11 September 2014
Australian Navy Vessels to assist communities.
Earlier this week the Australian High Commission and a Royal Australian Navy officer travelled to the Weather Coast to make final arrangements before a Royal Australian Navy vessel delivers much needed supplies to the community later this month.
Two Royal Australian Navy vessels, Her Majesty’s Australian Ships Tarakan and Labuan, will arrive in Solomon Islands later this week before transporting stores to Auki and communities on the Weather Coast.
Australian High Commission Second Secretaries Ben O’Reilly and David Inabinet met with the communities of Mbambanakira, Komate and Kuma to discuss final arrangements for the arrival of the ships next week.
Lieutenant Commander Craig Blakey, who also took part in the community consultation, said the visit to the Weather Coast communities was a great opportunity.
“The trip to the Weather Coast gave us the opportunity to experience community life firsthand. We’re pleased to be able to assist Solomon Islanders in that region by delivering much needed stores over the coming week.”
Acting Australian High Commissioner Dave Peebles said that the presence of the Navy vessels would provide a unique opportunity to transport crucial items to Auki and the Weather Coast.
“It’s great that Australia can help the Solomon Islands Government and local NGOs to deliver education, medical and flood relief supplies to remote communities.”
The two Royal Australian Navy vessels are returning from a Southwest Pacific tour and Solomon Islands is their final stop before returning to Australia.
The Australian High Commission would like to thank all of those who have provided assistance to make this opportunity possible, with a special thanks to the Participating Police Force, the Rotary Club of Honiara, and the Ministry of Education and Human Resource Development