From the High Commissioners Desk – Rod Hilton

As Australia’s High Commissioner to Solomon Islands, I have the privilege to meet a wide range of Australians who contribute in different ways to the development of this beautiful country. 

This includes the Australian women and men who contribute their professional skills and experience to organisations in Solomon Islands through the Australian Volunteers Program.  

The Australian Volunteers Program is an Australian Government initiative, which matches skilled Australians with partner organisations in the Pacific, Asia and Africa, to support those organisations achieve their development objectives.

International volunteering is a powerful way to build people-to-people connections between countries- and especially between Australia and Solomon Islands.

I’ve met many Australian volunteers in my time here and am inspired by their can-do attitudes, humility and genuine connections to communities.

There’s Som-Ling who’s helping with health planning. Claire who was out working with Western Solomons Surfing Association on Sports Development.

Jeremy is working with the Institute of Solomon Islands Accountants and  SINU to set up a new accounting qualification and Jeffery who was right  there with the athletes for the Pacific Games 2023. They are no nonsense and ready to help, much like our Solomon Islands partner organisations.

The volunteers always tell me how much they have learned and what a privilege it has been to come to Solomon Islands and share what they know. They make lifelong friends, and leave changed people. 

A long and proud history of Australian volunteers supporting Solomon Islands

Australian volunteers first came to Solomon Islands in the mid 1960s, and since that time over 800 Australians have volunteered their professional expertise and time to organisations throughout the country, working side by side with Solomon Islander colleagues across a wide range of sectors. 

Since 2018, 147 Australian volunteers have supported 53 partner organisations in Solomon Islands through 189 volunteer assignments

The Australian Volunteers Program partners with a wide range of organisations to support national development priorities.  And these placements are not just in the capital city – we have had volunteers in Malaita and Western province- the volunteers really get to know Solomon Islands’ way of life.,.  

The volunteers have worked in key sectors such as health and medical services, education, law and justice, tourism development, public sector governance, community services and sports development. 

Australian Volunteers in action

One of our current volunteers is Som-Ling Leung, who is undertaking an assignment  with the Guadalcanal Provincial Government’s Health Division to implement its Strategic Health Plan, aimed at improving access to health services for the people of Guadalcanal.  Som-Ling has told me that “through supporting my colleagues, I am also learning so much, including about the challenges of healthcare delivery in the Pacific, such as limited telecommunications, weather related logistic issues and financial constraints.  I am so impressed by the dedication and resilience of the workforce.”

The positive impact of Australian volunteers was well demonstrated in the lead up to the 2023 Pacific Games. Between 2021 and 2023, 12 Australian volunteers supported Solomon Islander athletes, coaches, physios and sports administrators through assignments with the Solomon Islands National Institute of Sports (SINIS) and the National Sports Council (NSC).

For example, one of our volunteers, Johnny Mulherin, supported the capacity development of Solomon Islander physiotherapists.  SINIS reported that Johnny helped to bring SINIS’s physios up to a higher standard, introducing them to new skills and techniques, and facilitating their accreditation as physios.

Forging connections between Indigenous Australians and Solomon Islanders

I am also excited to see connections between First Nations Australians and Solomon Islanders through the Australian Volunteer’s Program. In 2023, four Indigenous Australian women working in conservation with communities in Western province which are working with WWF Solomon Islands on environmental protection projects.

The group of First Nations Australian volunteers spent time in Pusiju, Nusatuva and Sagheraghi, learning and sharing knowledge and experiences about environmental conservation and management.  We recently had our inaugural First Nations Ambassador visit Honiara, and I was able to tell him about this exchange of knowledge and experiences. We should do more connecting our First Nations people.