Subject: 'austraLasia' # 368

DON BOSCO - MORE THAN A PRETTY FACE!

Julian Fox

SUVA: 3rd July -- For eight months, the beaming visage of the Holy Founder has intrigued the Suva population, thousands of whom pass it every day to and from work as they peer from buses (no windows here)or walk along Kings Road. The curiosity got the better of many young people for whom the name was new but pronounceable, quite a plus to begin with. But seeing young Salesians playing volleyball behind the face, which hangs on our cyclone fence, soon enticed a few inside, and the few quickly grew.

Then came an interesting move - the regulars on the muddy pitch each afternoon - about twenty of them - approached the Salesian Community with a letter. The first paragraph reads thus (grammar and spelling unchanged): "As you may have been aware that some of the youths in the area have been using the Don Bosco House compound for recreational activities during the afternoons for touch rugby and volleyball. But at times the ground condition becomes so worse (sic)that playing is so unbearable because of the bad smell". The letter then goes on with "a wonderful idea of forming a Youth Group to start on a development of trying to have a proper outdoor court to cater for the youths in the area".

Could it come much better than this? Kids attracted in, hang around for a while, become active and involved and they make the request for a Youth Group. We have readily acquiesced of course, and so it can be said that as of 3rd July the Don Bosco Youth Group and Centre has made a formal beginning! The 'centre' is our own piece of turf, the group is around 20 or so, till we find a larger piece of turf. The committee is nominated (Fiji is not heavily into proportional voting or other democratic niceties at the moment)and is multi-faith-race-gender in composition. The President, a Mormon, led us in prayer and the Hindu committee member even managed a Sign of the Cross.

'Don Bosco' is now more than a pretty face.