7 August 2019

A Tribute to Paul Simpson

NSWALC and the land rights network sends its deepest sympathies to the family of Jali Local Aboriginal Land Council (LALC) board member and former employee Paul Simpson who passed away last week.

A past Chair of Jali LALC, Paul was remembered by North Coast region Councillor Tina Williams as a committed and passionate advocate for land rights and the Aboriginal community of the Ballina and Cabbage Tree Island districts where he lived.

"Paul's strong community spirit was inspirational," Cr. Williams said.

"He rarely missed a meeting and always brought fresh ideas to the table about important LALC business such as cultural heritage and economic development."

"And we all know that Paul was an enthusiastic Parramatta Eels supporter, so it is a fitting tribute to Paul that they won on the weekend."

Paul's commitment to community extended beyond land rights to the health sector. He was a board member of Bullinah Aboriginal Health Service where he helped drive the purchase of land in 2018 for the construction of an all-purpose health facility.

Born in Sydney in 1969 to Percy Simpson and Vivienne Anderson, Paul had ties to the Simpson and Dixon families of Walgett and Lightning Ridge through his father and the Cook and Anderson families of the north coast via his mother.

He later moved to the Ballina district where he worked for several Aboriginal organisations including Jali LALC and Bunjum Aboriginal Cooperative.

Paul Simpson's funeral will be held at St Mary's Anglican Church in Ballina on Thursday 8 August at 1pm.