MEDIA TEAM OF PISSAM network: Visit this page weekly for information & updates on the various services each network provides.

Kalo Sikimeti (Tongan) PhD Principal Researcher/Executive Officer PISSAM program/principal tutor and PISSAM Chief Editor and Radio program Director:  Assistant:Elisapeta Lolesio (Tongan) Education assistant editor

Auspice body Greta Vallance: The General Manager Riverwood Community Centre (Community Editor/Government and Non government Editor

CHGI editor local Canterbury Council News and the Chair for Multicultural Advisory Committee Canterbury Council and Chairperson for CHGI The Deputy Mayor Councillor Karl Saleh

 

Pacific Islanders, Multicultural and General Community Consultant, Grief Counsellor and Community Editor Anne Latu secretary/co-ordinator for Canterbury Harmony Group incorporated and the Co-ordinator for PISSAM Program, counsellor, interpreter,  mortician, tutor, delegate and a member of many community councils representing Pacific Islanders across Canterbury and beyond, emerging and general community. Community Editor (assistant Sela Mahe)

Director of Nursing Ramona Johansson/Age care and Disability Editor (Assistant Loretta Mahe)

Mental Health Editor: Mohini Prasad (Service Provider)/Mental health & general Counselling  Editor (assistant Anne Sikimeti Latu)

Dr Patu/Medical Editor Assistant (Minerva Patu)

Legal/Registered Nurse/Principal solicitor:  Ate Hifo I Leva Manufekai legal Editor (Assistant Regan Buckland)

Finance:  John Valu Sikimeti CPA Finance Editor/Assistants Ofisiola Fotofili/Tae Malia Langi

Taxation editor Pelenatita Mafi (Assistant Alana Haangana)

Sea & Sea Captain Editor Vili Ha'angana

Sport and Fitness Health:David Swann (PISSAM sport Manager) sport editor assistant Hala Langi

Youth Editor;  Manager Alana Haangana, the 7 Universities students are editors with their youth programs and once graduated and registered in their capacity and belong to that body they can be editors on their own field.

Assistant Editors: Student Sydney University) Regan Buckland (Education Catholic University) Amanda Sikimeti-Kami B. Bus. B. of Social Work Student (Catholic University. Our Services and our  priorities is to make it easier to deal with the local, State and the Australian Government, agencies, Service providers, Communities, Professionals, children and their families are our aims and goals to support those in needs of our service. PISSAM working partners:

• The South Pacific Voices newsletter will be updated every Fridays and can be viewed on this website. EVERYDAY for updates in Pacific Islanders news and the general news.
  

• The South Pacific Voices Radio will be on air soon.  So make sure you visit the PISSAM SITE for the day of the Launch.

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Any community announcement you wish to announce please email to annelatu@hotmail and it will be up A.S.A, P.  (Co-ordinator)

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Corporations warned to lodge annual reports

abc source 24/12/2009

Aboriginal corporations across Western Australia are being urged to submit their annual reports to prevent being deregistered.

All Aboriginal and Torres State Islander corporations must lodge financial and annual reports with the Office of the Registrar of Indigenous Corporations by December 31.

Registrar Anthony Bevan says he is hoping to avoid a repeat of last year when more than 400 corporations had to be shut down because of inadequate reporting.

"The first option is we can look at deregistering the corporation. The second option is we can look at taking prosecutions against the corporations and their secretaries if the documents aren't lodged," he said.

Tsunami-hit Samoans still without shelter

By Campbell Cooney

23/12/2009

Many of the Pacific communities devastated by a tsunami in September will still be without proper shelter this cyclone season.

While some new homes have been built in Samoa, for those who lost everything in the September tsunami, many are still living under tents and tarpaulins.

Andrew Hewitt from Oxfam says aid groups have been working hard to help.

"People need good shelter. They need good protection from the elements and the cyclone season is going to be a real challenge," he said.

The Tongan community in Brisbane has raised nearly $16,000 for the tsunami survivors in northern Tonga.

Peluvalu Veikoso says the money will go to families to use as they wish.

"We just want to show them the Brisbane community do care."

The tsunami destroyed communities and killed nearly 200 people in Samoa, American Samoa and Tonga.

Cyclone season is expected to last until April next year.

