Wednesday 8^th August

On Monday a strange envelope appeared in Pete’s postbox…addressed in my writing, and looking very battered (yes my handwriting always looks battered but in this case it was wind, weather and water which had done the damage.)  Aha!  Mail from Moses, in the Louisiades!  (Far-flung islands off the coast of PNG.)  I had sent him a few addressed envelopes in the parcels of t-shirts etc which I have been sending but I didn’t really expect one to arrive in Tasmania.  It is all so difficult – it is a day’s travel from Bagaman Island to Misima, where there MIGHT be a mail delivery/collection.  And not a day’s travel in a comfy ferry; Moses would have made the trip in a small, speedy sailing canoe (sailau), with many of his friends and relations clinging to the rigging.

He is, I think I have said, setting up a little shop on his island.  Very ambitious.  Especially as there really is no money, in the Louisiades.  No cash, that is.  The island people barter and trade, and occasionally go to the Big Smoke (Misima) to make just a few cents selling dried fish.  Moses is hardworking and ambitious and we were very happy to help him set up his business project.  My only concern was that he would set up his little shop, have willing customers, be all ready to sell sell sell but that his willing customers would have no money at all to spend.

His letter is dated 05/06/2012 and it took two months to get to us.  It has an Australian stamp on it.  He must have found somebody in Misima who was going to Port Moresby and then to Australia, and who was willing to carry the increasingly battered letter from pillar to post, literally.

So here is his letter:

Hi Peter,

Hello and how are you at this moment hopefully you are well and up to date.  As for, we are well too.

Anyway just to let you know what’s going on here as for the business you want to know from me.  The tradestore is running but because of the bad weather and people don’t have much money to come and buy things from the store so is not returning very well at the moment, but when the sea cucumber season is on then I will earn much money from the people so Peter can you send me a business book to learn more skills to run a tradestore or shop.  Anyway that’s all I want to let you know than you and hope to hear again from you

Love, Moses Gulo

Bagaman Island

Misima

So nice…and how touching that he thinks a book will teach him how to make money from a “tradestore” when really there is no money in the economy of the Louisiades.