• Solomon Islands
    1992 Yearbook of Jehovah’s Witnesses

    • With a view to expanding the preaching work to even more of “the Happy Isles,” it was decided that the Solomon Islands should have its own branch office. Shortly after the decision was reached, Glenn Finlay from the Papua New Guinea branch arrived there with his wife, Merlene, to coordinate the work.

  • Solomon Islands
    1992 Yearbook of Jehovah’s Witnesses

    • First Branch Office

      “Our first branch office was set up in the basement of Bob Seccombe’s house on Lengakiki Ridge, Honiara,” writes Brother Finlay concerning the year 1978. That small basement room had already made theocratic history. It served as the first Kingdom Hall on the island of Guadalcanal and later as the first literature depot for the Solomon Islands. And since Brother Seccombe provided a small one-bedroom apartment at the rear of the building, his house also served as the first Bethel.

      Brother Finlay continues: “We were set up with only one manual typewriter and one hand-operated duplicator, but we had a million-dollar view over the deep blue waters of the sound.”

  • Solomon Islands
    1992 Yearbook of Jehovah’s Witnesses

    • The next few years saw the construction of a two-story branch office and Bethel Home.” What a project that was! The brothers and sisters in Honiara excavated huge chunks of razor-sharp coral with nothing but hand tools. Although branch construction was a lengthy and difficult process, taking almost three years, it was also a great display of Christian love. And as an added bonus, some of the workers drawn to the site would later labor for Jehovah in other special ways.

      Ten young brothers came to work full-time on the site under the direction of one of the Branch Committee members, Rodney Fraser, an Australian, who was also a builder. Most of those volunteers were from bush congregations. Hence they had never used construction tools before. However, after three years of working with Brother Fraser and a number of other brothers from Australia, they not only developed sound construction skills but also gained a great appreciation for the workings of Jehovah’s earthly organization and a greater skill in presenting the good news to others.