Rector of Don Bosco Technical Institute, Honiara, visits Australia

MELBOURNE: 9th March 2006 --  Fr Luciano Capelli, who has headed Salesian work in the Solomon Islands for the past six years, is currently visiting Australia.  The visit commenced on March 7 and continues until 16th. The initial purpose of his visit is to address the Italian Chamber of Commerce Luncheon in Adelaide at the Hilton Hotel on March 15, an invitation arranged by a group chaired by Mr Mario Feleppa, a former South Australian Labor Member of Parliament.
    Fr Luciano is being accompanied by two volunteers from Italy, Ms Alba Quadrio and Mr Guilo Visini. While in Australia they are staying with Salesian communities in Brunswick, Chadstone and Brooklyn Park. Based on the premise that education is the key to development, Fr Capelli’s initial major project in the Solomons was to establish a technical school. The Don Bosco Technical Institute offers a secondary  technical curriculum to 150 primary school leavers, a vocational training programme to 150 Form Three school leavers with courses in Mechanics, Carpentry, basic Electronics and Electricity, Like Skills and Computer courses for young men and women, and a two year agro-technical course at the Tetere campus for 100 young men and women from the rural areas with specialisation in crop differentiation (rice and vegetables) and animal husbandry (cattle, goats, hogs and chicken).
    Fr. Capelli is now seeking support for a hospital in the neighbouring district of Tetere. "The hospital is necessary because a large number of women and children are dying because of lack of basic health resources", Fr. Capelli said.  The building has been largely completed, built by Italian volunteers.  Fr Capelli expects the hospital to benefit 19,000 people in the Guadalcanal region, with First Aid, malaria treatment, a maternity ward, dental and orthopaedic facilities.  It is a 32 bed hospital.
    The Australian visit has offered Fr. Capelli opportunity to meet with Bishops in Brisbane and Melbourne with the Australian Provincial, the Italian Consul in South Australia (Adelaide) and students from Xavier College Gawler, who have become keen supporters of the mission in the Solomon Islands.  But an important part of his visit will also include a meeting with the Salesian Sisters.  Sr Edna Mary FMA has recently announced that the Salesian Sisters will commence a presence in Honiara in 2007.   This will be the first presence of the Sisters in the Solomons and is a major expansion of their presence now in Australia, Samoa and American Samoa in their SPR or South Pacific Region.
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