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MacKillop to become Australia's first saint

Posted 11 hours 25 minutes ago  Sources: abc
Updated 2 hours 49 minutes ago

Australia will have its first Roman Catholic saint after Pope Benedict approved a decree recognising a second miracle attributed to the intercession of Mother Mary MacKillop.

The approval means Blessed Mary is likely to be formally declared a saint at a canonisation ceremony next year.

Blessed Mary (1842-1909), who founded the Sisters of Saint Joseph, is revered by Catholics for her work, especially with needy children, former female prisoners and prostitutes.

She was beatified by pope John Paul II in 1995.

The miracle approved on Saturday involved the healing of a person who had cancer and was cured after praying to Blessed Mary.

Sister Anne Derwin from the Sisters of Saint Joseph says many have been inspired by Blessed Mary's work in education and with the poor.

"It's not only the sisters, but many other people, men and women, who love the way Mary MacKillop lived her life," she said.

"They try and live in that spirit too, and do great things for people."

Sister Derwin says the Pope's decision is a significant event for the church in Australia.

"Mary herself wouldn't have expected this sort of limelight, but it makes us feel excited that the gift she was given for the church, for the world, is being recognised as valuable," Sister Derwin said.

"And that was a gift to focus on those most in need in our society."

Mary MacKillop was born in Melbourne, worked throughout South Australia and died in North Sydney.

She co-founded the Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart in 1866 but was excommunicated from the Church at one stage for allegedly disobeying authorities.

However she continued to spend her life caring for those less fortunate.

Venerable John Paul II

Meanwhile, the late pope, John Paul II, has also moved closer to sainthood, as his successor approved a decree recognising that he had lived the Christian faith heroically.

The Vatican said Pope Benedict had signed the "heroic virtues" decree, a key step in the procedure by which the Church recognises its saints, after a recommendation by a Vatican panel of experts.

The late pope will now have the title "venerable".

The following step will now be the recognition of a miracle attributed to John Paul II, who died in 2005.

That is expected to happen early next year, meaning the late pope can be beatified, the final step before sainthood.

In John Paul II's case, the miracle under consideration - and subject to another papal decree - involves a French nun who was cured of Parkinson's disease in 2005.

Vatican watchers expect Benedict to approve the beatification, which could be celebrated next year, either on the April 2 anniversary of his death or in October on the anniversary of the start of John Paul II's papacy in 1978.

Pope Benedict also declared controversial wartime pontiff Pius XII venerable, putting him on the road to beatification despite controversy over his role during World War II, when many historians say he remained passive while Nazi Germany killed millions of Jews.

The beatification of Father Jerzy Popieluszko, the "Solidarity chaplain" who was murdered by the Polish secret service in 1984, has also been approved.

The decree places the charismatic priest, a staunch anti-communist who laced his sermons with political messages, on the path to sainthood.

Because he is considered a martyr, Father Popieluszko's beatification dossier did not require evidence of a miracle.

Mary MacKillop's town prepares for pilgrims

Posted 23 minutes ago

A small town in South Australia is preparing to welcome thousands more pilgrims, after Pope Benedict approved a decree that will see Mary MacKillop become the country's first Roman Catholic saint.

The decree recognises a second miracle attributed to the intercession of Blessed Mary (1842-1909), which involved the healing of a person who had cancer and was cured after prayer.

She is likely to be formally declared a saint at a canonisation ceremony next year.

The announcement has been well-received in the small town of Penola, in south-east SA, where Mary MacKillop co-founded the Sisters of St Joseph in 1866.

Her work there involved setting up a school to provide free education to isolated bush children and to help former female prisoners and prostitutes.

Set in the heart of South Australia's Coonawarra wine-making region, Penola currently draws about 20,000 tourists and pilgrims each year.

But Claire Larkin from the town's Mary MacKillop Centre says Penola's 1,200 residents are now preparing for many more.

"Everyone in Penola is very excited about the news. They're all supportive and we all benefit, the town benefits," she said.

She says they have been waiting for this day for a long time.

"Particularly in the last 14 years since Mary was beatified, we've been praying for it," she said.

Locals say the announcement has increased their sense of pride, but they do not see the town changing.

"I can't see it getting glitzy, or having shops with lots of artefacts," one Penola resident said.

"It's always been a great community spirit here and this will probably enhance it."

