It is with great sadness that we learn of the sudden passing of Tony Vernon Hughes on 25th February 2024.
At this time of sorrow, Transparency Solomon Islands families, friends and supporters extend our heartfelt condolences to the wife, children and family of Tony Hughes.
A golden, caring heart for Solomon Islands has stopped, two smiling eyes with a twinkle of humour is at rest.
Take comfort in knowing that those we hold dear will live on in their own ways and never truly leave us.
Late Tony Hughes will live on in the kindness that he has shared and love he brought into our lives. May our Lord comfort you and your loved ones.
His legacy will continue to live on, in the kindness, knowledge he shares with us and the quality of reasoning he adds to the work that we do and our sense of being responsible, and respectable members of our family, community and country.
Tony Hughes was the founding father and founding Chairman of Transparency Solomon Islands.
His vision for Transparency Solomon Islands epitomises his hope for people and country of Solomon Islands “CLEAN GOVERNMENT, HONEST BUSINESS”.
It is in this respect that Transparency Solomon Islands shares this brief of late Tony Hughes life, achievement and his love for Solomon Islands, his commitment to fighting corruption and calling Solomon Islands his own.
With Late Tony Hughes’s work and long involvement with Transparency Solomon Islands, we are privileged to have information it wishes to share about this great man who called Solomon Islands home to the many people he touched base with, shared with, mentored during his lifetime (rural, urban).
In his very last visit to the office of Transparency Solomon Islands 2020 as his memory starts to fail him, he left with the office a short version of his Curriculum Vitae. Transparency Solomon Islands therefore feels obliged to do so at his passing.
Late Tony Vernon Hughes was born in England 29th December 1936. His nationality at his time of his death is Solomon Islands.
In 1981 Mr Tony Vernon Hughes was awarded the Cross of Solomon Islands.
In 1970 he did post graduate studies in development planning at Bradford, Postgraduate Studies in colonial history, economics, and anthropology, at Oxford (1960-1961) and MA (Hons) in Law Oxford (1957-1960), Royal Navy 1955-1957.
He attended Queen Mary’s Grammar School, Walsall, UK (1945-1954). He speaks English (his mother tongue), Melanesian pijin, and basic French.
His areas of special interest and expertise during his lifetime are: “what lies beyond the seeming- issues, impacts, influences and outcomes; linking political and technical aspects of policymaking; management of public/private sector interface; negotiation and conduct of public-private joint ventures/programs; corporate governance, institutional review and planning; fiscal, monetary and balance of payments policy and management; coordination of external aid among donors and financial institutions; developing the capacity of national economic managers; leadership and management of interdisciplinary teams; and describing complex or abstract concepts in plain language.
Late Tony Vernon Hughes worked in, for and with Developing countries: Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tanzania, Thailand, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu.
In terms of Regional Organisations, worked in, for and with Forum Fisheries Agency, Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat, Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC), University of the South Pacific.
The International Organisations that he worked in, for and with are Asian Development Bank, Commonwealth Secretariat, FAO, UNDP, UN Center on Transnational Corporations, UNESCAP (Bangkok HQ and Pacific Operations Centre), World Bank, World Fish Center.
The bilateral donors and agencies that he also worked in, for and with are: AusAID (now DFAT), Commonwealth Development Corporation (now CDC Group plc), Crown Agents (UK), DFID (UK), NZAID.
Tony Vernon Hughes career span from 1961 to 2019 when due to his health he made the decision to step down from being a Board Member of Transparency Solomon Islands and taking on new assignments.
Five years from 1961 he was in district administration, local government, magistrates’ and local courts in Solomon Islands, Land Tenure and Public land administration in SI (1966-70).
He was working in development planning and public financial management in Kiribati (1970-72). He was heavily involved in Local Government Reform in Solomon Islands from 1973-1974, head of Head of Development Planning in Solomon Islands (1974-76).
He was Secretary for Finance in SI 1976-81 and the Team leader in financial negotiations and institutional developments before and after Solomon Islands’ independence in 1978.
Late Tony was Board chairman of financial institutions and joint venture corporations in commercial banking, plantation forestry, agriculture, tuna fishery and processing, airline operations.
From 1982 – 1993 he was the Governor of Central Bank of Solomon Islands, (1982-1993). From 1994-1999 he was the Pacific Regional Adviser to UN ESCAP based in Port Villa, Vanuatu.
From 1995-2003 he was the UK-nominated adviser on Tuvalu Trust. From 1994 -1999 Tony Hughes was the Pacific regional economic adviser to UN ESCAP (1994-1999), based in Port Vila, Vanuatu.
He was the UK-nominated adviser on Tuvalu Trust Fund Advisory Committee 1995-2003.
He was Board Chairman and continuing board member, Kolombangara Forest Products Limited (KFPL), FSC-certified sustainable forestry company, a public-private (foreign investor) enterprise in Solomon Islands. Since 2000 has operated as an independent consultant from home in Solomon Islands.
He has carried out numerous consultancy assignments since 2000.
These consultancies to name a few are included: team leader for ADB economic report and strategy for Marshall Islands Meto2000 ;institutional specialist in ADB-funded consultant team assisting National Fisheries Authority of PNG in 2000-2001 reorientation and restructuring; lead consultant/author of ‘Lowering the Threshold’, Commonwealth Secretariat 2002 study of private direct investment in small states, studies and conferences 2003-6; consultant team leader for ADB’s public sector management TA to Nauru 1999-2002; lead consultant to Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency on 2002-2005 Corporate Plan; team leader for ADB-funded 2002 economic report and strategy statement for Kiribati, Monetisation in an Atoll Society and connected management and planning TA 2003-4;team member of UNDP and AusAID-funded TA consultancies on federal structure and economic governance in Solomon Islands, 2002-3; reviewed PNG’s development policies since independence as background to ADB assessment of effectiveness of its programs in PNG, 2003; trust fund specialist in ADB-funded assessment of trust fund method for financing outer island development in Cook Islands, 2003; consultant to AusAID on aspects of its aid programmes in SI and Kiribati, 2005-8, relating in particular to forestry sector, economic reform and improving public sector performance; team leader, WB-UNDP TA to Solomon Islands on medium-term strategic planning 2006; board chairman, Soltai tuna fishing and processing enterprise in Solomon Islands 2008-10, including attraction of new investment capital and planning and negotiation of re-privatisation after period of SIG ownership; Commission of Inquiry into Reform Program of SI Ports Authority, June-September 2016.
Late Tony Hughes has numerous published articles under his name and book chapters on land tenure, development planning, public finance, central banking, joint ventures, economic management, and governance in small states one of most read, consulted “A different kind of Voyage: Development and Dependence in the Pacific Islands in ADB’s Pacific Study Series, 1998: book length account of Pacific Islands political economy and prospects, republished on internet 2013.
A big thank you to Tony Hughes for having a heart for people and country of Solomon Islands and for doing your part promoting, protecting democracy through good governance.
Rest in peace with the Lord till resurrection day! Farewell Tony from Transparency Solomon Islands. We will continue to advocate for clean government and honest business.
Thank you Kuria and children for sharing your husband and father with TSI. May God give you strength and comfort you at this time of loss.
by Rodney Kingmele (Chairman, Transparency Solomon Islands)
One thought on “Farewell Tony Hughes”
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Farewell to a public servant of the highest esteem and wisdom. You were a lion of integrity, grit and progress. The entire country is in your debt. Go well, man long Roviana.