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On
behalf of our Society and members of the Banaban
Communities in Fiji and Kiribati, we are calling on
the generosity and support of Business Corporations
to assist us in our endeavours to run the HOMECOMING
TRIP 1997 this July. This epic journey is of great
historical importance, and will bring Society
members from all around the world and Banabans
living on Rabi Island together to hold an
International Conference/Workshop on the beloved
homeland - Banaba Island. The island is now
considered one of the remotest islands in the world
today, and we are chartering our own vessel to take
key people across to Banaba, including various
Government officials, and Scientists, Health
Professionals etc, to see first hand the situation
the Banabans have been left in with the virtual
devastation of their island from 80 years of
phosphate mining. (For more background information
"Click
Here" - "The Forgotten People of the
Pacific")
Our month long
voyage will begin with members flying in from around
the world to board our charter vessel in Suva, Fiji
and hen travel north towards the Equator to the
Banaban’s island home situated 240 nautical miles
from Tarawa, in the Central Pacific. We will be
stopping over at other Pacific Islands, Tuvalu and
Kiribati on our journey. We have TV crews booked to
cover the event from ‘60 Minutes’ Channel 9
Australia, who have already aired a story on my work
with the Banaban Community back in 1993. They will
be producing another ‘60 Minutes’ segment as a
follow on to our first story, and a TV documentary
for broadcast through out Australia and world wide
syndication. 60 Minute presenter - Charles Wooley is
also one of our Society’s Patrons. A crew from
London’s BBC Open University Learning production
team will also join us, and possibly a separate
documentary unit from BBC as well, who also made a
story on the Banabans in 1975. Our proposed trip has
already made the news in various Pacific
publications, and has been broadcast via Radio
Australia to the Pacific. We have just completed
work with Japanese Production Company - Pink Noise
Inc. on the making of a TV documentary all about the
Banabans which aired on NHK Television on Monday
5th. May, and we are hoping that another Japanese TV
Crew will join us for this special event. We have a
Journalist from one of Tokyo's major newspapers
joining our ship to cover the event.
At this stage we
are eager for appropriate types of sponsorship to
make our voyage a reality. We are also trying to
coordinate our annual Aid Shipment to Rabi Island in
Fiji, and take in our first Aid Shipment to Banaba
aboard our vessel. To achieve this we will need to
fly our freight into Suva to meet up with our
vessel. We have a financial deadline of the 1st.
June, to raise $87,000 for the charter of our vessel
the "MV KATAKI 1", and to assist in the
additional purchase of food and provisions for the
sea voyage, and the 7 day period whilst on Banaba.
Our participants have already raised nearly $75,000
for the trip, and we have allocated half of our
tickets to Banabans living on Rabi island at a
greatly subsided fare as they are such a poor
community. We were also hoping to sponsor 25 Banaban
dancers from Rabi Island to come on the trip, and
provide entertainment whilst at sea. They will also
officially perform traditional Banaban
‘Welcoming’ and ‘Farewell’ ceremonies at our
ports of call. To achieve this we need to find
sponsorship of $7,500 to offset the cost of the
groups passage against the overall cost of the ships
charter.
We are also looking
for those Companies or Organisation who would like
to sponsor the event by sending a representative or
delegation to our Banaba Conference. This will be a
great opportunity to meet with others interested in
bettering the future of the Banaban people and their
homeland, and to actually meet with Rabi Council
officials and other Government officials. Maybe your
organisation is interested in conducting scientific
research or feasibility studies, and the rare
opportunity to visit Banaba and see the actual state
Banaba has been left in today.
Maybe your Company
can help sponsor our trip with food or other
provisions we will need for the full 4 weeks at sea.
We are happy to
acknowledge your Corporate sponsorship by displaying
Company or Corporation Logos or marketing materials
aboard our Charter vessel, and during our Conference
whilst on Banaba. The HOMECOMING trip is a great
opportunity to market your company throughout the
Australasian region while at the same time getting
behind a very worthy project.
We look forward to
hearing from you in the near future, and have your
Company or Organisation’s involvement in our
project.
Stacey
King, Secretary, Banaban Heritage Society Inc.
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