Parramatta icon Ray Wehbe dies aged 75
A man whose business acumen was matched by his philanthropy will be remembered as an icon in the western Sydney community he loved.
Parramatta
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The man “who built Parramatta” has been remembered for his massive acts of charity and being the heart and soul of the Maronite Lebanese community in western Sydney.
Builder Ray Wehbe died of cancer at his Oatlands home on February 7, aged 75, and was mourned at a funeral at Our Lady of Lebanon on February 11.
At a recent Parramatta Council meeting, Deputy Mayor Michelle Garrard called Mr Wehbe, who was a family friend, an icon.
“An icon is used a term usually associated with fashion designers, Hollywood or the arts community but in Ray, he was a Parramatta man who stood tall in everything he did but at the same time wanted no recognition,’’ she said.
“As a builder and a corporate citizen he was respected. As a family man he was adored. As an individual he was esteemed and Ray’s legacy to Parramatta is iconic.”
Mr Wehbe, who founded North Parramatta company Raysons Constructions, and his wife Shirley hosted a lunch for the homeless on Christmas Day and the Cancer Council fundraiser the Biggest Morning Tea, each year.
The compassionate pair donated more than $350,000 to charities such as the NSW Breast Cancer Institute, the Millennium Foundation and the Heart Foundation.
Cr Garrard recalled Christmases she spent at the packed Parramatta Town Hall with the Wehbe family who looked after the homeless community seeking food and company.
“There is an old saying that the good and the wise live quiet lives,’’ she said.
“In my opinion, that serves up Mr Wehbe perfectly. He was a quiet achiever. He was the person who didn’t want to be seen. He was the first person to say ‘Let’s do it’. He was the last man to say ‘It can’t be done’.”
She spoke of Mr Wehbe migrating from the Lebanese village of Blouza as a child before he married Shirley with who he raised four children.
“Over the next six decades he practically built Parramatta but his legacy isn’t associated with physical infrastructure of Parramatta but very much with social infrastructure,’’ Cr Garrard said.
“He was also the heart and soul of the Blouza Community at Granville.
“Even today, the Blouza Hall in Granville is named after that community and I bet Ray had something to do with that as well.
“Parramatta will miss Ray in so many different ways.”
Councillor Pierre Esber said Mr Wehbe, who lived near the site where four children were killed by an alleged drunk driver on February 1, was a man of his word.
“He was a distinguished gentleman from his community and one of the most distinguished gentleman I’ve met in my life.’’