A sign of God’s love to the young

- Fr. Ambrose Pereira sdb

TETERE (Solomon Islands): 23rd June 2007 -- 27 kilometres East of Honiara and you are in the Guadalcanal plains.  GPPOL (Guadalcanal Plains Palm Oil Limited) has commenced operations after the ethnic tension of 2000.  Plans are underway to commence operations at Gold Ridge and test drilling is in progress.  Tetere now boasts of a well-maintained tar-sealed road, a Post Office and an ANZ ATM unit.  The school, police, prison and clinic are also functional.  

    Amidst all these developments lies the Don Bosco Haus (2006) run by the Salesians of Don Bosco.  The Salesian community now has five confreres from three countries – Japan, Vietnam and India.  Fr. Dominic Kachira, Rector and Parish priest; Fr. Michael Laap, Economer and RTC; Br. Tanaka Yukihiro, RTC Principal and Farm Manager; Fr. Ambrose Pereira, Vice Rector, Social Communications and Br. Thomas Kikama.

    To visit his parishioners, some of whom have never had a visit from a priest for over 30 years, Fr. Dominic Kachira recently undertook a walk up the mountains of Guadalcanal and came down on the weather coast.  “The people have nothing but the rough sea, yet they are ready to share the little they have”, said Fr. Dominic.  Weary and exhausted after several days in the mountains RAMSI personnel permitted him a ride in their helicopter.

    Fresh rice, vegetable and corn now form part of the diet of the students at the Rural Training Centre (RTC).  The green fingers of Fr. Michael together with the support of Br Tanaka, the teachers and the students have made this possible.  The students also have the possibility of caring for goats, pigs, chickens and cattle under the direction of Br Tanaka Yukihiro.  Carpentry, woodwork, mechanics, English and music also form part of the programme.  The 20 students are now doing their on-the-job training at Ela Motors, Solomon Sheet steel and other units around Honiara.  The neat playground with yellow, red and white flowers are a beautiful sight amidst the palm oil plantation.

    As school closes at 4pm the loudspeaker situated below the water tank is heard loud and clear across the field.  Run by youth volunteers – it provides entertainment, information and education.  Radio BOSCO has completed its second year and stands out as an example of a good Community Educational unit.

    The Sunday Oratory (2007) is a new exciting feature that has commenced this year.  Youngsters below the age of 15 play in the afternoons, while the older youth enjoy a good game of football at 4pm while the girls play volleyball.  A movie is screened at 5pm.  It’s an enjoyable time for all and the youngsters look forward to it.

    The Salesian Residence is a concrete structure and stands out amidst the plantations of the place.  Built by the Italian Volunteers it is now undergoing a few changes.  The rooms of the confreres are on the upper floor, together with a library and a community room.  The chapel, refectory, Radio BOSCO, and guest rooms are on the lower floor.

    The community looks forward to being a ‘sign of God’s love to the young’.

Important note: the SDL server is currently down, so apologies to those attempting to access it.  The amount of material now being added to SDL is exponential, and this has resulted in the need for a larger, more stable server. The entire exercise is a prelude to a major expansion of availability of documentary material of the Congregation which will be available in as many as forty languages, so a brief wait of a week or two is acceptable, hopefully!
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