Page 6 - Mar 16

Then Dr Lenstar arrived. He grew up in the region and was determined to serve his
community. For three years he worked with whatever equipment was available, doing the
best he could.

At one stage a volunteer dentist promised to build him a new clinic, but when that dentist
developed health issues the project stopped. After earlier disappointments with stalled
infrastructure projects, I had promised myself I would never attempt another building
project.

Then Dr Lenstar approached me again. He planned to build a simple clinic using timber from
his family land and asked if I could help with equipment and design. His dedication was
impossible to ignore.

Around that time, I connected with John Paskin from RARE in Brisbane and met Dr Phil
Saxby, who was building a dental clinic in Vanuatu. John suggested I join the Rotary Club of
Mooloolaba—an active club already working in the Solomon Islands. That suggestion
quietly set the project in motion.
From that point on, Rotary support began to build. Rotary clubs helped with project
paperwork and donated funds that helped get the project moving, while additional equipment
donations came through Rotary connections. Shipping was made possible through the
generosity of RARE, who arranged for containers to be transported free of charge.

A retired Australian builder gathered the materials, pre-measured and pre-cut everything, and
packed a shipping container with building supplies and dental equipment. Two Solomon
Islander builders joined the project alongside another volunteer from Australia. After five
weeks of work, the clinic was largely completed, and the local health team finished the final
stages.