The BRITISH FRIENDS OF VANUATU was formed in 1986 with the objective of helping to bridge the gap between the United Kingdom and the newly independent Republic of Vanuatu.  The idea grew out of the need felt by expatriates of many nationalities, all of whom enjoyed the experience of living, working or simply visiting the islands of Vanuatu and its people.  Richard Dorman CBE played the leading role in the association since it was  founded in 1986 until he retired as chairman in 1999.  In November, 1999, Richard was awarded the Republic of Vanuatu National Award of Merit by the then Prime Minister, the Hon Donald Kalpokas, at a ceremony in London, generously hosted by the Foreign & Commonwealth Office. 

 In September 1999 Norman Shackley took over the chairmanship of the association and remains in post at the present time.  Like Richard, Norman's origins are in Stafford in the west midlands and both served in Vanuatu in the period shortly after independence in the early 1980s when Richard was the British High Commissioner based in Port Vila.  On loan from the British department of Customs & Excise, Norman served with the Vanuatu Department of Customs & Taxes in both Santo and Vila from 1982-1989.  He is married (Mena) with two children - Christopher (Ecole de L'Ambassade) and Nathan (born in Port Vila) and, like Richard before him, also represents the British Friends of Vanuatu as a Council Member on the Pacific Islands Society of the United Kingdom and Ireland.

The British Friends of Vanuatu  membership is currently around 600, including a large number of overseas nationals and corporate members, with many members in Australia and New Zealand, Vanuatu, the USA and Canada, Japan, China and many European countries but particularly in France.  The association has links and works closely with 'Les Amis Français de Vanuatu' based in Paris.

The Role of the British Friends of Vanuatu : The association is active in a number of development areas, but particularly so in education, funding the secondary scholarship fees, in appropriate cases, of young people who would otherwise receive no higher education . It has established relations with various like-minded bodies at home and abroad and, from time to time, co-hosts events and development projects with them. The association publishes a respected and widely-read newsletter which provides reports on changing political and social events in Vanuatu. While the newsletter was produced by Richard Dorman in the period 1986-2004 it was recognised by many academics and other students of the Pacific as one of the most reliable historic records of the Vanuatu post-independent period in existence.  This web site provides, for members only, electronic access to all archive copies of the newsletter published since 1986.  

The association cooperates with Britain’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Department of International Development in matters of common concern.  Officials of the association frequently answer inquiries from the media and the public.

A major annual event in the associations calendar is the Annual General Meeting and Dinner weekend which, for the past few years, has been held at different venues around the UK. This event combines the annual general meeting with an ideal occasion for a get-together of old friends (including Vanuatu visitors) and a chance to meet new ones. The event is normally held in late March or early April.

Finance: The association is an independent, non-profit making organisation depending almost entirely on subscriptions from members. The membership fees are kept low so as to meet all pockets.

In December 2005 the British Friends of Vanuatu established a Charity in the name of The British Friends of Vanuatu Charitable Trust.  The BFOV-CT is now the charitable arm of the association and deals with all our activities relating to education and the reduction of poverty in Vanuatu.

Membership: Many members of the association have worked in Vanuatu and elsewhere in the Pacific. They include former diplomats, expatriates employed by the British or Vanuatu governments, VSOs and GAP year students, as well as church and business people. There are also ni-Vanuatu islanders who have made their homes in the United Kingdom. In addition, corporate membership has been extended to various government and business organisations, and other bodies concerned with the region.