The Toumoa Bell
The story of the Toumoa Bell is on our website, but we repeat some of it here because we have just returned after EXACTLY four years. In 2002, we visited the village of Toumoa, in the Fauro Islands. We were the first yacht to visit there in ten years because of the Bougainville Crisis which caused lots of problems for the Solomon Islanders here. This area was occupied by the Japanese during the war. The Allies bombed Toumoa and destroyed all the dwellings and gardens. The villagers were enslaved and made to work with the little ones attending Japanese school. In 2003, we set about trying to obtain a village bell for them. This proved remarkably difficult as bells are not easy to come by. Then Mike DeBurca of the CCCA came to the rescue and was able to get some friends in the marine industry to cast one. CCCA members pitched in with a big raffle and other fund raising to pay for the materials. The people who made the bell donated their time. John Pennefather (then Commodore) used his connections and had the bell flown by the RAAF to Townsville. There it joined the Manoora, the first troopship to leave with a peacekeeping force destined for Honiara on Guadalcanal. Coincidentally, our son was on the same ship! A couple of months later, the minesweeper, Hawkesbury picked up the bell and delivered it to the village- much to their amazement. The bell is mounted proudly in the village meeting place which is run by the chief. It is used to signal work start, stop, meetings and all manner of timekeeping in the village. They are in the process of building a church up on a hill behind the village and when this is finished in a couple more years, plan to move the bell to their church. They have already (temporarily) taken it up the hill to make sure that everyone can hear it, even when the Tradewinds blow. The village is going well, though poor. The only income is from catching fish, drying it and taking to Bougainville to sell further inland. Regards, The CREW
