The Fale We Built Together Christmas came early in Tonga last year! A team of six volunteers from New Zealand returned to Tonga for a week in early December to add the finishing touches on an EasyBuild house that will become the fale nofo’anga (officers’ quarters) for the Kolovai Corps Plant. In October, a team of 15 volunteers worked tirelessly alongside locals for two weeks to get the fale as close as possible to completion within that gruelling timeframe. Prior to the build, Kolovai Corps Plant had not had an official fale nofo’anga. Various rental properties have served as officers’ accommodation since the corps was planted a decade ago. However, following the Hunga Tonga–Ha’apai eruption in January 2022 and the tsunami that followed, the need for a new, permanent fale nofo’anga became paramount. ‘It was an ambitious goal to bring together a team of 15 people who’d never worked together before to build a house in just two weeks,’ says volunteer build team leader Pete Walker. ‘But it was a goal the team embraced with enthusiasm and energy, and it’s amazing to see what we’ve achieved.’
Full immersion It was a life-changing experience for most of the team, Pete reports. ‘We had the opportunity to live amongst Tongan culture for two weeks—not as tourists but living with the Tongan people and working side-by-side. Just being fully immersed in their world for a little while—well, it’s hard to put into words how special that was.’ Having previously served overseas with The Salvation Army and Save the Children, media liaison Mandy Carian was no stranger to living in another culture. ‘I just love being able to hang out with the local people, but there’s also the constant reminder of “oh yes, this is what a simpler way of life looks and feels like”. It’s important to understand the struggles others go through, and it makes being able to contribute a tiny bit of good in the world a blessing.’
Both Mandy and Pete are passionate about Salvationists understanding the motivation behind the project. ‘It’s a privilege and part of our responsibility as a territory to share resources,’ says Mandy. ‘It’s about coming alongside the local people and empowering them and encouraging them.’ ‘To be quite raw,’ explains Pete, ‘at this point, The Salvation Army in Tonga just doesn’t have the resources to build a house—otherwise it would be done already! So we worked together on the project and a lot of learning took place.’
Legacy of love Pete has a few personal connections to The Salvation Army in Tonga, as the regional leader, Captain Kenneth Walker, is Pete’s brother. The 2023 building project was especially poignant for the pair, with their sister Captain Pauleen
Above (from left): Captains Kenneth and Catherine Walker with The Salvation Army volunteer team; Pete Walker with a representative from the Tongan Ministry of Infrastructure. 28
January 2024
