Nurse heads to Solomons to help out

By BRONWYN SELL

While New Zealanders have spent the past few days trying to get out of the Solomon Islands, Auckland nurse Marianne Whittington is going in.

The Red Cross worker flew from Auckland on Wednesday, headed for the capital, Honiara, scene of an armed showdown between rival militia which has forced the resignation of Prime Minister Bartholomew Ulufa'alu.

She does not know what to expect or exactly how she will get there.

But she knows how to handle difficult situations, having served in Sudan, Afghanistan, Angola, Kenya and Thailand.

"There's always an element of risk whenever I go somewhere," she says.

"That's to be expected, but I believe I have enough knowledge to be able to keep myself safe."

Ms Whittington, one of 13 New Zealand Red Cross workers overseas, will be part of a three-person international Red Cross team, and will work in the islands for at least two months.

She said it was likely she would be helping residents by providing health care to replace services possibly disrupted by the conflict.

Meanwhile, Volunteer Service Abroad will review whether to keep workers in the Solomon Islands after two Wellington employees were withdrawn.

VSA would speak to workers about the value of continuing, especially in the western part of the island, said acting Pacific programme manager Jill Caughley.

"It was deemed wise to pull them out. They were under no particular threat but we didn't want to risk it," she said.

"We had to consider their safety."

Annette Gray, aged 36, a lawyer at Honiara's Family Support Centre, arrived safely in Cairns on Tuesday on the Australian naval ship Tobruk.

The unrest initially did not affect another VSA worker, Phil Clarke, 31, a computer programmer.

He was in Gizo, in the western province of the islands.

But after a group reported to be Bougainvilleans caused the death of a local man, it was decided to pull Mr Clarke out Mrs Caughley said.

He was to fly to Cairns yesterday.

He and Ms Gray would stay in Australia until a long-term decision was made on their future.