Fauabu Rural Health Clinic

Fauabu (pronounced “Fowambu”) is an area in the north of Malaita - one of the largest of the over 900 islands that comprise the Solomon Islands. Fauabu Rural Health Clinic provides primary medical services for over 13,000 people. It was the first hospital on the island of Malaita.

The clinic has a strong New Zealand connection. It was built in the early 1930s by Arthur Hugh Fletcher, a New Zealander working for the Melanesian Mission. The Melanesian Mission, founded by Bishop George Augustus Selwyn in 1849, was a Diocese of the Church of the Province of New Zealand until 1975. This Diocese has from its beginning, been supported by men, women and resources from Australia and New Zealand. In 1927, the Mission proposed that a hospital be built at Fauabu on Malaita Island and named the ‘Hospital of the Epiphany’. Funds were donated and Dr Maybury was the first doctor, along with two nurses from New Zealand, Sister Simson and Sister Guylee. They leased 120 acres of flat land, 20 feet above sea level. Fletcher (known as “Fletch”) was asked by the then Bishop of Auckland if he would go to the Solomon’s as a builder/engineer to build the hospital and look after the maintenance of the boats transporting the Bishop, doctors and nurses between the islands. This was the start of his 13 years of service to the Solomon’s.

Mother Emily Kindergarden

In early 2017, Brother Sampson walked into one of the plantations adjacent to TNK, lit a fire and began to cook some food. Hungry children soon appeared and, after feeding them for a few days in this fashion, he began to teach them – giving them their first experience of education. His work moved into a disused tiny hut, which became the classroom, and morning and afternoon classes commenced. Assisted now by Sister Neslyn and the Sisters at TNK, the ‘Mother Emily Kindergarten’ was born. Although the title of kindergarten was chosen, the age of those attending ranges from three through to 17/18. With little resources, Brother Sampson and Sister Neslyn continued their work and by early 2018, they began receiving assistance from the community of St Peter’s Cathedral in Hamilton, New Zealand who despatched regular supplies of stationery and educational resources. By mid-2018, two small classrooms had formed and the school roll was capped at 50, with dozens more on the waiting list.

Background History

With Fletch as the builder and Dr Maybury as the architect, 24 concrete block buildings were built over five years. These included a surgery, dispensary, operating theatre and accommodation. By 1930, there were almost 400 patients, 79 of whom had contracted leprosy. In 1941, the first Melanesian nurses and orderlies were trained here. When WW2 broke out, patients fled the hospital and nurses took refuge in the hills. Leprosy patients kept working their gardens and kept the station going. In 1945, the hospital reopened with 100 patients despite the operating theatre having been destroyed. The hospital has continued as a clinic, staffed by two nurses. Fletch’s daughters, Anita Seccombe (of Auckland) and Jill Bindon (of Hamilton), along with her son Matthew Bindon, went to Fauabu in 2016, almost 90 years since the hospital was built and asked how they could assist. Through the generosity of donors, they have been able to send medications and medical supplies, medical reference books, first-aid kits and schoolbooks.