Wattle Range Councillor Glenn Brown says the town is now preparing to become a major drawcard for Catholic pilgrims and tourists alike.

"I think it presents Penola with a wonderful opportunity to be recognised throughout Australia and throughout the world as a place for pilgrims to come and enjoy the history that's here, the heritage but also the other tourism aspects that the town offers," he said.

The local council is seeking advice from a consultant to develop a business plan that will help cater for the expected influx of visitors, with improvements to town amenities and gardens.

South Australian Premier Mike Rann says Mary MacKillop has a special attachment to many parts of the state.

"There is a special association with South Australia," he said.

"I think that is going to be terrific for pilgrimages coming to places like Norwood, down to Penola and the south-east.

"Mary MacKillop, in the 19th century, was the shining symbol of social justice in Australia.

"She was someone who was prepared to stand up to church authorities to do the right thing by the poor."

'Significant breakthrough'

Australia's ambassador to the Vatican Tim Fischer says the Pope's official recognition of a second miracle is significant for both religious and non-religious Australians.

He says it is a significant breakthrough.

"Some Australians may be cynical," he said.

"But she was an extraordinary Australian on the spiritual front, the saintly front, but also in help of unfortunate women coming out of prison, help of poor people seeking education for their children, especially in South Australia."

He says it is now just a matter of the Pope setting a date for canonisation.

"Mary Mackillop has cleared with flying colours the last hurdle this weekend in Rome," he said.

"It's terrific news. She's there, but the procedures will roll forward."

- ABC/Reuters

PACIFIC ISLANDERS COMMUNITY IN AUSTRALIA ARE THRILLED TO PIECES! THEY ARE PART OF MARY MACILLOP'S COMMUNITY BY ATTENDING CELEBRATIONS AS GUESTS AND AS TO PERFORM. THERE IS A PACIFIC ISLANDERS NUN THAT IS CURRENTLY PART OF THE MARY MACILLOP COMMUNITY AND THE CALD & GENERAL COMMUNITY ACROSS CANTERBURY AND BEYOND. MARY MACILLOP PRAY FOR US

New Ministry Announced: Sources

Meeting on the 29/1/2010 re Harmony day for 2010 and also the Chenise New Year preparations of the 10th February 2010

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Source Google; 18/12/2009


ABC SOURCE; 18/12/2009 @ 7.04

Bus commuters in Sydney and Newcastle will have to find alternative ways to get around today as state transit drivers are on strike.

Beginning at 4:00am AEDT bus drivers walked off the job over a pay dispute with the State Government.

Raul Baonza from the Rail, Tram and Bus Union says he knows today's strike is inconvenient, but drivers deserve better pay and conditions.

"It's not something we do lightly, it's not something we do everyday," he said.

"But someone in Government's got to take responsibility as well."

The Government is offering the drivers a 6 per cent pay rise over the next two years.

New South Wales Premier Kristina Keneally says that is more than generous in these economic times.

"This is a fair offer. The Rail Tram and Bus Union should accept this 6 per cent offer," she said.

Ms Keneally says several measures are in place to help commuters get around.

"State transit ticket holders will have free transit on City Rail and on Sydney Ferries," she said.

"It also means that bus lanes will be available to general vehicle use. This is a one-off measure to assist people who need to use their car to get around the city."

Private bus companies in Sydney will be running services as usual today.

Executive director of Bus New South Wales Darryl Mellish says the strike will not affect the 14 private bus companies that operate in Sydney.

He does not expect private buses to be unusually crowded because they do not cover the same routes as Government buses.

"There's not a lot of overlap in services so we don't think it will be overrun," he said.

"It should be business as usual and people who catch a private bus should expect the same style of service as they are used to."

Sources ABC news 3/12/2009

Moderate quake strikes off Vanuatu

A moderate 5.7-magnitude earthquake has struck off the coast of Vanuatu in the South Pacific, the US Geological Survey said.

Its epicentre was located 102 kilometres northwest of the capital Port Vila at 06:42am (local time), it said. The quake struck at a depth of 39 kilometres.

No tsunami warning was immediately issued as a result of the tremor, which followed a series of huge quakes in mid-October that triggered a region-wide tsunami alert.

The Pacific is still recovering from an 8.0-magnitude earthquake and huge tsunami that crashed into Samoa, American Samoa and Tonga on September 29, wiping out villages and resorts and killing 184 people.

