Vale Lee Willis-Ardler

My good friend and Aboriginal brother Lee Willis-Ardler died this week after a courageous battle with an aggressive brain tumour. Lee fought it for 12 weeks. His sisters Fiona and Gillian lovingly cared for him at home every day.

I met Lee almost 20 years ago. He was one of those rare people whose friendship never comes with conditions. He was loyal. He was compassionate. He was generous in ways that were both enormous and completely ordinary to him.

Lee was the kind of friend who would drive for hours to pick you up from the side of the road if you needed a lift. No drama. No judgement. No expectation of anything in return. He would just come.

He even gave me his dog. That was Lee.

Lee was a proud Wodi Wodi Aboriginal man from Wreck Bay in NSW. His Dreaming was the Sea Turtle. He carried and shared his culture with pride, quiet strength, deep humility and an open heart.

From 2008 to 2010, Lee and I worked together at Indigenous Community Volunteers. He was the Regional Manager for NSW and Victoria, leading a team of six staff out of Dubbo and supporting Aboriginal communities across two states. I remember his home in West Dubbo. It was an old asbestos place. It didn't have much materially. But it was filled with love. Every day, it seemed like all the kids in the street were there. They were being fed, looked after, welcomed and loved.

That house said everything about Lee. Whatever he had, he shared. Whoever needed care, he cared for. Whoever turned up, he made space for.

More recently, Lee and I worked together again through Lyrebird Dreaming on projects that empowered Aboriginal communities - from the Cooks River in inner Sydney to the Cumberland Plain. Lee's work was never about ticking boxes. It was about listening properly. It was about respect. It was about making sure Aboriginal people were heard, not spoken over.

Lee had a cheeky sense of humour and a rare gift of making people feel safe enough to be honest. He listened without ego. He spoke with kindness. And he brought people together without needing to be the loudest person in the room. He was open-minded in a way that wasn't weak, but deeply strong. He could see the good in people. He could sit with difference. He could hold pain without becoming hard. He had a humanity that made the world better simply by being in it.

Lee is survived by his mums Carol and Coral and his daughter Gillinga and son Dusty. But the truth is he also leaves a huge hole in the lives of his broader family, his friends, his Aboriginal community and this country.

Australia needs people like Lee Willis-Ardler. If everyone had Lee’s kindness, open-mindedness, sense of humour and humanity, the world would have no problems.

Vale, my brother. Thank you for your friendship. Thank you for your loyalty. Thank you for your compassion. Thank you for the work we did together. Thank you for the laughter, the lifts, the love - and your dog!

You made this world better. And I will miss you.

Gregory and Lee in Newtown where Lee lived.