by Georgina Maka’a
In-Depth Solomons today joined colleagues across the Pacific to express its deepest condolences on the passing of the legendary editor Dan McGarry.
Based in Vanuatu, McGarry was Pacific Editor for the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) when he died in Brisbane, Australia, yesterday from heart failure.
He was 62.
“Dan’s passing was a huge loss for OCCRP, as well as for Pacific journalism,” editor and co-founder of In-Depth Solomons, Ofani Eremae, says.
“We are going to miss his presence and guidance,” Eremae added.
As one of the Pacific editors of OCCRP, the world’s largest investigative journalism network, McGarry worked closely with OCCRP member centres In-Depth Solomons, Inside PNG and a cohort of OCCRP fellows.
Charley Piringi, one of In-Depth Solomons co-founders and lead investigator, worked closely with McGarry on a number of investigations.
“Dan was a fearless journalist, a principled editor, and a tireless advocate for truth and accountability across the Pacific,” Piringi said.
“His work elevated investigative journalism in the region, giving voice to stories that might otherwise have gone untold and holding power to account with courage and integrity,” he added.
“Through his leadership at OCCRP and his longstanding contribution to journalism in the Pacific, Dan mentored and inspired a generation of reporters, including many in the Solomon Islands, especially OCCRP’s member Center, In-depth Solomons.”
Piringi said McGarry believed deeply in the power of local journalism and worked to strengthen independent media in some of the most challenging environments.
A Canadian by birth, McGarry moved to the Pacific more than two decades ago, eventually becoming a citizen of Vanuatu.
At one stage, he served as editor of the Daily Post, Vanuatu’s only national newspaper.
McGarry joined OCCRP in late 2021 to help spearhead its first dedicated Pacific program.
His deep love for the region was matched by an unparalleled knowledge of its political and social landscape, making him an essential voice for transparency and accountability.
OCCRP’s Pacific lead editor, Aubrey Belford, said McGarry’s passing is devastating not just for his family but for all journalists working in the region.
“Dan was an absolutely dominating presence in Pacific journalism and in the region more generally,” Belford said.
“He was compassionate, sharing, and always motivated by a sense of justice and the common good. He was driven but also understood the importance of patience, friendship, and community,” he added.
“When home in Vanuatu he loved nothing more than finishing his day with a shell or more of kava, satisfied in the knowledge he had found his place in the world.”
Bosnia-based OCCRP Editor-in-Chief Miranda Patrucic said:
“Words cannot convey how devastated we are by this loss.
“Dan was so much more than an editor who worked with local journalists and helped build our reporting teams … he was beloved because he truly cared about the mission and the people he worked with.
“He possessed a bottomless well of patience and is irreplaceable as a mentor and leader.”
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