The government has appointed Mr. Dean Aqo Wickham as the next Solomon Islands Honorary Consul in the state of Victoria in Australia. The government of Australia through DFAT has accepted Mr. Wickham’s nomination in early January 2021. Mr. Wickham will commence his official duties later this month, a position he will hold for the next five years.
To elevate the Solomon Islands engagement with Australia, the government has stepped up its presence in Australia. In less than two years, the government has re-opened two new posts; a new fully-fledged Consulate General office in Brisbane and an Honorary Consul post in Victoria. These two posts will continue to support the High Commission in Canberra. Consultations are currently underway to appoint another SI Honorary Consul for New South Wales.
Solomon Islands High Commissioner to Australia Mr. Robert Sisilo, on behalf of the Solomon Islands government, thanked Mr. Wickham for accepting this role and offering his services to support the Solomon Islands government in the state of Victoria. The government also acknowledge the service rendered to the country by the former Honorary Consul Mr. Reginald Hogson.
Australia remains Solomon Islands’ largest aid donor with bilateral cooperation enhanced over the few years in the fields of labour mobility, trade, education, security, health, women and gender programs, infrastructure development and renewable energy.
The state of Victoria remains Australia’s second-largest economy by state and hosts the second largest Australian city, Melbourne. The Solomon Islands stands to benefit from investment, trade, and people to people networking with this state. Currently, we have a sizeable population of our seasonal workers in Victoria and we have the third-largest Solomon Islands diaspora community in Victoria, after Queensland and New South Wales.
Mr. Wickham is the former Executive Officer of the Sunraysia Mallee Ethnic Communities Council in Mildura Victoria. His recent appointment to this position will bring in his wealth of experience in the fields of labour Mobility, business, and investments, education, agriculture, media, intercultural expertise, and sports. He holds various technical proficiency in the field of leadership and management and is a member of a number of associations and institutions in Victoria.
Mr. Wickham, an Australian citizen is originally from Western and Malaita province and has been working and living in Australia for more than 30 years.
