Corporate entry: Malaita Development Company
Details
The Malaita Development Company (MDC) was registered as a private company in 1970 with the intention to develop Malaita using local money and labour. The directors were Dr Clement Ofai (q.v.) (Chairman), Mariano Kelesi (q.v.), David Kausimae (q.v.), Fred Ani'I, Salana Ga'a (q.v.) and Archdeacon Peter Thompson (q.v.). They hoped to raise $30,000 and use it to begin a daily bus service, boatbuilding, a hotel and other tourist activities. The idea was to undertake projects that were beyond the finances of co-operative societies (q.v.). In 1972, the company was losing money on its boatbuilding enterprise, a fuel-filling station, a garage and a taxi. It also had six buses running on the north road to Fouia. Extra funds were sought from Canada and a volunteer manager was obtained from the Canadian University Service Overseas organisation, but by April 1975 the MDC had lost $40,000 and was wound up. (NS 30 Sept. 1970, 15 Sept. 1972; SND 18 Apr. 1975)