier. In 1851 two French
: Catholic Priests, Marists, arrived in
: Tikopia, their disappearance remains an
: unanswered question. Later the Anglican
: Missionaries were more successful. The
: Tikopians, who are Polynesians, are
: members of the Church of Melanesia (of
: Anglican origin) as are the people of
: Anuta.
: In 1928, the highly respected British
: anthropologist, the late Dr. Raymond Firth
: visited and stayed one year on Tikopia.
: His scholarly work, "We, the
: Tikopia" published 1936 gave Tikopia
: international fame. He returned to Tikopia
: in 1952, his works on life on Tikopia
: continue to captivate a large audience.
: The around 2000 inhabitants of Tikopia are
: well accustomed to ways of cyclones. I
: visited Tikopia and Anuta about twelve
: years ago. There was much to learn. The
: people live in low houses on ground level,
: one has to creep through the door to
: enter. Inside the house people adopt a
: sitting position and move about on their
: knees. I could not stand erect inside
: their homes. This kind of building is
: cyclone proof to an extent.
: I also discovered their unusual method of
: preserving food which I have not seen
: elsewhere in the Solomons. They very
: carefully prepare and bury food in deep
: holes in the ground, which months later
: they reopen and eat. It was not my taste!,
: but not anymore strange than some of the
: strong odorous cheese you can find in
: Europe. They are prepared for the
: weather's strange antics.
: In 1986 on Guadalcanal we were hit by a major
: cyclone NAMU. Visiting the devastated
: villages shortly after the cyclone I found
: the people in a state of shock. I expect
: the people of Tikopia are in that same
: state. The unavailability of clean
: drinking water was an immediate problem,
: perhaps that is a difficulty the Tikopians
: are now facing. We don't yet know if there
: has been loss of life. The most recent
: report from an Australian Air Force plane
: which made a reconnaissance flight over
: the islands; reported seeing scenes which
: might indicate two villages having been
: washed away. They also reported the
: population busy clearing away debris. Some
: were in their canoes fishing. Fish is the
: main diet of those island people, which
: explains their very strong boned features.
: Island people have a resilience when faced
: with natural disasters. The major problem
: will be the reconstruction of their
: community buildings, meting houses,
: schools, clinics and churches. The more
: permanent they try to make their buildings
: the more dependent they are on imported
: materials. It is a thirty-six hour ship
: trip from Honiara to Tikopia which makes
: this kind of recovery slow and expensive.
: It is in this area of rehabilitation that
: the outside world can most help.
: After four years of civil war and with
: weapons now in the hands of criminal
: groups the economy of Solomon Islands is
: at rock bottom. The Government was unable
: to send a ship in quick response, there
: was no money for fuel. The Australia
: Government footed the bill. The crew would
: not move until them were paid arrears due
: to them. Public servants are all
: experiencing arrears in their salaries.
: Only the police and other essential
: service workers are up to date in their
: pay. If they are not paid they don't work
: and the country is further strangled! Poor
: Tikopia and Anuta, it is not a good time
: for you, the country is with its back to
: the wall!
: January 7th 2003 Since writing the above
: which was sent to the BBC, the news coming
: in from Tikopia is good. There are no
: fatalities, their drinking water is not
: contaminated. Yes, some villages were
: washed away by the sea. There will be need
: for food for the next three to four
: months.
: +Adrian Smith sm
: Archdiocese of Honiara, P.O. Box 237,
: Honiara, Solomon Islands
:
:
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