A large crowd gathered today at the Guadalcanal Plains Palm Oil Limited in East Guadalcanal to witness the visit of the Duke of Gloucester to the Oil Palm Factory, despite the heavy downpour.

Heavy rain disrupted some parts of the programme but never got to dampen the spirits of the locals and GPPOL workers at the Guadalcanal Plains.

Speaking to Solomon Times, Secretary to the GPPOL Association, Eliam Tangirongo, stated that the Duke of Gloucester is a very down to earth person who showed a lot of interest in the process of oil and the future plans of the Oil Factory.

Besides touring the mill, the Duke of Gloucester, met the landowners who later performed cultural dances for the Royal. Although the heavy rain forced the dignitaries to stand while watching the entertainment, the Duke of Gloucester looked to have enjoyed every minute of the entertainment and the tour.

Likewise for the locals, many weeks of hard work have been put into the dances and the heavy rain did not deter them from the chance of entertaining for the Duke of Gloucester. One which they enjoyed very much.