11 February, 2025

NSW Aboriginal Land Council (NSWALC) and the Land Rights Network mourn the passing of Vic Simms, a proud Bidjigal Elder and icon in the music, performance and entertainment industries.

The acclaimed musician, also known as Uncle Bunno, was a long-time active member of the La Perouse Local Aboriginal Land Council.

Vic will be remembered for his steadfast commitment to music, performance, cultural education, the wellbeing of his community, and his many friends and colleagues in Aboriginal and mainstream communities around NSW and Australia.

He was a child prodigy who began singing professionally at the tender age of 11 in 1957, and released his first single Yo-Yo Heart, aged 15.

Vic’s debut album The Loner was written in Bathurst Jail and is named in The 110 Best Australian Albums: The Ultimate List of Australia’s Best and Most Influential Music of All Time. The Loner is recognised as a timeless Aboriginal protest album. He was inducted into the National Film and Sound Archive registry and in 2001 received the Deadly Award for Outstanding Contribution to Aboriginal Music. More recently, he co-created “Virtual On Country Field Trips”, delivered to University of New South Wales (UNSW) medical students at the height of the COVID pandemic in 2021 and 2022.

NSWALC Councillor for the Sydney/Newcastle Region and Chairperson Cr Raymond Kelly said that Vic Simms also received an honorary doctorate from UNSW in 2024, for his contribution to education.

“Vic used his extensive music and performance experience to lead and deliver cultural education sessions for 15 years in schools and universities. His lived experience as a man immersed in community and his culture gave him a unique and valuable perspective that he generously shared with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students, and broader student bodies.

“On behalf of the Land Rights Network, I send my deep condolences to Vic’s family at this very sad time.”