Todd Talks By Todd Muller

I'm a believer in what goes around comes around. If I'm honest, at times I've meant that in anger. However, I seek mostly to do small, helpful things for people which mayin turn encourage a reciprocated altruistic response.

On Friday I spent an hour with Captain Jesse Misa, who heads up Marine Reach, a Christian enterprise that helps out our Pacific neighbours with free ophthalmological and dental services delivered on board a vessel that sails around the Pacific. By chance this vessel is anchored here in our harbour.

There were 25 volunteers on this Japanese vessel that's being completely refurbished. People from all around the country and the Bay, all works of life, painters, electricians, welders, builders – all donating their time for a cause of helping others.

The main benefactor on their next voyage will be Vanuatu, and their Prime Minister is coming next month to view the ship before it leaves and say ‘thank you' in advance.

But this giving is not all one way, however deserved, for at the moment there are more than 500 Ni-Vanuatuans – people from Vanuatu– in the Bay, mostly working long hours to assist in helping our kiwifruit community harvest our large bounty.

I'm fascinated by this sort of ‘one degree of separation' examples occurring across our community.

It reinforces that we are more complete when we are part of something larger than ourselves and the best way to enable this is to volunteer our time – thank you again to those who do.