Tribewanted: Vorovoro

Why would you like to be chief?

I knew from day one of my island adventure, sitting in the bobbing boat watching Captain Jone relaxing under a red tartan umbrella, that the time I had booked wouldn‘t be long enough and this was before I had even set foot on the crunchy shores. I extended. I wouldn’t have missed the celebratory ‘end’ for anything and subsequently I have extended again, coming back for start of the next 5 years.

As I am on the island already I feel that I am in a unique position to build upon existing connections with everyone on the island and in the wider community before becoming chief and therefore as chief I would ‘hit the ground running’.

I feel that my membership of the Lamb Chop society has only just begun, telling and listening to stories, drinking kava and singing ‘waiting for the next dodo, feeling lamb chopped from my head to my toe’. However this membership takes dedication and refinement and what better position to be in for this than the Chief?

I would like to be Chief in October to bridge the gap between the founding years and the future, preparing the island for the Cahill’s return and welcoming not only them, but all new and returning tribe members onto Vorovoro.

What, other than your skills, makes you he right person for this role?

I am a good ‘all rounder’ and I’m happy to try anything once. I have a cheerful, positive and flexible disposition. I feel these are important qualities for a Chief with a small tribe, taking each day as it comes and listening to the needs of each tribe member and adapting to fit their preferences, expectations and demands as well as balancing this with the island way of life.

What would you like to achieve as chief?

Funding for new projects is a little tight at the moment with the global recession, so I would like to focus on projects that will need minimal if any budget.

a) I would like to champion the building of the compost toilets for the Mali school, which the Dream Foundation are funding, and see this project through to completion as well as building up the knowledge behind why they are being installed and the benefits.

b) I am also keen to carry on the South Pacific University’s Biodiversity Study of Vorovoro, documenting this wondrous isle and logging the different medicinal properties of the flora and fauna. I feel this will be a good time for such a project while the number of tribe members on the island aren’t so numerous.

c) I would also like to continue Amy’s fantastic mosaic work in the showers, there are lots of designs which still need grouting so the adhesive won’t dissolve during the rainy season and keep this as a legacy project that each tribe member can be a part of with their own designs.

As chief you will be given a small pot of money with which to leave your legacy. How will you spend it?

As I understand it, this is no longer an option. Therefore I would like to create a legacy that doesn‘t cost anything. Therefore, I propose creating a link between the Mali school and my old school in the UK. It would be a great opportunity for creating pen pals and improving their English as well as a resource for extra school equipment and another fundraising avenue for future Mali school projects.

Tell us something interesting about yourself.

I work for Ecotricity in the UK, donator of the wind turbine on Vorovoro.

The company was founded by Dale Vince in 1995, a travelling ex-hippy, he decided to settle and build a turbine for himself. He found himself in the fortunate position of generating surplus electricity he looked to sell the excess back to the grid, but no electricity company was interested. Dale Vince therefore started his own renewable energy company and Ecotricity was founded, the world’s first renewable energy company and is now largest independent electricity supplier in the UK only investing in and building renewable sources of electricity.

I would like to strengthen the relationship between Tribewanted and Ecotricity and who knows, maybe Labasa will end up with a wind turbine to rival Vorovoro’s.

In one sentence, why should the tribe elect you as chief?

Vorovoro is the only place you go on holiday and feel homesick for when you leave. I am not ready to feel homesick.

Cast your vote now!