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27/11/2009 (wishing that more good samaritan like the:

Remarkable Dick Smith, Bob Brown in deal to free hostages

Posted Fri Nov 27, 2009 7:00am AEDT

It has been revealed that Australian Greens leader Bob Brown and millionaire businessman Dick Smith were involved in the ransom deal to help free Australian journalist Nigel Brennan and his Canadian colleague Amanda Lindhout in Somalia.

Speaking to the ABC this morning, Mr Smith said his contribution to the payment was "not vast amounts of money" and played down reports that the ransom was more than $1 million.

He said he was compelled to help after the Brennan family received no assistance with raising ransom money from the Federal Government.

Mr Brennan and Ms Lindhout spent 15 months in captivity after being captured while attempting to visit a refugee camp just outside the Somalian capital Mogadishu.

Mr Smith will not reveal how much money he put up, but says Senator Brown had contacted him for help after the family's pleas were ignored.

"The family had been raising money by selling things they owned and then they'd obviously contacted Bob Brown and he said he'd put in what I consider to be quite a substantial amount of money and then they contacted me," he said.

"The father had desperately rung, I think, virtually every billionaire in Australia and just got nowhere. He couldn't get any substantial money out of the Government."

Mr Brennan, whose family comes from Bundaberg in Queensland, is being treated at a hospital in Kenya after being held by Somali militants for the past 15 months.

The photojournalist flew into Nairobi on a privately chartered light aircraft with Ms Lindhout late yesterday.

Both are now recovering in a Nairobi hospital under tight security.

They have confirmed they were tortured by the militants who kidnapped them last year, but little more is known about the pair's welfare.

Both the Australian and Canadian Governments are refusing to allow them to speak publicly about their ordeal or their release.

It is not clear when the pair will return home.

Senator Brown says he became involved after a meeting in Hobart with a journalist from The Economist magazine.

He declined to say how much money he had put up and said the Brennan family had been through "a long, hard travail".

"It's been very harrowing for them but they stuck the course for their son and their brother."

'Extraordinary family'

Mr Smith said talk of a $1 million ransom was not true.

"I just want to say that the figures that are being talked about are totally fictitious," he told AM.

"Presumably something will be said one day, but that figure of $1 million is just complete fiction."

Mr Smith said he felt compelled to help the family after their frustrated efforts in seeking help from the Federal Government.

"The reason I decided to assist is that for the first 11 months of the two being locked up, basically I understand the Australian Government tried to get them out but really got nowhere," he said.

"And then the family took over the whole arrangement and ... they were going and running talks in country towns and barbeques and sausage sizzles to try and raise the money, which just seemed extraordinary.

"The Canadian family didn't have any money so they couldn't put much in, and the [Australian] family was trying to do this all themselves and I was mightily impressed by them."

Government 'out of its depth'

Mr Smith said he feared the hostages would be killed if they were not helped.

"I rang a politician and said, 'What should I do?' and the politician said, 'Dick, in these particular cases either money is paid or the people are shot, they're going to be killed' and that of course made me really think about it," Mr Smith said.

"I discussed it with my wife and we thought, well if it was our daughter or son who was there we'd do everything we could to get them out.

"And so we and others decided to help them, but all of the credit goes to a most extraordinary family who did this basically all themselves; they had no prior knowledge of this type of thing and basically they got the kids out whereas the two governments couldn't."

Mr Smith said he thought the Australian Government was out of its depth in the case.

"I have a feeling that there's really good people there and I think they spent a tremendous amount of money," he said.

"I think I read in the paper this morning they set up an office in Nairobi, flew people there, but they didn't have any success and the impression I've got is that they were completely out of their depth.

"In this type of thing I understand if an equivalent kidnapping happens in Britain, the Government just puts the family in touch with one of these big companies who do all the arranging and manage to get the people out.

"That's really what should have happened for the Brennans very early on. But unfortunately they weren't given that advice."

-Watch the Australian Story special on ABC1 at 8pm tonight.

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6pm 26/11/20090

Sadly Pacific workers scheme failing growers:  By Helene Hofman

Australia's Pacific seasonal workers scheme is struggling to get off the ground for the second year in a row.The scheme, first started in 2008, was intended to help Australian growers fill labour gaps by inviting Pacific Islanders to take up seasonal work.

