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Kents Get Royal

Melanesian

Welcome

Vila and Luganville, the New Hebrides’ major towns, went gay for the three-day visit in early Sep tember of the Duke and Duchess of Kent. Locals made sure there wasn’t too much of importance the regal guests didn’t see during their stay. Earlier, the British royal couple had visited the Solomons.

It was a big three days for the nastic displays, dances, stone-laying nasties displays, dances, stone-laying ceremonies and inspection of fish processing and artifacts, they were on the go from when their private Andover aircraft landed at Bauerfield Airport, Efate, to when they left the same spot for Fiji 72 workladen hours later.

Residents of Vila and Luganville turned out in great numbers to welcome their guests In both towns much work went into cleaning up d nH y hS f l S ;.n e lmi K g M eyeSOr a S t. and brightening up buddings with flags ribbons, streamers and new p - Even threatening ram on the first day discreetly withdrew for warm their arrival exactly on time-3 p.m.

They were first driven to Kawena College, where displays of Hebridean dancmg (a stick dance) were shown and leis and bouquets presented by schoolchildren Next stop, through gaily-decorated Vila, was the site of the new British Base Hospital at Erakor Lagoon where the Duke laid a foundation stone. (It had recently been decided to replace Vila’s 58year-old Paton Memorial Hospital, Hopes are, with UK funds, the new hospital will be completed at Erakor

by 1973, together with a similar hospital, built with French funds).

In a short speech to about 3,000 people at the foundation ceremony, the Duke described the Hebrides as “very beautiful and very interesting islands”.

Mrs Made ine Ralchichi represen[in S g the w0 ® e „. s dubs ’ of the condominium, then presented the Duchess with a mounted and polished pair of pig's tusks. Villagers also gave the regal couple a stuffed turtle, a small wooden spear and three pandanus mats. Vdas Tongan community contributed a polished bowl.

TV 10 ianTO ph e Duke and Duchess sient at visit ' to Santo . Mor y e presented bv youngsters and an assembled 1,500 schoolchildren from Santo and nearby islands got a short glimpse of their visitors ' First call was the South Pacific Fishing Company’s fishing and processing headquarters, Palekula, before the Duke and Duchess were returned to Luganville (Santo’s capital) where they were guests of honour at a reception, attended by 250 locals, hosted by the British District Agent for the Northern

District, Mr. I. D. Field, at agency headquarters, XT , , _.., . ... ot to j out d°p e Eugan- Vl,le was decorated for the occasion, together with a welcoming arch con structed by the Chinese community, Cerem ° nlal shlelds and banners were everywhere, i i * w/Jrannoc LOOK dl VOlCdnoes Returning by Andover to Efate ate r in the afternoon, the royal air craft was diverted over the islands of Ambrym and Lope vi, for a glimpse of two of the Hebrides’ volcanoes. The same night was Vila's biggest social event of ’69—over 400 guests attended a reception at the British Residency for the Duke

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Ae French &cond the British Ex-sl?vke- Association Clubhome before , men u -t S i! o fV, iat i? n t, d f rnm Mr 11 C missloner ’ Mr - J - Moundian.

At the Cultural Centre, Mr. R.

Platt showed the couple his new tropical fish tanks, Mr. H. Bregulla talked about his collection of stuffed birds, Mr. Reece Discombe discussed the articles he had recovered from the wreck of La Boussole and Mrs.

The Duke of Kent, stopping to speak with the children of St. John's School at the public rally in Honiara, has a chat with little Claire Montgomery.

Hannah Dale answered questions on shells. All in 15 minutes!

The Duke and Duchess’ Hebrides visit wasn’t long and it was only one stopdown on the couple’s Pacific itinerary. Few would grumble, how ever, that residents didn’t make the best of it.

In the Solomons

On a five-day stopover in the Solomon Islands, the Duke and Duchess of Kent saw and visited three outer islands—Gizo, Malaita and San Cristobal—as well as having a good look around Honiara, the protectorate’s capital, on Guadalcanal.

The Kents attracted 6,000 people at a public rally at Honiara, 3,000 people for their landing by the motor vessel Kwai at Gizo Wharf and 2,000 people at the small village of Ngorangora, near Kirakira Airstrip, San Cristobal.

They were the first members of the royal family to visit the Solomons since the Duke of Edinburgh’s stay in 1959 and the first-ever members to visit San Cristobal, the major southern island.

Their appearances at schools, hos pitals, the rice project, training col leges and colourful canoe exhibitions at Gizo weren’t without small side lights.

At Honiara, it was reported the Duchess was advised by a serious

little schoolgirl not to go swimming in the sea for sharks would eat her.

Outside Honiara, at the Ilu Farm rice-growing project, the Duke found no lack of excitement in a display of crop spraying by a small aircraft.

On the first run, specially for the Duke, the plane flew low enough to —accidentally—catch the royal party with a shower from its spray.

At Gizo, the royal couple headed for a 100-guest reception at the DC’s house in a Land-Rover, but the vehicle wouldn’t go. With smiles all round from the Duke and Duchess— and cheers from a watching crowd —a royal transfer was made into a spare vehicle and the mini-motor cade proceeded successfully to the reception.

Also, on their way to a rally at Lawson Tama, the couple were “challenged” by Guadalcanal warriors, armed and clad in the traditional way.

The Duke and Duchess had been forewarned but when a near-naked spearman hurled himself from behind cover at the royal car, the Duchess gave a distinct start.

The Duke’s later comment: “The spectacular challenge with which we were met —I might almost say ambushed—was extremely impressive and not a little alarming, and I was glad that on close inspection you decided we were not enemies and allowed us to proceed”.

The Duchess of Kent, accompanied by Director of Education, Mr. D. H. Hibbert, stops to admire the children of Chung Wah School, Honiara.