Former Governor General Sir David called to rest this afternoon

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Former Governor-General of Solomon Islands (2019 to 2024) Sir David Vunagi has been called to rest this afternoon at his private home at Okea in North Guadalcanal.

The late Sir David was also a former Archbishop in the Anglican Church of Melanesia, a one-time Bishop of the Diocese of Temotu in the ACOM, former teacher and Principal of Selwyn College.

Close family friends of Sir David confirm that he died around 2pm this afternoon.

The late Sir David was elected as the Governor-General in 2019, when he served as the Principal of Selwyn College.

Vunagi was born in Samasodu in Isabel on 5 September 1951. 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.

 He was also a teacher at the Bishop Patteson Theological College Kohimarama 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.^[4]

He was elected the 5th Archbishop and Primate of the Church of the Province of Melanesia on 4 March 2009.

The late Sir David served for five years until July last year when he was replaced by the current Governor General Sir Rev. David Tiva Kapu.