When I awoke this morning I had two thoughts in mind. The first was because of the date being the 2 June.
On that day in 1953, now 68 years ago, I watched at home on a tiny 12 inch screen television set the coronation of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in Westminster Abbey in London. The ceremony was watched live by some 27 million viewers in the United Kingdom.
The second thought I had in mind was boat building in the Solomon Islands, prompted I think, having recently written about the conversion of an old fiberglass boat into a Sea Ambulance and put to service in ferrying sick people to hospital in the Solomon Islands.
It was quite coincidental that I then read in the Solomon Times Online an article by Sam Sade, first published in islandlifemag.com. I found the article thought provoking and worth sharing as it raised some very important concerns about the decline in the traditional boat building industry at home.
Here is the piece.
Solomon Islands had many successful industries post-independence, some have grown and become a mainstay to the economy, others have withered and become non-existent.
The boat builders of Langalanga lagoon in Malaita are well known for their wooden boats. These wooden boats are big enough to carry copra, timber, cocoa, cargo and passengers. Unfortunately for them the industry was never supported, and over time they stopped building these hand-crafted boats.
Such an industry is worth millions if supported through proper funding and perhaps technical support.
A recent research by Research and Markets state that the global boat building market is expected to grow from USD$34.76 billion in 2020 to USD$37.14 billion in 2021. This growth is said to be driven by an expected surge in outdoor and leisure activities once COVID-19 is better managed.
The Ministry of Infrastructure Development (MID) has been supporting indigenous Solomon Islanders with boats through the National Transport Fund (NTF) with mixed results. It would be better if the government support and build the local boat industry, not just through funding support but connecting them to international markets.
Mathew Wale, the Member of Parliament for Aoke/Langalanga stated recently that the local boat building industry in Langalanga runs a real risk of becoming non-existent because of minimal to no support by government.
“Had I been in government, I am sure the boat builders of Langalanga would have been supported and the fact that I am in opposition has made it difficult to access the funds simply because everything is being politicized,” the MP for Aoke/Langalanga said.
Politics aside, the interest in boat building has declined and if nothing is done it will join the long list of failed industries in the country.
End of quote.
Comment:
I, too, leaving aside political comments, I would really hope there could be a revival of boat building at home and the industry contribute to the economy as well as providing jobs.
Yours sincerely
Frank Short
