The closing structure is 40 metres long and is made up of over 110 gabions 2m x 1m x 1m and 50 gabions 2m x 1m x 0.5m. About
280 cubic meters of stone were used in the construction - most of it carried from up to one hundred metres away away and some
brought by outrigger canoe.
The base layer is four metres wide, one metre high and about 20 metres long, it has four 2m gabion butresses to seaward. The
top layer is three meters wide, one merer high and 40 meters long. The lowest point of the wall is in the center and is a
little over the highest tide level. The bottom at the ends is above highest tide mark. Sandbags were placed on both sides
of the main structure in an attempt to reduce the flow of water through the dam.
Before our volunteers arrived, the islanders had carried the gabions by hand the one hour walk from the anchorage on the
leeward side. They had also stock-piled stone close to the site, and had built two huts to act as our site office and warehouse.
The work took nine days - about 200 people worked each day from 8am until noon, normally in very hot sun. Approximately
400 people were involved directly in the construction work.
The cost of shipping the gabions, tools and equipment was significantly less than anticipated. The National Disaster Council
not only arranged and paid for most of the shipping costs from Honiara to Tikopia, but also sourced much of the additional
equipment for us. About $US 5000 of the surplus was used to buy much needed medical equipment and drugs for the clinic, and
about $US 5000 used to buy educational materials and tools for the two schools.
The gratitude of the people of Tikopia was absolutely overwhelming! The schools staged lovely hand-over ceremonies to
receive what we had brought, with beautiful singing and dancing by the children in traditional costume. On our last Sunday
on the island, a large thanksgiving ceremony was held at the Te Ava site. Hundreds of islanders came to enjoy dancing by
the three Tikopian dance troups - each with over 30 dancers. Songs and dances had been composed in our honour. Perhaps the
most moving was a dance by the villagers who, before the cyclone, had lived on the Te Ava site. Their joy at feeling safe
from the sea for the first time in nearly four years was almost palpable.
But, most magical was the performance by the four chiefs, who are very seldom seen in public together, of their traditional
chiefly dance - seen by many islanders for the first time in living memory. It was difficult not to be emotional.
On our final day of work there were the tearful goodbyes of ordinary people who had worked alongside us. It is impossible
ever to forget standing in the sun and wind on the sand under the palm trees in front of new dam as a couple of hundred islanders
queued to thank us - nearly all in tears. These are marvellous people! Being able to help them do this was the most wonderful
privilege that all contributors and supporters can share.
Thank you all.
8/30/06:
Landfall on Tikopia!
FINANCES: We have received over US$26,000 in pledges - still short of
our $35,000 goal, but well on the way
GABIONS,
TOOLS AND EQUIPMENT: The gabions, tools and equipment required for the
project have safely arrived in Tikopia, offloaded from the Chanella, and are
now being transported to the work site by the Tikopians.Word is that there is much joy on the island!
PROJECT EXPENSES: To date, we have committed
~US$18,566 from the Tikopia fund, itemized as follows:
Purchase
of gabions – US$6966
Transport of gabions from NZ to
Honiara – US$1553
Purchase of all tools and equipment
in Honiara – US$4300
Transport of gabions, tools and
equipment from Honiara to Tikopia – US$1310
Medical equipment, medications
and clinical supplies - US$4,437
As to further costs, we anticipate
making additional and reasonable expenditures for:
Educational
materials, school equipment, and basic supplies (primers, paper, pencils,
etc.)
Supply and basic provisioning
of the five volunteers who will live on Tikopia during the execution of
the project.
PROJECT
SCHEDULE: Our plan
is to have our volunteers arrive in Tikopia on 10 September to begin the
project. They will remain on the island for the remainder of the month to
oversee and insure the completion of the project.
PROJECT VOLUNTEERS: Our volunteers will arrive in
Tikopia on 10 September to begin the project.They will remain on the island for the remainder of the month to oversee
and insure the completion of the project.Again, our volunteers are:
David
Martin
Henriette
Politano
Paul
Robishaw
Simon
Albert
Judith Macdonald
MORE UNSUNG HEROES: Once again, there are people
who have toiled very hard behind the scenes to make this happen.Their efforts go unnoticed and unrewarded,
but their contributions have been critical in getting us to where we are
today.Very special thanks go to:
PHIL KLEIN & STAFF at
WACHOVIA BANK
- Wachovia Bank, Charleston, SC has been tremendously
supportive of our effort. Phil Klein and his staff have worked closely
with our treasurer, Eric Schweitzer, to insure that things have gone smoothly
on the financial side.In addition
to holding and servicing our fund account without fee, Wachovia has
initiated and implemented wire transfers on our behalf, again waiving the
service fees and costs normally associated with such activities.Their assistance and generous
cooperation have been crucial to this effort.
