Our link with the Melanesian Misson

When Dame Frances Dove founded Wycombe Abbey she established a charity link with the Melanesian Mission in the South Pacific. The Mission was founded to spread the Christian message to this remote corner of the world and very gradually the Pacific Islands of Melanesia became Christian with their own, indigenous style of life and worship.

It was decided this year to reinvigorate Wycombe's links with Melanesia to explore whether we could develop two way involvement with the work in the region. Consequently, earlier this term Dr Di Hudson agreed to be the School's representative to travel to Melanesia this summer for a month's fact finding tour to try to identify ways to modernise, renew and strengthen our 100 year old link with the Melanesian Mission.

Dr Hudson will be travelling with her husband Mike to Vanuatu where they will be mainly based at St Patricks Vorais School, on the small island of Ambae. Wycombe Senior, Fiona Willan, worked at the school in 1994 and has continued to visit ever since. Whilst in Vanuatu, Dr Hudson will be teaching Science and English and her husband, Mike, a consultant for ‘not for profit' organisations, will be working with Headmaster, Clemson Salai, on governance and structure. They hope to take letters from girls at Wycombe Abbey and a DVD of our School life to St Patricks and in return bring back replies and a DVD of life at St Patricks.

Dr Hudson also hopes to visit other primary schools and meet with the Education Officer for Vanuatu, and the ‘Gap' organisation (Latitude Global Volunteering) representative with a view to investigating opportunities for Wycombe Seniors to go to Melanesia as volunteers in the future.

Recently, the Reverend Jane Chaffey, School Chaplain, and Dr Hudson has the pleasure of meeting with the Archbishop of Melanesia, David Vanungi, and his wife Mary, during their visit to England. The meeting was able to strengthen the link that Wycombe Abbey has with the Melanesian Mission and also provided Dr Hudson with considerable insight into the Mission for her forthcoming visit to Melanesia.