BY JOHN HOUANIHAU

Dr Nathan Kumamusa Kere described his autobiography book launched on Monday this week as a lasting contribution to indigenous education and national history.

Titled “Village Boy Knight,” a Life of Service to Solomon Islands, the book captures Dr Kere’s journey from humble village beginnings to national and international leadership.

Speaking at the launch, Dr Kere said the publication will serve as an important resource for students and future generations, particularly in understanding indigenous knowledge and the country’s historical development.

He acknowledged the support of dignitaries, national leaders and guests who attended the event, expressing gratitude for their presence and encouragement.

Dr Kere paid special tribute to Emeritus Professor Clive Moore of the University of Queensland, who served as the book’s editor and provided consistent guidance throughout the writing process.

He said the manuscript took years to complete, with moments where he nearly gave up, but was encouraged by Professor Moore to persevere.

Dr Kere also acknowledged the significant role played by the Ocean University of China in publishing the book, describing their support as crucial in turning his dream into reality.

He thanked the university’s president, Professor Chang Chak-Fung, for approving the printing of the book and providing 500 copies, some of which will be distributed to educational institutions across the country.

Dr Kere said the initiative will help ensure wider access to the book, including for schools that played an important role in his own life.

He highlighted the collaboration as a reflection of strengthening ties between Solomon Islands and China, particularly in the field of education.

The book outlines Dr Kere’s life experiences, including his early education, professional achievements, and contributions, documenting his international work, including engagements across the Pacific, Asia, Europe and the United States.

Dr Kere said the book was written in simple English with a commitment to truth, supported by photographs that reflect real-life experiences.

He acknowledged that some sections required editorial refinement to ensure balanced and respectful expression of sensitive issues.

The autobiography also includes contributions from his children, with the introduction written by his daughter and the epilogue by his son.

Dr Kere dedicated the book to his late wife, Lady Joy Cleo Perry, who passed away in January this year, describing her as his strongest source of support throughout his life and career.

He said many of his achievements were made possible through her encouragement and partnership.

Dr Kere hopes the book will leave a meaningful legacy for Solomon Islands and contribute to national development through knowledge sharing.

The book is expected to be distributed widely across the country to support education and research.

Photo: Supplied

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BY JOHN HOUANIHAU

The Solomon Islands National University (SINU) has officially launched the Autobiography of Chancellor of SINU, Sir Dr Nathan Kumamusa Kere on Monday this week.

The autobiography ‘Village Boy Knight’ offers an inspiring account of a life dedicated to leadership, education, and national service.

The book traces Sir Nathan’s journey from humble village beginnings in Lauru to becoming a respected national and international figure, highlighting his contributions to health, education, and public service.

Speaking at the launch held at the Ranadi Campus, Acting Vice-Chancellor of Solomon Islands National University, Dr William Parairato described the publication as more than just a memoir.

“This is not simply the story of one man, but a national story told through the life of a remarkable Solomon Islander,” Mr Parairato said.

He said the book captures a journey from traditional village life to modern scholarship and national leadership, emphasising that Sir Nathan’s success was grounded in cultural values, discipline, and early life experiences.

“One of the great strengths of this book is that it begins at the beginning in village life, in family, in tradition. It reminds us that greatness does not emerge in a vacuum,” he said.

The autobiography highlights Sir Nathan’s lifelong commitment to education, detailing his progression through formal schooling, medical training, and postgraduate studies, leading to significant professional and scientific contributions.

Parairato said that the book also delivers a strong message to young Solomon Islanders, encouraging them to overcome limitations and pursue excellence regardless of their background.

“Service to others is another key message throughout the publication. Sir Nathan emphasises that education and leadership should be driven by the desire to serve communities.

“The book also promotes the importance of locally grounded research, advocating for knowledge that benefits Solomon Islanders and involves local participation. In addition, the autobiography reflects a strong moral and spiritual dimension, portraying leadership as rooted in integrity, humility, and faith,” he said.

Parairato said the book is a valuable contribution to the nation’s intellectual history and will resonate with students, professionals, and leaders alike.

He added that Sir Nathan’s life demonstrates that it is possible to achieve excellence while remaining deeply connected to one’s cultural identity and community.

The book is expected to inspire future generations and serve as a reminder that true success lies in service, purpose, and commitment to the nation.

Photo: Supplied

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BY JUNELYN KELLY

Guadalcanal Province has established its tourism association in a move to strengthen and promote the province’s tourism sector.

The association was formally launched on Wednesday last week, bringing together tourism operators from across the province in a meeting convened by Tourism Desk Officer Jacinta Vagha.

Members were guided through the association’s constitution before proceeding to elect its inaugural executive body, a statement by the Guadalcanal province Wednesday last week said.

The statement said that members elected to lead the association are; Ms Amanda Riniu as President, Ms Debbie Lukisi as Vice President, Ms Cynthia Luza as Secretary, and Mr Stanley Habu as Treasurer.

The executive is further supported by ordinary members Ms Ileen Sulukonia, Mr Joseph Tausuli and Mr Olivera Shannon.