ALSO RE TIKOPIA:One of this project's early
contributors, Klaus Hympendahl, is
involved in another Tikopia project with the British catamaran designers
Hanneke Boon and James Wharram. The project seeks to restore the sea-going
traditions of Tikopia.The
German-language website for this project is at http://www.helptikopia.de/.
An English version is at http://tikopia.co.uk/.Both sites provide an incisive look into Tikopian history and culture, as well of photographs of
both Tikopia and neighboring Anuta.
8/9/06:
Destination Tikopia
FINANCES: We have received over US$26,000 in pledges - still short of
our $35,000 goal, but well on the way
GABIONS,
TOOLS AND EQUIPMENT: All gabions, tools and other equipment required for
the project have been purchased, and are now in transit to Tikopia.
SHIPPING: The above items were loaded
in Honiara aboard the MV Chanella,
which departed for Tikopia on 8 August. We do
not as yet have a confirmed arrival date in Tikopia,
but assume it will be sometime later this month. Upon the vessel’s
arrival, the people of Tikopia will assist in the
unloading of our cargo, and provide for its transport and storage ashore.
PROJECT EXPENSES: To date, we have disbursed ~US$14129 from the Tikopia fund, itemized as follows:
Purchase
of gabions – US$6966
Transport of gabions from NZ to
Honiara – US$1553
Purchase of all tools and
equipment in Honiara – US$4300
Transport of gabions, tools and
equipment from Honiara to Tikopia
– US$1310
PROJECT
SCHEDULE: Our plan
is to have our volunteers arrive in Tikopia on 10
September to begin the project. They will remain on the island for the
remainder of the month to oversee and insure the completion of the project.
PROJECT
VOLUNTEERS: The
following individuals will travel to Tikopia for the
project. Travel expenses to and from Tikopia
will be borne by these individuals as their additional contribution to this effort.
Basic provisioning, and other incidental costs incurred in sustaining the
volunteers on Tikopia for duration of the project
will be charged to the general fund.
David
Martin
(Project Director) – Age 62. Born in Scotland. Honorary
doctorate of Laws from the University of
Lancaster, UK. Former CEO of Blackwell Publishing, Oxford, and later
Executive Chairman of the Edinburgh University Press. Now Deputy
Pro-Chancellor of Lancaster University.
HenriettePolitano (Project Coordinator) – Age
46. Born in Germany. BA in Middle-Eastern studies from the
University of Massachusetts at Amherst. Previously Export Marketing
Director for British manufacturing company. Fluent in Spanish,
Italian, French, German and English.
Paul
Robishaw (Project
Engineer) – Age 64. Born in USA. BS in mechanical engineering
from Louisiana State University. Registered, professional structural
engineer, specializing in marine construction.
Simon
Albert (Project
Engineer) – Age 27. Born in Australia. Now in final year of PhD
studies at the University of Queensland (AU) with
focus on marine science, including coral reef degradation, water quality,
and environmental changes. Two years of field research in the
western Solomon Islands and Fiji.
Judith Macdonald (Liaison) – Age 65.
Senior lecturer and head of the Anthropology Dept. at Waikato
University, Hamilton, New Zealand. Academic majors in both English
and Anthropology. Two years field work for PhD in the Solomon
Islands, with focus on San Cristobal and Tikopia, including one-year residence on Tikopia. PhD thesis on women in Tikopia. Fluent in local language and dialect.
UNSUNG
HEROS: As is
common in efforts of this type, there are people working very hard behind the
scenes to make it all happen. Their efforts go unnoticed and unrewarded,
but their contributions have been critical in getting us to where
we are today. Special thanks go to:
Eric
Schweitzer
(Project Treasurer) – Eric has been responsible for the collection and
distribution of all project funds and disbursements, as well as for the
accounting thereof. His job has been especially challenging due to
the international financial aspects of the project, particularly that of
collecting, converting, and transferring required funds half-way around
the globe, often on faith and always on extremely short notice.
