SOLTUNA EMPLOYEE AWARDED Ed SMITH MEMORIAL PRIZE
Acting Australian High Commissioner Brendan Peace congratulates Hearty Matamaru for winning the Australia Awards Ed Smith Memorial Prize. Photo credit: Australian High Commission Office.
A SolTuna employee has been awarded the prestigious Australia Awards Ed Smith Memorial Prize to study a Masters Degree in Fisheries Policy at the University of Wollongong in Australia.
A statement from the Australian High Commission office in Honiara said Hearty Matamaru was presented with the Prize by Acting High Commissioner Brendan Peace recently, after being selected as the top candidate from a field of over 500 scholarship applicants.
The Prize was developed to honour the life and work of Edward Smith, an Australia High Commission officer who passed away while serving in the Solomon Islands in August 2014.
The Prize assists outstanding young Solomon Islanders in developing their leadership and professional skills in the fields of education, fisheries or agriculture.
Presenting the Prize, Acting High Commissioner Peace congratulated Mr Matamaru on his selection for the Award, wishing him well for his studies in Australia.
Hearty Matamaru joins 32 Australia Awards recipients from the Solomon Islands who will commence studies throughout Australia and the Pacific region this year.