David Vunagi

Early life and education

Vunagi was born on 5 September 1950 in Samasodu, on Santa Isabel Island (Isabel Province), in what was then the British Solomon Islands Protectorate. He studied at KGVI Secondary School, from 1968 to 1973. He achieved a Diploma of Education in Science at the University of the South Pacific in 1976, and a M.B. of Education in Biology at the University of Papua New Guinea in 1982. Before serving as a priest, he was a teacher at the government school at KGVI and at the Selwyn College of the Church of Melanesia. Vunagi earned a Bachelor of Theology at St John's College, Auckland, in 1990. He earned a Master of Theology at the Vancouver School of Theology in 1998.

Career

Vunagi was a teacher at the Bishop Patteson Theological College Kohimarama, in Solomon Islands, in 1992.

Vunagi later moved to Canada, where he was assistant priest at St. Anselm's Parish in the Diocese of New Westminster, British Columbia, from 1996 to 1998.

He returned afterwards to the Solomon Islands, where he was a priest in the Diocese of Ysabel. In 1999, he went back to teaching at the Selwyn College, where he was principal. He became Mission Secretary at the Provincial Headquarters of the Church of Melanesia, in 2000. Vunagi was elected the same year Bishop of the Diocese of Temotu, which he was until 2009. He was consecrated as a bishop and installed as the third Bishop of Temotu on 6 May 2001.

Vunagi was elected the 5th Archbishop and Primate of the Church of the Province of Melanesia on 4 March 2009, in a Provincial electoral board, held in Honiara, being enthroned on 31 May 2009.

He attended the Global South Fourth Encounter, in Singapore, from 19–23 April 2010, and was also represented at the Global South Conference that took place in Bangkok, from 18–20 July 2012.

Archbishop Vunagi left office on 6 September 2015, in a ceremony that took place at St. Barnabas Cathedral, in Honiara, attended by the nine bishops of the Anglican Church of Melanesia. He was succeeded as acting Primate by Nathan Tome, Bishop of Guadalcanal, the senior bishop of the province, until the election of the new Primate on 12 February 2016.

In June 2019, he was the sole candidate to become the next Governor-General of Solomon Islands, the monarch's viceregal representative in the country, and officially took office on 7 July 2019 (Independence Day). He served a five-year term.

Personal life and death

Vunagi was married to Mary Vunagi, the second child of Bishop Dudley Tuti, and had three children.

Following an illness, Vunagi died at his home in Okea, Guadalcanal, on 7 March 2025, at the age of 74.

References

References

1. "CENTRAL CHANCERY OF THE ORDERS OF KNIGHTHOOD | Honours and Awards | the Gazette".
2. (8 September 2015). "Melanesian primate David Vunagi retires". Episcopal News Service.
3. [http://kinghenry9.com/Sthfd/__Solomon_e.htm Solomon Islands]
4. "Index V".
5. [http://anglicanhistory.org/oceania/COM_archives.pdf List of small publications in the Archives of the Anglican Church of Melanesia (in the National Archives of Solomon Islands)] p. 26. (Accessed 25 August 2016)
6. [http://www.anglicannews.org/news/2009/03/anglican-church-of-melanesia-elects-new-archbishop.aspx Anglican Church of Melanesia elects new Archbishop, 6 March 2009, Anglican Communion News Service]
7. "The Anglican Church of Melanesia has a new Archbishop, Global South Anglican Online, 9 March 2009".
8. "Communiqué of the Global South Primates Bangkok, Thailand, 20 July 2012, Global South Anglican Online, 21 July 2012".
9. "Former Anglican Primate of Melanesia elected as Governor General of the Solomon Islands".
10. (29 April 2023). "GG LOOKS FORWARD TO KING CHARLES III CORONATION".
11. (7 March 2025). "Death reported of the former Archbishop of Melanesia". Anglican Ink.