New Hebrides Manganese

Centre Gets A Church With A Difference

Representatives of the various races who live at Forari, the manganese mining centre on the east coast of Efate, New Hebrides, turned out in force on March 14 for the inauguration of the community’s first church.

THE church, besides being hexagonal in design, is unusual in that it was built for use by both the Roman Catholic and Protestant congregations of Forari, whose members include Frenchmen, New Hebrideans, Tonk inese, Wallisians, and Tahitians.

The building of the interdenomin ational church followed a suggestion by the Very Rev. S. C. Francis, who visited Forari several years ago while Moderator of the Presbyterian Church of New Zealand.

Forari was then just a collection of huts, reached over a rough road through thick bush. Church services were held at the recreation centre.

Hexagonal Building

The idea of an interdenominational church was cordially accepted by the Roman Catholic priest at Forari, and was agreed to by the Companie Francaise des Phosphates de I’Oceanie (CFPO), which exploits Forari’s manganese deposits.

A CFPO architect, Mr. Dejouany, later produced a plan for a hexagonal building with one nave and two chancels, to seat about 180 people.

The idea was that the Roman Catholic

chancel would be curtained off dur ing Protestant services and vice versa The estimated cost was £A5,000.

At a meeting in September, 1962, representatives of the Roman Catholic and Protestant churches agreed that members of their denominations should each raise half of the amount required to erect the building.

Later, an inter-confessional com mittee was formed to administer the church, the chairmanship of which will alternate from year to year be tween Forari’s Roman Catholic priest and the Protestant minister.

The present Roman Catholic) priest is the Rev. Father C. E. Verlingue, of Vila. The Protestant Minister is the Rev. R. W. Murray, of the Pres byterian Mission at Nguna.

Father Verlingue and Mr. Murray conducted the inaugural service in the new church, which was attended by the French and British Resident Commissioners, Messrs. M. Delauney and A. M. Wilkie.

The manager of CFPO, Mr. J.

Villemot, who spoke at the service, said the opening of the church was a landmark in the history of the New Hebrides.

“It is to be regretted that, it is not entirely completed, but Forari is still a relatively new centre,” he said.

“Maybe it will not be out of place to point out that, in surmounting the differences of the many racial groups to be found in Forari, the intercon fessional committee brings together all the Christians here present, thus making its own the well-known state ment made 400 years ago by Michel de I’Hopital, Chancellor of the French King, Charles IX: “Let us do away with those names of Huguenot and Papist; let us not change the name of Christians.”

Mr. Villemot added that Michel de I’Hopital was remembered as the first statesman to realise that social and economic life was possible only where there was religious peace.

Manganese Found In 1955 The social and economic life of Forari began in 1955 when a large deposit of manganese was located there, CFPO was later granted a 25year mining concession.

The manganese is mined by the open-cut method on a plateau about five miles from; the sea, and is trans ported by 20-ton trucks to the wash ing plant on the coast. After going through several processes, the man ganese is stockpiled for export.

The first shipment was made to Japan in January, 1962, and about 5,000 tons a month are now exported.

CFPO employs about 500 people of half a dozen races at Forari, which, before mining began, was dense bush to the water’s edge.

The company has provided its em ployees with housing and other facilities on a terrace above the wash ing plant and other works. It also provided the site for the church.

Above are the three main figures at the in auguration of Forari's hexagonal, inter denominational church (pictured) on March 14.

They are (from left) the Rev. R. W. Murray, of the Presbyterian Mission at Nguna, Mr. J.

Villemot, manager of CFPO, and the Rev.

Father C. E. Verlingue, of the Roman Catholic Church.