As outer islands go, Palmerston is astoundingly well organised. Every Monday morning at 8am, the island administration team meets for devotions. A Cook Islands flag is on one side of the room, an enormous Union Jack on the other; and everyone wears the Palmerston administration team's blue, floral uniform. I go to the meetings seeing as I am 'school staff' for the time that we're here, and therefore part of the administration.Everyone on the team has a specific role, for example, working in the school, or looking after the diesel generators. Some of these jobs involve relatively little work, and in times gone by the diesel person would turn on a switch and then go home again. But now they have a system where everyone also works wherever else is needed.
So a person looking after the generator might also spend some time fixing a bike tyre or listening to children read at the school or helping on a building site. The new mission house, where the pastor and his family will live, cost $120 000 – all of which was paid for by fundraising. New water tanks are arriving soon, one for every family; hundreds of cocont palms are being planted on some of the smaller motus to preserve resources; and they will soon have a barge, which will make getting cargo off the ships and onto the island so much easier.
There are big, tall, mahogany trees in the centre of the island, where it is cool and dark. The pathways are edged with palm trunks and beautifully swept free of leaves; and lit up by lamps at night. Everyone on the administration team has a section of pathway to keep swept and clean. I've been for the odd morning job - odd both in the sense that I haven't been very often, and in the sense that everyone thinks it odd! No one runs. But I often see people already out sweeping 'their' section of public pathway.For such a small population (62 at the moment including me and C), it is all very impressive, and largely thanks to Tere Marsters, the island secretary, a leader with big visions, high expectations and a wide grin. Palmerston is the only outer island in the Cooks where the population is increasing. New houses are being built; and there is the feeling things are going ahead.
******
