The Joy is in the Journey

Coming from a position of having significant input into the development of the new ‘Solomon Is.’ brand, it is difficult to talk objectively about the response and the potential that this offers. What I can talk about is how the entire experience has affected me, specifically with respects to my time spent in the Solomon Islands.

I have been more than fortunate to spend 4+ months in the Solomon Islands over the last year. I have set foot on probably 20 islands and seen or flown over a few hundred more. I was told by more than one person when I first arrived, “Just wait until you get out and see all the islands”. As a resident of the South Pacific Islands for more than the last 20 years, I didn’t think I’d experience too much that would really surprise me. Well… I could not have been more wrong!

I saw lives being lived very close to the same way they have been living for hundreds of years. I saw an entire nation who treated me as neighbour, never, ever as a tourist. I saw regions who lived by canoes or small outboards and whose lives and commerce depended on the bountiful gifts of the sea. I saw natural blessings and purity and flora and fauna and I felt humbled and intoxicated at the same time. I saw more smiles than I could ever record. I saw a place I will never forget; I will always return, and I will forever be grateful to have as a treasured part of my life’s journey.

Steve Reid
Executive Director
Webmedia South Pacific