The newly formed leadership team brings together a wide range of experience in areas such as law, travel and tours, local food promotion, accommodation and hospitality.

Meanwhile, following the election, members of the executive expressed their commitment to serving the association with dedication and call on all tourism operators to work together to advance the sector.

GPG media said they also highlighted plans to roll out activities within the year aimed at promoting Guadalcanal as a vibrant and attractive tourism destination.

The establishment of the association marks an important step forward for the province, reflecting a shared commitment to harness Guadalcanal’s natural beauty, rich cultural heritage and hospitality for sustainable tourism development.

The initiative aligns with the Guadalcanal Provincial Government’s policy on good governance under the leadership of Premier Willie Atu.

Photo credit:  GPG

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BY IRWIN ANGIKI

The Workers Union of the Solomon Islands (WUSI) and Solomon Islands Ports Authority (SIPA) have been given another two weeks to negotiate their disputes.

The Trade Dispute Panel (TDP) has directed both parties to negotiate and come up with a collective agreement within 14 days starting yesterday. WUSI is representing SIPA workers.

WUSI Secretary General Adrian Tuhanuku said WUSI is hoping to sign the collective agreement to be presented to the SIPA Board when the board meets on April 28.

SIPA could not comment when sought yesterday.

The dispute between SIPA and WUSI culminated in a strike on Thursday last week (April 9).

The strike lasted 16 hours, beginning 12 midnight, ending at 4pm, and reportedly costing SIPA millions in losses.

WUSI called off the strike after SIPA referred the matter to the TDP. WUSI later made a counter referral that day.

Mr Tuhanuku said WUSI and the SIPA workers committee are scrutinising the response from SIPA to make their counter response.

The collective agreement has three parts. Part 1, called Appendix 1, is the recognition part – in which SIPA had to officially recognise WUSI as representing its workers. Appendix 2 is the workers’ working conditions. Appendix 3 is the wages, incentives and entitlements.

The contentious part is Appendix 3, Tuhanuku said.

Connected to wages and incentives are (1) the normal ‘increment’ and (2) the Cost Of Living Adjustment (COLA) – which SIPA has claimed it has met for the workers.

However, WUSI doubts this arguing that it was not present when SIPA implemented the increment and COLA.

“SIPA had said that it had complied with everything that we had demanded for the workers. What we had argued for fall into two categories, increment and COLA,” Tuhanuku said.

“In a normal collective agreement, we should be present during the increment in which we will input the interest of the workers. But, since we were not present, we relied on the reports from the SIPA Human Resources based on their own internal processes since 2018.

“The other one is COLA. We had asked for 5 percent across the board since 2018. SIPA claimed it had complied. So, we asked to see the percentage of the COLA they had given to the workers.

“Discussions yesterday [Monday, April 13] we agreed that if SIPA has done as it claims, then we want to know how many percentage is for increment and how many percentage is for COLA.”

Other discussions focused on entitlements and privileges, which include education and holiday and other entitlements, Tuhanuku said.

“The timeline given by TDP is we will meet on Friday with SIPA, then next week either Tuesday or Wednesday, then finally on Friday to hopefully sign the collective agreement.

“We have 14 days to negotiate and sign the collective agreement before TDP calls us back to the table,” Tuhanuku said.

Background

The issue between SIPA and WUSI, representing SIPA workers goes back to 2018, and runs through terms of three chief executive officers (CEO) of SIPA.

SIPA since 2018 refused to recognise WUSI as representative of SIPA workers. However, the current CEO was forced to recognise WUSI after a secret ballot on March 17, 2025 saw 374 out of 383 workers choosing union representation by WUSI. SIPA has 499 permanent workers.

Negotiations between SIPA and WUSI proceeded, but then broke down when SIPA demanded that the log of claims be back-dated to 2024. WUSI refused to budge and argued that the log of claims should be back-dated to 2018.

Failure to reach a compromise led to WUSI issuing the 28-day strike notice on February 25, 2026.

Further negotiations could not come up with resolutions and a 14-day extension was given, starting March 24.

The extension lapsed on April 8 with no resolution and the strike took effect April 9.

Log of claims

SIPA in its statement on April 9 said the log of claims covered wage increase, allowance adjustments, bonuses and covid-allowances.

“We also wish to clarify recent media reports regarding the grounds for the strike. The strike action was centred on matters relating to wage increases for the period 2018–2025, allowance adjustments, bonuses, and COVID-19 related payments. Solomon Ports confirms that no other matters formed part of the official log of claims submitted by the Workers Union of Solomon Islands (WUSI), contrary to suggestions made in recent media articles,” SIPA said.

However, according to the WUSI February 25 strike notice, the workers’ claims included few more items:

– Deliberate Avoidance and Delay of Settling negotiations on Terms & Conditions of Service of the Employees of SIPA.

–  Preferential Award of Benefits to employees (eg. Education funds, Special advances, School fees, Bonus payment, Acting Allowance, etc)

– Salary structure not reviewed since 2018

– Preferential appraisal

– Unfair and preferential disciplinary

– Sexual harassment

– Nepotism – current employment recruitment

– Covid allowance

Photo: Tony Iroga

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