Blind band shows music potential

 By PETER SEVARA Jr
THEY may not see much but they can find their way around with music.
Meet the White Cane band, St John’s Blind Services very own musicians.
The five-member band features four blind  members and one is partially blind.
They hail from across the country with  Simon Nou Kwalahu on the keyboard, Dona Outhe the guitarist, Lucas as backup vocalist, Tom Ouke  lead vocalist and Michelle Muru lead female vocalist.
The band performed a range of songs at the weekend with the national anthem, Michael Jackson and Lionel Ritchie’s “We Are The World” and Kanai Pineri’s “Papua Niugini” capturing the  crowd’s imagination.
But the song that moved the crowd was their own composition, which was about the ability of the disabled.
Kwalahu said the name of the band originated from the white cane – used by the visually impaired to help them seek their way.
“The white cane is our eyes, we use it to give us directions and tell us if we are going to the right place or not,” said the short-sighted Kwalahu.
The band, formed five years ago, has performed at hotels and events and over the weekend it entertained at the launch of the Kriket Blo Olgeta programme at the Amini Cricket Grounds.
The band has sessions at their St John’s Blind Services, base near the reconstructed Sir Donald Cleland recreational area.