About us
Kalmer, Louisa and Kalex Vocor.
Kalmer Vocor was born in Hog Harbour (just a few kilometres from Lonnoc Beach) in a mission house. His father was a minister and his mother was the housekeeper for the ex-pat minister.
After secondary school Kalmer attended bible training college at the Tangoa Training Institute on the island of Espiritu Santo. He then moved to Kawenu Teachers College in Port Vila for 3 years graduating in 1971. He began his teaching career in 1972 in Port Vila and was selected for a teacher’s administration scholarship at Murray Park College in South Australia in 1975.
At the end of his scholarship he continued teaching in Vanuatu on the island of Emau where he met his lovely wife Louisa and got married in 1976. Together they returned to Santo in 1978 after being selected as a nominee for the New Hebrides’ (now Vanuatu) first election leading towards independence.
Being successful he became a Member of Parliament for the Luganville Constituency from 1979 to 1983.
On July 30th 1980 New Hebrides became an Independent country and was renamed ‘Vanuatu’ which means “Our Land’.
At the end of his political career in 1984, he moved to Lonnoc (his family’s traditional land) and began building his restaurant in 1985.
He started the first of the bungalows in 1991 with his other brothers & sisters. In the same year also becoming the CEO of the Northern Island Stevedoring Company Limited – a position he held until 2006 – the first and longest serving ni-van employed in this position.
Some of his other appointments include Member of Sanma Provincial Council 1992, Board Member of Van Air (now Air Vanuatu), and Board member of National Tourism & Deputy Mayor Luganville Municipality 2001-2003. Receiving an award for assistant Scout trainer in 1992 he eventually became Chief Commissioner of the Vanuatu Scout Association (2008-2011).
His church involvement includes being commissioned as a Preacher in the Presbyterian Church (2002), in 2003 Kalmer was commissioned as a Deacon, and in 2005 was ordained as an Elder. He also helped others with the financing the early stages of 2 Churches – Vocor Presbyterian Church and Kalomuana Presbyterian Church.
In 1982 Kalmer received the prestigious National Independence Medal for his involvement in the important early stages of Independence in Vanuatu.
In 2012 he started the tourism & hospitality school to train local students with skills to prepare them for the outside world.