Village Benefit

Village Benefits

Everyone that visits Papatura Island Retreat is doing their bit for the local villages as we pay them to enjoy their waterways for recreational purposes. We are proud to introduce tourism to this wonderful part of the world as it low impact and sustainable unlike commercial fishing or logging. The locals benefit in many different ways with direct employment, sub contracting with building and supply of materials and supply of fresh fruit, vegetables and lobster or mud crab. We encourage them to create their own micro business for example the guests now go to Kolopakisa Village once during their stay for a traditional dinner and dance show. Also we sponsor the grade 6 students from Baolo School, they have a singing competition and the guests are the judges. There is many more opportunities for those who are willing to be involved as we need tours for turtle watching, bush foods and traditional garden tours, night time crocodile spotting and list goes on. We plan to start village stays up and down the East coast of Isabel which will all be based out of Papatura Island Retreat.
Papatura also is the agent for Suavanao air strip which was left unattended and un kept after the logging camp moved on, last month the saw the opening of new leaf haus terminal so both guests and locals can shelter from the elements should they need to. The strip is now one of the best maintained in the country. As soon as Telekom has communication in the area we plan on opening a post office and bank branch so the school teachers, nurses and government employees etc don’t have to travel 5 hours by boat to Buala or fly to Honiara to access their pays. We need internet access to provide this service but feel it will be a good opportunity for guests to mix and mingle with Isabel locals.
In additional to the above we are proud to have supplied Sisiga, Baolo and Kia school books for their libraries and have donated soccer uniforms to some of the schools. We encourage all guests to bring educational items or sporting goods to donate when visiting the village or school.

"New Classrooms"

July was a good month for the village with 2 Papatura guests, Brett and Stewie returning and building new classrooms at the school. Papatura arranged transport of the supplies and arranged with Chief Chris to get some local boys to help the boys from Geelong to get things done. We know the kids and teachers benefit from all the hard work.

"LIONS LIGHT UP THE SOLOMONS"

Last year the club donated $500 towards the purchase of solar lights for villages in the Solomons.
Peter Blanche an ex member of Coomera Lions Club on the Gold Coast and owner of Papatura Resort in the Solomons has assisted by arranging for the lights to be delivered. He also paid the customs duty as the Solomans government would not believe they were donated.

His son, Nic, operates Go Tours in Brisbane and shipped 50 lights up to Pete who has delivered them to the villages. Annie and I have visited " Kollapakasa" twice and found the people very friendly, happy but very poor. The attached photo is of Pete handing over some of the lights to the village chief. I believe these people are worthy of our support as they helped the Australian coastwatchers in WW2. A lot of them paid the ultimate sacrifice by being executed by the enemy for helping us.

I know several of the club members have visited the Solomons and agree that it is a beautiful place to visit.

Phil
Club Treasurer

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