OBITUARY: By Aubrey Belford, Australia and South Pacific regional editor of OCCRP
The Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) is deeply saddened to announce the passing of Dan McGarry, the organisation’s Pacific editor, who died yesterday in Brisbane, Australia, at the age of 62.
A veteran journalist and a pillar of the Pacific media community, Dan was instrumental in establishing and leading OCCRP’s investigative efforts across the region.
Dan joined OCCRP in late 2021 to help spearhead its first dedicated Pacific programme. A Canadian by birth, he spent more than two decades in the Pacific, eventually becoming a citizen of Vanuatu.
- READ MORE: Former Vanuatu Daily Post media director Dan McGarry leaves legacy
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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.
“Words cannot convey how devastated we are by this loss,” said OCCRP editor-in-chief Miranda Patrucic. “Dan was so much more than an editor who worked with local journalists and helped build our reporting teams, including our media member centres Inside PNG and In-depth Solomons.
“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.”
Dan’s life was defined by a multifaceted set of talents. Beyond his rigorous investigative work, he was a dramatic actor in theatre and television and a self-described “tech geek” who pioneered new ways to integrate technology into journalism.
When I moved back to Australia to start OCCRP’s Pacific programme, Dan’s name was the one everyone mentioned first. He had years of what was often a lonely experience fighting for press freedom and the public good in the region and he was instrumental in every single investigation OCCRP has done in the region.
He was formerly media director of the Vanuatu Daily Post.
He is mourned not just by his family, but also by the second family he built among the Pacific’s journalists.
Dan fell ill several weeks ago while on a work assignment in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea. He was evacuated by jet ambulance to Australia for specialised medical care. Despite the best efforts of medical teams, he passed away peacefully with family by his side.
OCCRP remains committed to honoring Dan’s legacy by continuing the vital investigative work he championed and by providing ongoing support to his family.
Read some of Dan’s reporting
Korean Doomsday Sect Gets Rich in Fiji With Government Help
Mystery Deepens as Second Narco-Sub Washes Ashore in Solomon Islands
Influencer Andrew Tate got Vanuatu Passport Around Time of Arrest on Rape Charges
Solomon Islands PM Has Millions in Property, Raising Questions Around Wealth
