Students of Goldie College, Western Province, can cook and eat in a clean and healthy environment after the school reopened its new upgraded kitchen last weekend – thanks to Miss Solomons Tema Wickham.
The school also took delivery of 12 water tanks.
Miss Wickham and her team travelled to the college on June 7 to formally hand over the new facility and tanks to the staff and students.
The school’s kitchen facility, built way back in the 70s, had ran-down over the years to a state that it became unhygienic to prepare meals inside.
Miss Wickham, a former student of the school, took it has her project when she joined the Miss Solomon Pageant Competition last year, to raise funds to renovate the kitchen and purchase water tanks for the college.
At the June 7 handover ceremony, college principal Brian Bird thanked Miss Wickham for her superb determination to raise the funds needed to rehabilitate the old kitchen house.
Bird said the house symbolises Goldie College’s greatest sense of compassion, care and hospitality.
He thanked Miss Wickham for her charity project that included 12 water tanks, new computers, chairs, logistics, resources and funds to upgrade the kitchen facility.
He said Miss Wickham’s charity work is life oriented and is deeply concerned with simply doing justice to the school.
Miss Wickham said it was a significant achievement to give back to the school to help make a change.
She said through support from family, friends and members of the public, she was able to raise more than $325,000.
“Education is valuable,” Miss Wickham told the students and staff of Goldie.
“A quality education does not only come from available learning resources and professional teachers but the whole environment that makes an impact on students’ ability to study and the willingness to attend classes,” she said.
Miss Wickham said the project would also help battle the water issue experienced endlessly throughout the past years at the school.
“And as well provide hygienic food preparation area for the students.”
She said she believed the project will help motivate students to work hard to their best ability.
She thanked everyone who contributed in making the project a successful one.
The ceremony concluded with island feasting and entertainments.
Goldie College is one of the oldest and top secondary schools in the country.
It was established and administered by the United Church of Solomon Islands.
The school was located between the industrial town of Noro and Munda in the New Georgia area.
TRIXIE CARTER
