WORK IN SOLOMONS

Waikato Times, Volume 132, Issue 22063, 14 June 1943, Page 2

WORK IN SOLOMONS

MISSIONARY'S STORY JAPANESE AGGRESSION “All our efforts are directed to bring the knowledge of Jesus Christ to the native peoples of the Western Solomons,” said the Rev. J. F. Goldie, director of the Methodist mission in the Solomons, at a largely attended public meeting in the Theatre Royal yesterday afternoon. “I have never asked for sympathy for the years I have spent in the malarious climates of the islands. On the other hand I have enjoyed every moment of adventure and danger.” Mr Goldie went to the Solomons in 1902. Mr Goldie spoke of the language difficulty which faced them in the beginning. It was hard enough to understand the crude language, let alone reduce it to writing. Today the word of God had been translated into seven of the languages spoken in the Western Solomons. The speaker considered that with the exception of the aged and infants there was not one in his district who could not read God’s word in his own tongue. When he left there were 240 day schools in operation, many of which were conducted by former head-hunters.

In addition to teachers many natives had studied medicine at the Central Medical School, Suva, conducted under the Rockefeller Foundation. The graduates were performing sterling work among their own people. Others were clerks in the service of the Government. At the time of the speaker’s departure 77 natives were in training at a theological school and the fact that the Methodist Church in the Western Solomons was nearly as large as the Methodist Church in New Zealand, as far as numbers were concerned, gave evidence of the work. accomplished by the mission. Natives Standing Firm

“The Solomon Islanders are standing firm despite the attacks of the Japanese,” said Mr Goldie. “They have carried our wounded for miles under adverse conditions to the hospitals and are making every sacrifice for the care and welfare of our men.” He cited the case of one loyal native who was awarded the George Medal for giving valuable information to the Allied troops after being stabbed and left for dead by the aggressors. The speaker made an appeal for the people’s assistance toward rehabilitation in the Solomons after the war. It was considered that over £36,000 worth of damage had been inflicted on the mission by the war, and the cost of re-establishment was estimated at £20,000. Although some grants would be received from the War Damage Commission in Australia, this would apply only to parts of the islands such as Bougainville and Buka. Work of Rehabilitation

“The threat of invasion has left New Zealand, and this is at the cost of the suffering of the people in the islands,” said Mr Goldie. “It is New Zealand bombs, Australian bombs and American bombs that are falling on Munda. I ask all who can to assist to form a rallying point for the native Christians when the Japanese aggressors are driven out. No investment of money, time and influence will give such a return Some money has been raised but this is a national question. Every man and woman in New Zealand should assist, not merely the Methodists.” The meeting, which was under the chairmanship of the Rev. C. H. Olds,