Loti
Yates
(Liaison) – Loti is director of the Solomon Islands' National Disaster
Management Office (NDMO) in Honiara. Loti took it upon himself and
his office to assist in the purchase, collection, and packing of all tools
in Honiara. Additionally, he coordinated all shipping arrangements
for the transport of our cargo to Tikopia,
including loading same aboard ship. In addition to his making a
personal financial contribution to the project, Loti’s
office participated in over half of the US$3725 cost of transporting our
goods from Honiara to Tikopia.
WORD
FROM TIKOPIA:
By way of a fortunate coincidence, the transport of our cargo to Tikopia will be personally overseen by one of the island’s
principals. John Rangifuri, eldest son of a
chief, Te ArikiTafua, is
also aboard the Chanella. He is returning to Tikopia from a recent visit to Honiara and will coordinate
the offloading of our materials upon arrival.
7/19/06:
The project is underway
We have received over US$26,000 in pledges - still short of our $35,000
goal, but well on the way
FINANCES:
We have received
over US$26,000 in pledges - still short of our $35,000 goal, but well on the
way. We have begun making expenditures for the project from the fund.
Therefore, supporters who have pledged financial support, but who have not yet
remitted same, should please do so now. Remittance instructions are here.
GABIONS: The necessary gabions (250) required for the project have been
purchased from Maccaferri, New Zealand. Mr. Phil Ball of Maccaferri was very helpful in
providing technical and logistical assistance, as well as allowing a generous
price concession for this humanitarian effort. The gabions have been loaded
aboard ship and are presently in transit to Honiara, Guadalcanal for subsequent transport to Tikopia.
ANCILLARY TOOLS AND EQUIPMENT:
We have begun the acquisition of ancillary tools and equipment to install the
gabions. These items are being purchased in Honiara.
SHIPPING: We have been unable to arrange for shipment of the gabions,
tools and ancillary equipment from New Zealand directly to Tikopia. Instead, and due to the time constraints
of this project, we have shipped the gabions to Honiara while we negotiate for their further transport to Tikopia.
The gabions should arrive by 22 July. The shipment is consigned to Mr. Loti
Yates, director of the Solomon
Islands' National
Disaster Management Office (NDMO) in Honiara, who will provide secure warehouse storage for these items pending
further transport to Tikopia. All tools and ancillary equipment acquired in Honiaria
will also be stored in the secure warehouse.
PROJECT EXPENSES: To date, we have disbursed the following amounts from the Tikopia
fund:
·Gabions – US$6966
·Transport of
gabions from New
Zealand to Honiara – US$1553
·Purchase of
tools in Honiara (partial) – US$848
PROJECT SCHEDULE: Pending determination of shipping methods from Honiara to Tikopia, we are not able to
project an exact start date for construction operations in Tikopia. However, we
believe that an early September start is now anticipated. We are actively
working with shipping companies and local officials to resolve this issue, and
hope to have a solution in the next few days.
WORD FROM TIKOPIA: We have advised Father Luke as to a possible delay due to
shipping issues. The islanders are of course disappointed, but they are also
keenly aware of the difficulties of shipping cargo to Tikopia and completely
understand our predicament. Father Luke is working with local official and
agencies to help us in this matter.
More recently, David Martin has received a letter from
Francis Ariki, a Tikopean schoolteacher on the windward side of the island.
When David and Henriette Politano visited Tikopia last year, it was Ariki who
encouraged Father Luke to pursue this project with David. Even after David's
agreement to do so, Ariki remained publicly sceptical in the wake of so many
unfulfilled promises from other white men in the past. Now aware of our efforts
and progress, Ariki conveys his sincere appreciation in the letter to David and
Henriette. An excerpt of the letter is here.
Please read.
Tikopia now has a high-frequency radio link with the
outside. The radio was provided by an Australian aid foundation, and was
recently delivered to the island by the vessel, Southern Star.
3/25/06:
Pledges reach US $20,000.00. Financial assistance is still desparately needed.
Please help us!
Our cost projection to complete this project is US $35,000.00. As of this date, we have received $19,520.00
in pledges, of which $16,628.00 has been collected. Cash in hand, this leaves us with a shortfall of over $18,000.00.
Donors who have made pledges, but have not remitted payment should please do so at this time.
If you have not as yet
offered direct financial assistance, please consider doing so now. For those who have already made a financial committment,
ANY INCREASE, no matter how small, would be greatly and sincerely appreciated. Otherwise, PLEASE help us find additional
supporters to help us meet our needs.
3/20/06:
Project is officially a "GO"!
