Books for a deserted island
Published on 03 November, 2005
Lord Jeffrey Archer chose `A Tale of Two Cities’, Winona Ryder picked `The Catcher in the Rye’ and Bill Clinton couldn’t go past `The Last of the Mohicans’ as his choice of novel should he ever be stranded on a remote tropical island.
If they ever did find themselves on Fiji’s remote Moce Island, however, the celebrities could enjoy some literary variety by visiting the Moce District School library, newly established with the assistance of CQU’s Fiji International Campus.
Three truckloads of furniture from the University’s storage facility, combined with a donation of three thousand books from New Zealand left for Moce on November 1, following months of planning that involved the Immigration Department, CQUFIC Library and Moce School staff. Moce Island (pronounced Mo-they) is 325km from Fiji’s capital, Suva, 10 square kilometres in size and home to a population of about 600 residents. There are no cars on the island, electricity is limited to three hours per night and before now, reading materials were in short supply.
Bale Taione, a 25 year-old Moce resident, arrived in Suva with a background in farming. After being selected to set-up and co-ordinate the new library, Taione underwent training at CQU FIC with Library Manager Brian McDonald, learning everything from Dewey Decimals to book displays. First job on the list, however, was ensuring the safe return of his new resources to the island after a journey of 24 hours by boat.
“Everyone on the island will be there when we arrive. They will bring wheelbarrows and help move the furniture to the school. It will be a big day in Moce.”.
CQUFIC Campus Director Jonathan Purdy said the donation marks the beginning of a significant partnership between the University and the island, which he hopes will be ongoing for the benefit of the School’s 137 students and 5 teachers.
“Over the next few years our support will focus on training for the school community, such as that offered to Bale. It is hoped that a visit to Moce Island by CQUFIC staff in the near future can also be planned.”.
Photo (above): CQUFIC Library and Facilities Manager Brian McDonald (right) and Bale Taione hit the books.
Photo (left): Bale Taione (sitting) learns a lesson in cataloguing from CQUFIC’s Library Assistant Sandhiya Goundar.