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Former Cook Island Prime Minster now calls Montville home |
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Written by Administrator
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Thursday, 12 May 2005 |
A former Prime Minister of the Cook Islands has made the trip west to settle in beautiful Montville.
Sir Thomas Davis and his bride Lady Carla Davis moved to the Range in
December 2003. Carla, who had already lived on the Gold Coast in the
1970s, introduced Thomas to the region and the couple later decided to
make the move.
"We just love the tranquillity up here," said Sir Thomas. "There are so few places left in the world that are pristine like this."
Thomas, who had been in the Cook Islands Government since 1972, was elected Prime Minister in 1978 after he formed his own democratic party. He remained in power until he stepped down nine years later. He governed the people and the economy of the 15 islands which are spread over 2.2m square kilometres of ocean and lie smack in the middle of the South Pacific between Tonga, to the west, and the Society Islands to the east.
Under his guidance the region's economy grew from third-world status to a more robust fiscal stance by, in part, borrowing from the economic models of countries like Singapore and Taiwan.
 "In the Pacific they have now copied the Australian and New Zealand models which just don't fit," said Sir Thomas. "But these countries have resources which Cook Islands don't have and now the island economies are slipping back."
But politics and economics aren't Sir Thomas's only talents. He is a doctor of medicine and science, who was working on the design of his own space capsule back in 1942!
And as you will realise from his title, he was knighted by the Queen back in 1980. Rather than a political route to his Knighthood, Thomas and Carla suspect he achieved the accolade for the medical work and research he did on the Cook Islands. And his scientific capabilities are also most notable. He was one of 20 selected to work on the Apollo Program (which sent man to the moon), the Mercury Program (which put seven men in orbit) and has seen him pioneer a revolutionary new rocket-like propulsion system which he is still developing today.
And when Sir Thomas isn't designing systems he is embracing his love of building boats. In 1987, the year he left politics, Thomas was contracted to design and build an 80ft Polynesian Voyaging Canoe. "Building is one of my interests, I call it living archaeology," he said. "And I've always had an interest in Polynesian history."
Thomas has designed and built three boats in total, and has covered over 70000 nautical miles in these vessels.
"I've been to Tahiti, Hawaii, Tonga and New Zealand twice in boats I designed," he said. "But after I finished the last boat Carla wanted me to see Australia. As soon as I saw the Range and its birds, animals and cicada concerts, I realised it was a heavenly place I wanted to live within."
Sadly both Thomas and Carla, who is a Doctor of Naturopathy (nutrition), have deep reservations towards the way the Range environment, which they love so much, is being managed. They have grave concerns that widespread spraying of herbicides in and around the rainforest is destroying the ecosystem and displacing wildlife.
"I'm very disappointed at the moment because the last two Christmases we spent here we were surrounded by lorikeets and heard the cicadas," said Sir Thomas. "This last time round the greenery looked dull, the birds were gone and the cicadas weren't singing." He said that for the decision makers to say that chemicals are harmless is a fallacy.
"As a doctor I've done work with agricultural chemicals and there is no such thing as a harmless chemical which only targets one specific entity," Sir Thomas said. "If it's toxic to one, it's toxic to a degree to everything." Carla was equally concerned. "We came here for the uniqueness of it," she said. "We are nature sprits and don't want to see this region spoiled by short-sightedness."
Meanwhile, this couple have big plans on the Range. They hope to set up educational processes for the Pacific Islanders and educate them in areas like governance and holistic health. "Pacific Islanders have health problems like diabetes and we want to set up programs to tackle these problems," said Carla. "In Brisbane there is a huge Polynesian population alone."
The couple are very strong advocates of higher education and hope to give these people access to it. They also believe an influx of students to area would be good for its economy.
"So as you can see," said Thomas. "We're fairly busy and Montville is a great place to do that. I just hope they stop the spraying!"
CAPTION: Sir Thomas Davis and Lady Carla at their Montville home
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Last Updated ( Thursday, 12 May 2005 )
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Range News 2005 - ON 