We are pleased to announce that the Tikopia project is officially a GO!
Thanks to your generous support, we have raised over half the funds needed for the effort. In spite of the shortage,
we must commit to our plan in order to see it done this year. We are confident that we will somehow find the remaining
funds.
3/15/06:
Ship found for Tikopia project!
We have negotiated an agreement with the 72-foot schooner, "The Scotsman", to load the above supplies
in New Zealand, transport them to Tikopia, and offload same upon arrival. The Scotsman will sail from New Zealand in
early July. After offloading her cargo on the leeward side of the island, she will stand by off Tikopia until our volunteers
arrive in mid July to begin transporting the cargo to the project's site on the exposed, windward side of the island.
2/24/06:
Financial pledges reach US $16,000.
Many thanks to all who have offered financial support. To date, just over $16,000 has been pledged to help save Tikopia.
We have now established a bank account to receive pledges of financial
support
We have now established a bank account to receive pledges of
financial support. For those supporters who have already made such pledges, as
well as any supporters who now wish to do so, please send pledged amounts by
either check or wire transfer to this account.
While we have made substantial progress in attempting to fund this project, much more is needed. The $16,000 pledged thus
far will hardly cover the cost of just the gabions and ancillary hand tools needed in Tikopia. We are working to resolve
the questions of shipping, transport, customs, and other logistical issues, for which costs are as yet unknown.
It is highly unlikely, given the nature of this project and its time constraints, that any institutional financing will
be forthcoming. Thus, we are entirely dependent on individual contributors.
Please contribute and help get the word out to others.
2/22/06:
Tikopians hear of our efforts.
A radio message was recently relayed to the people of Tikopia, informing them of our support. In response, Father Luke advised
that the breach into the lake has not gotten any wider, but added that help is still desperately needed. He and the islanders
were overjoyed to hear that help might finally be on its way.
David Martin has since recieved the following letter of thanks from Father Luke (transcript below). Please read the letter.
The Tikopians are counting on us! We should not fail them.
X
To: David and Henriette
From: FR Luke Faka - Through "Spirit Oceania" Cruise Ship
Date: 22/02/06
A week ago nurse at clinic told me Dr. at Lata said you want to contact me. Before that police at Lata spoke with me
saying you plan to send basket net wires in July through Honiara in containers. Then ship shutter to Tikopia. Also Four
H engineers to assist the project coming overseas. I want to know is it true or not? As a result I made plan for the whole
the Ravenga Dist, divide into groups of 2 families collecting black stones to fill nets. By June all heaps of black stones
must move to Teava site. Apart from that plan, we do continue carrying stones and started the opposite side at Teava. I
and wife will attend clergy conference in Lata from May 1st-5th. The Bishop awares of Teava situration because I send him
copy of a photo you took with a letter of information.
Our National Election will be on 1st wk. of April. Perhaps the Election ship will install an email here in Tikopia then
we might be able to communicate direct. However, any urgent message for us you contact Telekom Lata to connect with our clinic
2-wave radio but first inform me in advance to standby.
I received your Xmas Greetings and letter on Tuesday 10th Jan. I passed on to the Congregation after church service the
greetings and were very glad indeed and appreciated your good efforts and assistance. Regret for your return and met rough
weather which ruined your sail and the boat. Hoever, thank God for his protection and guidance until home. Is there any
information from Italian friends? How do they get on along side with you both? I believe they also have the same concern
and hearts for the needy. Perhaps some tourist have seen what all of you have done through Internet may like to see Teava
tomorrow morning.
Any advice from you just let us know as we move on.
Best wishes to you both and friends at Italy and all supporters. May God's blessing your endeavour for the needy.
FR. Luke Faka
2/09/06:
Pre-fabricated gabions will be supplied from New Zealand.
We have reached an agreement with Maccaferri New Zealand, Ltd
We have reached an agreement with Maccaferri New Zealand, Ltd.,
Auckland, for the supply of standard, commercial gabions.
The gabions for Tikopia will be 1 meter wide, 1 meter tall, and 2 meters in length, and will be divided into two cells by
means of a central diaphragm. Each will be pre-fabricated and constructed of double-twisted, hexagonal-mesh, galvanized steel
wire. Maccaferri will supply the gabions folded flat and packed in bundles for shipment and final assembly in Tikopia.
1/21/06:
You can now use Google Earth for an aerial view of Tikopia.
"Fly over" Tikopia using the latest satellite imagery from
Google Earth
