The contribution and commitment of NSW’s first Aboriginal Mayor, Brewarrina’s Ted Simpson, are being commemorated in a display at the National Museum of Australia in Canberra. Director of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Program at the Museum, Michael Pickering, said Mr Simpson had helped make history without realising it. “Local stories and local lives are all part of the Nation's history,” Dr Pickering said. “Ted Simpson is one such story of one such life. The National Museum is privileged to share it.”
NSW trailblazer honoured in Canberra
Mr Simpson become Mayor of Brewarrina in 2004, over 40 years after his political career began in the shearing sheds of rural Australia. He was involved in Aboriginal politics and organisations such as the Aboriginal Development Commission and the Aboriginal Legal Service. During 1977 to 1985 Mr Simpson was on the National Aboriginal Conference, where he advised the Prime Minister andFederal and State Government Agencies on Aboriginal issues. Members of Mr Simpson’s family have travelled to Canberra to see the display. His eldest daughter, Liz Simpson, thanked staff at the Museum for their hard work in including her Father’s story among their collection. “As Dad was not one to blow his own trumpet as he was a humble man, it’s such a privilege for him to be recognised at this level,” Ms Simpson said. The display featured objects from the National Museum’s Edward Simpson Collection, including Ted Simpson’s 2007 Mayor on duty outfit, images of Mayor Simpson in Brewarrina and a commemoration plaque. The display also included some objects on loan from the Simpson family such as the Murdi Paaki Citizen of the Year 2004 Cup which was awarded to Mr Simpson in recognition of his life’s work in serving his community and achieving representation for Aboriginal people in mainstream political processes. Mr Simpson died last year at age 63.
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