Munda (Solomon Islands)
Encyclopedia
Munda is the largest settlement on the island of New Georgia
in the Western Province of the Solomon Islands
, and consists of a number of villages. It is located at the southwestern tip (called Munda Point) of the western end of New Georgia, and the large Roviana Lagoon is just offshore.
plantation originally established by Englishman Norman Wheatley, and then owned by Australian Lesley Gill. During World War II
the Japan
ese built an airstrip to serve as a staging point to Guadalcanal
. A convoy put in to Munda Point on 24 November 1942, and started construction under careful concealment from the air by means of rows of coconut palms suspended by cable. The airstrip was discovered by American planes on 3 December, and the first airstrike
s were delivered by B-17 Flying Fortress bombers on 9 December. However, the Japanese were able to use Munda despite regular bombardment from both air and sea, and the Americans' New Georgia Campaign spent July of 1943 closing in on Munda overland, capturing it on 6 August. The airstrip remains today and daily flights land from Honiara
and Gizo.
The Methodist
Mission in the Western Province
was established by Rev. John Frances Goldie in 1902. He dominated the mission and gained the loyalty of Solomon Islander members of his church. The relationship with the colonial administrators of the British Solomon lsland Protectorate were also fraught with difficulty, at this time due to Goldie’s effective control over the Western Solomon Islands. From 1927 to 1934 Dr Edward Sayers
worked at the Methodist
mission where he established a hospital at Munda and also at Gizo and Vella Lavella
, and carried out fieldwork in the treatment of malaria
.
Medical care in Munda is provided by the Helena Goldie Hospital, a small hospital west of Lambete that was originally set up by the Rev J.F. Goldie (Methodist missionary) and named after his wife.
Munda is a 1-2 hour boat journey or 15 minute flight to Gizo and a 1 hour flight to Honiara by Solomon Airlines light aircraft.
New Georgia
New Georgia is the largest island of the Western Province of the Solomon Islands.-Geography:This island is located in the New Georgia Group, an archipelago including most of the other larger islands in the province...
in the Western Province of the Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands is a sovereign state in Oceania, east of Papua New Guinea, consisting of nearly one thousand islands. It covers a land mass of . The capital, Honiara, is located on the island of Guadalcanal...
, and consists of a number of villages. It is located at the southwestern tip (called Munda Point) of the western end of New Georgia, and the large Roviana Lagoon is just offshore.
History
Munda Point was originally the site of a coconutCoconut
The coconut palm, Cocos nucifera, is a member of the family Arecaceae . It is the only accepted species in the genus Cocos. The term coconut can refer to the entire coconut palm, the seed, or the fruit, which is not a botanical nut. The spelling cocoanut is an old-fashioned form of the word...
plantation originally established by Englishman Norman Wheatley, and then owned by Australian Lesley Gill. During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
the Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese built an airstrip to serve as a staging point to Guadalcanal
Guadalcanal
Guadalcanal is a tropical island in the South-Western Pacific. The largest island in the Solomons, it was discovered by the Spanish expedition of Alvaro de Mendaña in 1568...
. A convoy put in to Munda Point on 24 November 1942, and started construction under careful concealment from the air by means of rows of coconut palms suspended by cable. The airstrip was discovered by American planes on 3 December, and the first airstrike
Airstrike
An air strike is an attack on a specific objective by military aircraft during an offensive mission. Air strikes are commonly delivered from aircraft such as fighters, bombers, ground attack aircraft, attack helicopters, and others...
s were delivered by B-17 Flying Fortress bombers on 9 December. However, the Japanese were able to use Munda despite regular bombardment from both air and sea, and the Americans' New Georgia Campaign spent July of 1943 closing in on Munda overland, capturing it on 6 August. The airstrip remains today and daily flights land from Honiara
Honiara
Honiara, population 49,107 , 78,190 , is the capital of the Solomon Islands and of Guadalcanal Province, although it is a separately administered town...
and Gizo.
The Methodist
Methodism
Methodism is a movement of Protestant Christianity represented by a number of denominations and organizations, claiming a total of approximately seventy million adherents worldwide. The movement traces its roots to John Wesley's evangelistic revival movement within Anglicanism. His younger brother...
Mission in the Western Province
Western Province (Solomon Islands)
Western Province is the largest of the provinces of the Solomon Islands. The area is renowned for its beautiful tropical islands, excellent diving and snorkelling, coral reefs and WWII wrecks, ecotourism lodges, and head-hunting shrines...
was established by Rev. John Frances Goldie in 1902. He dominated the mission and gained the loyalty of Solomon Islander members of his church. The relationship with the colonial administrators of the British Solomon lsland Protectorate were also fraught with difficulty, at this time due to Goldie’s effective control over the Western Solomon Islands. From 1927 to 1934 Dr Edward Sayers
Edward Sayers (doctor)
Sir Edward George Sayers was a New Zealand doctor, , Methodist missionary, military medical administrator, consultant physician then Dean of the University of Otago Dunedin School of Medicine,...
worked at the Methodist
Methodism
Methodism is a movement of Protestant Christianity represented by a number of denominations and organizations, claiming a total of approximately seventy million adherents worldwide. The movement traces its roots to John Wesley's evangelistic revival movement within Anglicanism. His younger brother...
mission where he established a hospital at Munda and also at Gizo and Vella Lavella
Vella Lavella
Vella Lavella is an island in the Western Province of the Solomon Islands. It lies to the west of New Georgia, but is considered one of the New Georgia Group...
, and carried out fieldwork in the treatment of malaria
Malaria
Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease of humans and other animals caused by eukaryotic protists of the genus Plasmodium. The disease results from the multiplication of Plasmodium parasites within red blood cells, causing symptoms that typically include fever and headache, in severe cases...
.
Geography
Lambete, the largest village in Munda, today consists of a number of shops, a National Solomons Bank, a post office, a telecommunications centre, the airstrip and a small port. On the seafront is Agnes Lodge, a small hotel and currently the only tourist accommodation in Munda. The hotel compound also contains the local bar (Munda Bar), the dive shop - Dive Munda, and the local boat-tour company (Go West Tours).Medical care in Munda is provided by the Helena Goldie Hospital, a small hospital west of Lambete that was originally set up by the Rev J.F. Goldie (Methodist missionary) and named after his wife.
Munda is a 1-2 hour boat journey or 15 minute flight to Gizo and a 1 hour flight to Honiara by Solomon Airlines light aircraft.