Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, 1 September 1983 — TRUSTEE'S CORNER [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

TRUSTEE'S CORNER

This eolumn is open to all OHA Trustees as a vehicle for them to express their mana'o. The opinions expressed are the personal views of eaeh individual Trustee and do not necessarily represent theoffieial position of the OHA Board of Trustees. S r

TRUSTEE AT LARGE

by Thomas K. Kaulukukui, Sr.

I've been with OHA since the beginning as a Trustee. There have been many frustrating moments during the past two years when it seemed nothing could be done. There have also been moments, especially in these past few months when all the effort of planning, organizing and coordinating paid off. We had a tremendous and successful Oahu Makahiki this summer. The response of all the young people who participated was great. I saw in their faces, especially in the children, a sense of pride, accomplishment and satisfaction. No one ean rob them or myself of that precious moment. Our laurels will not rest upon just one event. In September, our Health and Human Resources Division and Crime Committee held a State-wide Conference on Crime. We were seeking answers to lower the rate of crime, the involvement of youth in acts of crime, and to increase the sharing of ideas to prevent crime. I hope that our efforts to bring government and community people together result in more opportunities for our youth to gain selfrespect and esteem whieh would deter involvement in crime. Equally important has been our ef-

fort to enter Hawaiians in the South Pacific Games. A delegation, whieh included myself and Trustee Moses Keale, appeared before the South Paeific Games Council while the Games were held in Apia, Western Samoa. Our main objective was to secure the entry of Hawaiians into the Games as an opportunity for young people to participate in international competition, to compete with other Pacific islanders, and to take our plaee among our ancestral relatives. That decision is pending. 1 have always believed sports to be one of the most honorable means of building moral character, respect for one's self and others, and creation of lasting friendships. Like the Crime conference, I truly believe our entry into the Games will give our youth the ehanee to have a mission, a goal, to be someone. I was one of those who helped bring in Pop Warner Football here some years ago. I thought that was some aecomplishment. But I think I will find as mueh pleasure in seeing a Hawaiian win a Gold Medal at the South Pacific Games. It would be like seeing those beaming faces at the Makahiki Games.