Cfn Harrold Rose puts a blow torch to the barrel of a surrendered weapon. Photo by Cpl Sean Burton, Army newspaper

Broken weapons restore peace

From Cpl Sean Burton in the Solomon Islands

AS I walked onto the sports ground down town Honiara, the scout leader looked bemused and soon realised he would need a lot more snags for his fundraising barbecue as the Op Anode Open Day set up around him.

Attended by 15,000 people, the Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands RAMSI) Open Day was the first opportunity for locals to meet military and police officers and show them its capabilities.

Since their arrival in Honiara, RAMSI have kept a low profile, which appears to heightened local enthusiasm for them as the people of Honiara flocked to the open day to around any soldier they could find to talk

The local scouts, abandoned their sports and manned the hot plate of the small barbecue to raise a small fortune for much needed Having been on rat packs since arriving, smell of sizzling snags had me wishing for snag sanger and a cold beer on the oppressively hot and humid Saturday afternoon.

The show began as a RAN Seaking arrived thundering onto the football pitch dwarfing Queen of the skies, a RNZAF UH-1H Huey sitting next to it. Military and police vehicles were examined in close detail as their drivers talked non- all afternoon answering questions from engine sizes to their favourite football team.

An infantry section showed off its equipment capabilities to the crowds, waving cheering locals as they were introduced. The heat was overwhelming and the around the military and police static displays created such humid conditions that my camera lenses fogged up.

Locals stood five deep around a 20 metre hollow square watching as weapons were destroyed by the Military Engineer Group. Clapping and cheering greeted the destruction of each weapon as it was held up, broken in before being thrown on a pile of stocks and As I left the weapons destruction area, approached by a young local man, Edward, had been watching the weapons destruction.

After introducing himself, Edward told he used to work for the Government until could no longer pay him, he looked embarrassed when I asked him what he did for now and he mumbled, eyes cast downwards, that he was still looking for work.

He said his family and friends had lost patience with the weapons armistice games being played by militants and criminals. “Army must destroy guns now on all Islands, we have had enough of the criminals playing games with our lives,” he said.

“For so long they say one thing and do another, but now they are thinking of peace because you are here.

“My family are happy you are here, our hearts feel lighter, we feel safer and things will be better.

“Please don’t go back to your home until you take their guns from them.”

At the end of the day I sat in the open day traffic congestion watching a taxi as it splutters past me heading towards the sports ground looking for a fare.

The old reggae-gospel tune ‘Many rivers to cross’ wafts out from the taxi radio and the driver looks happy enough on the day the show came to town.

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