After months of negotiations, Australia finalised agreements with Kiribati, Vanuatu and Tonga in December last year. But it came too late for many of the country's growers as the season was already well under way. The growers looked elsewhere for workers and of the 100 visas made available for Pacific workers, just 56 were filled. It was hoped that many of those delays could be avoided this year to allow more growers, and Pacific Islanders, to take advantage of the 2,400 visas now available as part of phase two of the pilot. But Paul Kiley, the resources manager with All Recruiting Services - one of the three Government-approved labour hire companies - has told Radio Australia so far that has not been the case, despite negotiations with growers. "We've been looking since August-September and would have liked to have workers in the fields now, but none of the workers have agreed to our rates," he said. The cost of hiring a Pacific Islander is one of the reasons growers say they have been reluctant to take part in the pilot. As the employer, they are required to pay half the return airfare - about $800 - plus an additional $100 in transport costs. Once the Pacific Island workers are in the field, they cost $1 more an hour than the legal rate for local workers to cover the cost of administration. The additional cost seemed more reasonable two years ago when growers were facing a serious labour shortage.But that situation has now changed.

No more shortage

Kris Newton, the chief executive of the Horticulture Australia Council, says there has been a decrease in demand for labour, mainly because of the global financial crisis, and there are more travellers keen for work in Australia.

    
"So demand has remained high but supply is also high and is quite reliable. We were certainly thinking when the 800 initial visas were announced that it wasn't enough. In retrospect it was probably about right and we'll struggle to fill that this year," he said.Mr Kiley says there is more to the fall-off in demand for Pacific Islanders than the global recession or even this year's drought."There are people on working holiday visas that are working more than holidaying, there are people on student visas working 40 hours and there are people on visitors visas working who shouldn't be and those people get paid well and truly below the awarded rate of pay," Mr Kiley said.The Australian Government has been holding regular meetings with labour hire firms, and says it is committed to getting the pilot off the ground.A spokeswoman from the Australian Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations confirmed that they have just issued a fresh request for expressions of interest for growers.Meanwhile, the three Pacific countries signed up to participate in the pilot say they have not yet been approached for workers this year.Vanuatu's Labour Commissioner, Lionel Kaluat, says it is unfortunate but says they were aware of the terms of the scheme."It's disappointing but... it's a market driven scheme," he said.

Rudd resists culture of coups

Fiji's acting Attorney-General, Aiyaz Sayed-Khayum, told Radio New Zealand the sanctions imposed by Australia and NZ were hampering the rule of law in his country.

But Prime Minister Kevin Rudd says Australia is not about to back away from his government's tough approach to Fiji.

He says he does not want to see what he calls the culture of military coups spread in the Pacific.

"We are not about to legitimise what is a regime which has obtained power through military force," he said.

"We do not want that culture to spread anywhere else in the South Pacific."

Foreign Minister Stephen Smith insists expelling Fiji's diplomat is not a tit-for-tat response because Fiji had said it would recall its diplomat anyway.

"Very regrettably we came to the conclusion that the only response could be a proportionate response," he said.

Understand my Pacific Islanders Community

Identify needs and Strengths

Using statistic & Data as shown in the 2009 up to the minute Australian Crime Data base and Juviniles

Topics provide practical resources, case studies and related reading. 

Each topic provides practical resources, case studies and related reading.

Before acting on an issue, it's important to have as much background information as possible. Pacific Islanders Australian Communities are built in many different ways, so it helps if you have a vision of what you want your community to be so that you can take steps to make it happen. You need to know about contacts, how to identify your community's needs and strengths and how to use existing information and data.

Identifying needs & Strengths to appreciate our strengths and resilience to get ahead

Before acting on an issue it is important to have good background information. This topic provides information resources and techniques on how to identify the needs and strengths of your community through consultation, surveys, and direct working with the schools, children parents and the whole community profiles and how to document this clearly.

 

Using Statistics & Data

You'll need to use research, statistics and data to analyse your community and strengthen your case. This topic provides links to key sources of statistics and tips and techniques on how to use them successfully.

 

 I did attend the Labor Conference and I was impressed with the Prime Minister’s  opening speech of the Chapter one with 4 University PI students to experience life as a party member and to encourage them to bring more ALP members to the party.  I am so proud of the Rudd government for the last 18 months and more proud on what the Rudd Government plan for the future. I can say and add on a strategic approach to the many issues facing all levels of providers is much needed rather than short term kneejerk reaction.

