THIN RED LINE DRAWN AT TETERE ONCE AGAIN
With information from L. Cappelli sdb, Honiara
HONIARA: 12th October -- Movie-buffs will remember the beach at Tetere in 'The Thin Red Line'. Once again that very beach and hinterland are the backdrop to drawing lines- but this time for peace, not war. Japanese Salesian Brother Tanaka has already begun the task of setting up the perimeter fence enclosing new developments supported by the European Union's Micro Projects Office at Tetere.
For the past 12 years Tetere has been a Salesian parish - in fact the beginnings of the Salesian presence in the Solomon Islands are recorded in this parish stretching from the famous beach (still with rotting US landing craft and other war detritus) across the plain now covered with much more recent detritus (palm trees that recently produced much commercial benefit) to the heavily forested mountains behind; an area of some 200 square kilometres in all.
The arrival of the RAMSI forces (Australian, New Zealand, Fijian... peacekeepers) has meant the arrest of warlords, cessation of hostilities and freedom to plan again. Tetere unfortunately lay across 'enemy' lines in these more recent years also, so the freedom to plan has been eagerly siezed by the Salesian community and the Province of Japan from which it takes its direction. The parish pastoral plan is ambitious to say the least:
- hospital and social centre along with 8 medical outposts, one for each village, with solar panel and radio.
- agrotechnology, literacy and 8 separate infant schools: updating for fishermen on the coast, agriculture for the villagers on the plain and forestry resources conservation advice for villagers in the mountains.
- radio station in local languages, formation of catechists and pastoral workers for each small community.
- already well under way is a process of youth groups and sensitizing of families to the notion of 'service for the kingdom': vocation, in other words.
It is not always simple. The question of land ownership and working rights has already been the source of conflict in recent times in the Solomon Islands and, indeed, at Tetere. On 4th October, Salesian and parish representatives met with village leaders and police to sort all this out amicably. The end result was the 'go-ahead' for the parish plans involving buildings and marking out of territory in each of the village areas - and the involvement of villagers in construction. It required all the 'oratorical' tact (read C. 40!) of the Salesians and a prize pig from Fr. Cappelli's beloved piggery at Don Bosco Henderson to seal the deal.
Now with regard to the pig! Fr. Cappelli makes the following tongue-in-cheek recommendation to readers with pockets overflowing and lots of goodwill:
A 'Henderson' pig costs USD 50 to maintain but to sell...
* medium-sized pig - $100
* a good-sized pig - $150
* large pig - $200
* pure bred pig - $250
