Bourke Gibbons: Champion Manly charity fundraiser dies aged 76
Bourke Gibbons, one of the northern beaches’ most iconic, respected and recognisable characters, has died.
Manly
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One of our most celebrated charity fundraisers and one of the northern beaches’ most recognisable and iconic characters, has died.
Bourke Gibbons was known by thousands of locals and visitors to Manly as the man in the wheelchair urging them to buy pens to help fund the Shepherd Centre for deaf and hearing-impaired children.
Mr Gibbons also raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for The Children’s Hospital, Westmead as well as for the Bear Cottage children’s hospice at Manly.
He was 76 when he died on April 2.
But even in the days before his death, the fiercely independent Mr Gibbons, was able to hand over a cheque for more than $10,200 to the hospital.
The wheelchair bound volunteer — he was born with cerebral palsy — was awarded a medal in the Order of Australia (OAM) for his decades of charity work.
He twice represented Australia at the Paralympics, travelling to Seoul in 1988 and Barcelona in 1992, with the boccia team.
Mr Gibbons was a regular on The Corso at Manly, usually setting up near St Matthews Anglican Church, to urge passers by to buy a pen. He later sold pens in the Chatswood CBD.
His family said his desire to help others developed out of a terrible six years spent in a notorious mental hospital — Peat & Milson Island on the Hawkesbury River north of Sydney — when he was young and where he saw the suffering of children, like himself, who should not have been there.
Mr Gibbons, who spent a large potion of his adult life living on the northern beaches, began fundraising for the Shepherd Centre after famous orthopaedic surgeon Bruce Shepherd, who established the organisation and had two deaf children, operated on him to help improve his impaired movements.
They became great friends.
Mr Gibbons has a building named after him at the Shepherd Centre facility at Roseville.
He also sat on Manly Council’s Access Committee which created a map detailing wheelchair access around the suburb.
His selfless work led to a biography, “Fantastic Spastic” written with the help of Marion Wood.
Mr Gibbons friend, journalist Rod Bennett, said he was a tireless fundraiser.
“He’d sit in front of St Matthew’s Church and collect for charity, for hours on end. Day after day and in all kinds of weather. That was where we met and became friends.
“He had a no-nonsense approach, didn’t suffer fools, and he used to joke around at my expense. But most importantly, he could laugh at himself.
“Manly has lost one of its characters.”
Mr Gibbons’ brother Scott and his sister-in-law Rhonda, said this week that he also quietly helped people, including a woman who was desperate to learn the piano, but didn’t have the money.
“Bourke bought her a piano,” Rhonda said. “Now she teaches piano to 20 kids a day.
“Stories that came out at his funeral were amazing and showed how many people he’d had an impact on.
“People who were sitting on the church steps, he would help then through emotional things and they became longtime friends.
“When we were cleaning up his house, we found all these awards we didn’t know her had. The things he did, the lives he touched, were amazing.”
His brother Scott said his volunteer work had become severely restricted by the Covid outbreaks.
“What he did for the children’s hospital was phenomenal. The hospital adored him.
“Even a week and a half before he died, the children’s hospital came out to see him and he presented then with another $10,000 cheque.
“He was a hero.”
Anne McFadden, head of Planned Giving at the Sydney Children’s Hospitals Foundation, said Mr Gibbons was committed to raising funds for a good caus.
“The Children’s Hospital at Westmead was thrilled when he decided to support sick kids,” she said.
“Rain, hail or shine, Bourke took to the streets and shopping centres collecting funds and selling Bandaged Bear merchandise. He also liked to come to the hospital to collect funds, always smiling and cheerful.
“A fundraiser to the end, Bourke presented a cheque for $10,208 for Neringa Hospice bringing his total fundraising to $94,000 for Sydney Children’s Hospitals Foundation.”
Jim Hungerford, CEO at The Shepherd Centre said he was deeply saddened to learn of Mr Gibbons’ death who he described as a “dedicated supporter” of the centre.
“Bourke was a colourful presence on Manly Corso for many years and was a friend of our founder Dr Bruce Shepherd.
“He spent many years selling pens from his wheelchair to raise money for The Shepherd Centre, along with other charities, and his work transformed the lives of hundreds of children with hearing loss.
“His compassion and ambition to help others was second to none. We are extremely grateful for all the support and donations Bourke contributed to The Shepherd Centre.”
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