My Community the PACIFIC Islanders  Australian are at the cross road, on the edge, PI Issues in all levels are escalating, the continuous  elevating of Juveniles and Prisons  filling with PI young people are so sad.  Education and community awareness in all levels  of Pacific Islanders Australian people are  indeed in need of support from the 3 levels of Government. Building Pacific Islanders Australian prosperity so Pacific Islanders Australian can soon give to the less fortunate Pacific Islanders Australian and Australia positive deed similar to what they been previously and are about to receive from the PISSAM Program .

Challenges for Pacific Islanders Australian are Enormous, therefore Investing on Pacific Islanders Australian futures are critical high in indeed. Pacific Islanders Australian needed serious practical direct action to fill these gaps that drive them to bad choices.   Proposal of PISSAM programs drafted 4 action plan programs.  PISSAM believes in healthy circles in all levels of Pacific Islanders lives from a baby is born to tertiary level strengthening their wings and they will flourish and can fly away to prosperity

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04 Oct 2009, 16:35

PM Office releases names of tsunami victims

Nuku'alofa, Tonga: THE names of the nine people who died from the Tsunami that struck Niuatoputapu on Wednesday morning, September 30 was released by the Prime Minister's Office last night. The nine deaths are: 1. Losalio Lefai 2. Sefo Lefai 3. Toni Lefai (child) 4. Tina Lefai (infant) 5. Kalolo Kivalu 6. Lesina Tupouto'a 7. Tu'ulomia Tavake 8. Heneli Losalu 9. Lupe Pukenga The fact that the tsunami disaster has further isolated Niuatoputapu from the rest of the world has made it difficult to assist the needy people of Niuatoputapu. There has been no ferry service to Niuatoputapu since the sinking of the MV Princess Ashika on August 5, and the tsunami disabled the Tonga Communication Corporation TCC communication facility on the island, and damaged runway. The first flight to land at Niuatoputapu was on Thursday morning, October 1more than 24 hours after the tsunami had struck. The patrol boat of the Tonga Defence Services also arrived at Niua on Thursday evening, and at last a range of assistances were available for the needy people of Niuatoputapu. The report of a survey that was carried out by staff of the Ministry of Works on the state of housing on the three villages on Niuatoputapu, on Friday, October 2 showed that 194 families lost their homes. The worst hit was the main village of Hihifo, where most government buildings are located, including a Royal Resident, a Health Center, a Police outpost, a branch of the Tonga Development Bank, and the Tonga Communication Corporation communication facility. At Hihifo, 132 families lost their houses and were homeless, 109 families have damaged houses, and 75 families have undamaged houses. At Falehau Village, where the Pasivulangi wharf is located, 32 families were homeless, 28 have damaged houses, and 37 have undamaged houses. Vaipoa Village has 30 homeless families, 6 families with damaged houses, and 177 with undamaged houses. Meanwhile assistance to the island are on their way. The French navy ship FNS Revi is scheduled to arrive on Monday 5 October with assistance from Australia, New Zealand, and France which arrived in Tongatapu yesterday afternoon. The Prime Minister's Office stated on a media report on yesterday evening, October 3 that the Tongan patrol boat VOEA Savea was scheduled to arrive at Niuatoputapu yesterday evening with relatives of the deceased, additional supplies, donated food, clothing, essential staff and equipment. First hand accounts of a tsunami that towered above the coconut trees and devastated villages on Tonga's isolated northern island of Niuatoputapu, on Wednesday September 30 are emerging, following the first relief efforts to reach the area. Laura Jeffery, whose Palm Tree Island Resort was swept away, tells Matangi Tonga, about the death and destruction, and how the sole nurse on the island worked herself to exhaustion in the hours and days following the tsunami. The first medical relief team to arrive has now left, but Laura says there is an ongoing need for a properly equipped health centre, for a secure water supply, and to address some serious sanitation issues. Niuatoputapu, home to over 1,000 people, is located 267 km north of the Vava'u Group. Destruction on Niuatoputapu By Laura Jeffery, October 10. with photos by Susana Matangi and Laura Jeffery THREE waves actually hit Niuatoputapu, each successively bigger than the last - the final one higher than the coconut trees. My own little resort (Palm Tree Island Resort) was the first hit and totally swept away - unfortunately my caretaker, Tulomia Tavake, who was the only person on Hunganga where the resort was situated, was killed, as would I have been myself