Warbird Information Exchange

PACIFIC ISLANDS REPORT

Pacific Islands Development Program/East-West Center
With Support From Center for Pacific Islands Studies/University of Hawai‘i

WAR ARTIFACTS SOLD BY SOLOMONS MUSEUM
By Ednal PalmerHONIARA, Solomon Islands (Solomon Star, Jan. 9) - National Museum Director Lawrence Foana’ota has played down reports that war plane wrecks sent to Australia from Ballalae in the Solomon Islands was done under controversial deals.

Four warplanes were removed from Ballalae last year and shipped to Australia early last month despite widespread criticisms.The Solomon Islands Ports Authorities last week confirmed that the wrecks were sent to Australia without official complaints.

Ninamo Otuana, who claimed to have registered title over the island, [sought] court action which resulted in the holdup of the wrecks at the ports area for weeks before they were exported.

Mr Otuana said the removal of the war wrecks was contentious.He claimed that few high profile people benefited from the export under the name of FAMOA Trust Board.However, Mr Foana’ota told Solomon Star yesterday that there was nothing wrong with the removal of the war relics.He said the action was legal and in accordance to the War Relics Act.

He said the removal and sale of the wrecks was done under an ongoing project called "The World War II Memorial Museum Project".

"The plan to set up a WWII museum started in 1996 but there were no funds and it is a very expensive exercise to collect and maintain these relics," he said.

Therefore, he said it was agreed that they sell some of these war wrecks to get funds to start this museum.

Mr Foana’ota said the recent shipment of war wrecks is the first carried out as a test to see the cost involved and if people overseas are interested in the relics.

He said communities in the Shortland Islands benefited from some SB$50,000 [US$7,175] under the first deal, which saw the removal of four wrecks from the island.

He said that the National Museum never benefited from the deal but reiterated that they were only trying it out to see what it takes in the whole process.

Mr Foana’ota although declined to confirm which museum in Australia the war wrecks are heading to, hinted that a privately owned Alpine Salvage Museum in Sydney is interested in the items.

Solomon Star
Copyright © 2007 Solomon Star. All Rights Reserve

http://pidp.eastwestcenter.org/pireport ... -10-07.htm

What, are they absolutely clueless? Yea, I don't think anyone overseas are interested in them.



Wow, only $7,175 to take 4 airplanes! Even I could afford that! Where have I been all this time?



I've never heard of this museum. Are they confusing it with the Alpine Fighter Collection in New Zealand?

The Alpine Fighter Collection is being wound up. Sir Tim is slowly selling off the collection.
From what I've heard, these aircraft are going to South Australia, but I could be wrong.
From what I've been lead to believe, these recovery's are being done with the full backing of the Solomon government (doesn't the Solomon government have title of ballalae?)

Background Briefing understands that some warplanes salvaged from Ballalae were to be sent to a warbird collector in the UK.



The previous Solomons Government apparently struck a deal last November with local chiefs to export every warplane wreck in the Shortland Islands group. It agreed to pay chiefs from a group of islands known as FAMOA 50,000 Solomon Island dollars for the wrecks. That's about 7-thousand Australian dollars. Many locals are very unhappy with the deal, and a Solomon Islands television station called One News sent a reporter to the Shortland Islands to investigate. Two weeks ago, with the approval of government, the chiefs of FAMOA were paid 50,000 dollars and signed off on a deal with an overseas buyer to sell their relics overseas.

Man: We believe that there are a lot of people behind this deal, people that we don't know about, people that we've never seen before, we'd never meet. There's a lot of money changing hands. We as chiefs don't even know when we're going to get our bit that they've promised out of $US220,000 to move 11 planes, priceless and both worthless. Priceless in the form of history and important coming in of tourists to see it. And worthless at the same time, it's just a piece of metal. But the pricelessness to us is it's our treasure as well.

This isn't happening just in the Pacific, it's happening around Australia as well. Whole planes have vanished from crash sites near Darwin, and the Northern Territory Government's now cracking down on the salvagers.

http://warbirdinformationexchange.org/p ... hp?t=19759

http://www.abc.net.au/rn/backgroundbrie ... 149496.htm

When will people learn that not recovering relics simply means 'dust to dust??

I've spent time in the Solomons/New Guinea/New Hebrides and other parts of the Pacific as well as my home country looking at wrecks. It is always the same sad picture of decay. Recovering for any reason is worthwhile. One only has to look at the magnificent A-20 Havoc and Boston aircraft restored in Australia to see that.

I say to these misguided individuals - take a reality check..

_________________
..defeat is never an option!

i dont disagree with the leaving of wargrave sites alone (like the hudson in your other thread)but these wrecks in the solomans(and some in png)arent graves tourism is a short term at best propersition, if you look at the zero wrecks that the tv video shows they are paper thin and would be lucky to survive the next decade where as recovered projects they should survive alot longer, and if the orignal deal is stuck with then some should return the the solomons as beutiful examples of the aircraft that fought over the islands.
paul