Doug returned to where his son spent the last two years of his life. "I wanted to go back and ensure them that they really needed to have another volunteer there and sort of carry on John's work. John was there for two years and I didn't want his two years to be wasted there by not bringing in another volunteer." Doug was given a hero's welcome. “I was so happy that I did because as I was saying, a village of 75 people, there was 300 people there to see me."
One of the nation’s most presitgious events, a 100-Day ceremony, a tribute to the life of his son. "On one sense it was just completely sad because the tears were there, on the next sense it was just such a happy occasion for me because I was able to share that with them."
Then Doug himself made history, given the Medal of Gallantry from the president of Vanuatu, an honor never before bestowed on a foreigner. "It's shocking, it's stunning, John was killed and he was out of there in such a short period of time, the people never got a chance to say goodbye to him so when I went back for this 100-Day ceremony, it was a healing for me as well as for the people of Erramango.” Read more.
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