almost certainly had I been there at the time. I am a close friend of Paea Fifita, our nurse practitioner (there is no qualified doctor up here) and I have been working closely with her in recent days, helping out in any way I can. Paea Fifita, (left), with Temaleti Moimoi and her children, survivors of the wave in Vaipoa Paea's home was in Hihifo on the beach. They saw the first wave surging towards them from the reef and immediately began running and calling out to others to run. All the family managed to outrun the wave, except Paea herself who went back to help our high school principal, and the acting government representative, Laveni Fonua. The two of them along with Haloti Kolofoou, a teacher who was also helping Laveni, were caught by the wave before they could reach safety - fortunately they all survived, Laveni with her clothes in shreds. After the wave had subsided Paea returned to help the injured and then set up a new health centre in the Mormon Church, as the wave had swept through the main health centre, rendering it unusable. Paea's staff had retreated to the bush along with most of the island's population, not venturing down again till later, and she received invaluable assistance that day and through the following days and nights, from several of the Mormon missionaries, Sister Tohi, Sister Totau, and Mikaela Lino. Niuatoputapu people living in "refugee" camps set up in the bush Medics left A medical team finally arrived from Tonga on Friday and the most severely injured were quickly evacuated. Although the team were of great help in relieving the pressure on Paea initially, by Tuesday this week they had all returned to Tonga leaving her to take charge of dealing with the insanitary conditions caused by the destruction of so many poeple's toilets alone. By this stage Paea herself, having worked almost constantly day and night since the day of the tsunami, was near exhaustion. In addition to the immediate health concerns, Paea also had to contend with a total lack of equipment at the health centre, which, despite repeated appeals to the health ministry in Tonga, and also to those nominally in charge of the relief project here, have yet to be supplied. These include such bare essentials as a steriliser for the health centre's equipment, an autoclave, a fridge for certain medicines, immunization serums, etc., a suction machine, and even an independent means of transport for Paea to get around in. Currently Paea's reliant on others, who are often not immediately available, so is often forced to go between villages on foot. Homes destroyed on Niuatoputapu Niuatoputapu people living in "refugee" camps set up in the bush Camps On Friday, Uatesoni Tu'anga, a health inspector, and Sione Mokena, an engineer, arrived from Tongatapu, and having resolved the immediate sanitation dangers in the villages, they and Paea have now had to turn their attention to a number of 'refugee' camps, which have been established in the bush by many people who fled the villages again following another tsunami warning on Thursday, and are now too afraid to return to what remains of their homes. Another of Paea's concerns is the water supply here. Although all three villages' pumps are working at this moment, they are all old and have regularly broken down in the recent past, and, with no spare pump at all, should one break down again now the impact could be dire. In the past when the water supply was disrupted people relied on their rain water tanks, but the vast majority of these were either swept away or destroyed by the tsunami. The few that remained intact, if not contaminated by the sea-water, are now largely depleted. Clearly, the relief effort here, although in many ways effective to date, is far from complete. A properly equipped health centre, a secure water supply, and a serious addressing of the sanitation issues really should now be the priorities. Homes destroyed on Niuatoputapu Destruction on Niuatoputapu Destruction on Niuatoputapu Homes destroyed on Niuatoputapu Destruction on Niuatoputapu Waves swept through Niuatoputapu homes Hihifo home gutted by a tsunami A family takes shelter in their Hihifo home after it was gutted by a tsunami. Wreckage covers the township of Hihifo, Niuatoputapu Destruction on Niuatoputapu Destruction on Niuatoputapu The remains of a tsunami devastated school on Niuatoputapu At Palm Island Resort the guest fales were destroyed, leaving plumbing and electrical wiring sticking out from the ground Destruction on Niuatoputapu Palm Island Resort swept away by tsunami Before the tsunami, an idyllic location Before the tsunami, Laura Jeffery in the restaurant of the resort Susana Matangi (left) went to Niuatoputapu with the Tonga Red Cross relief team. Laura Jeffery SOURCES MATANGITONGA_____________________________________________________________________MATANGITONGA

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