Robbie Williams (politician) explained

Robbie Williams
Office:Councillor of the City of Brisbane
for Holland Park Ward
Term Start:October 2007
Term End:20 December 2007
Predecessor:Kerry Rea
Successor:Ian McKenzie
Birth Date:12 June 1962
Party:Labor

Robbie Williams (12 June 1962 – 20 December 2007) was the first Indigenous Australian councillor to sit on the Brisbane City Council.[1] He had held the role only since October 2007, but had been tipped to win a seat in the council elections in March 2008. Williams had previously served three terms as a regional councillor with ATSIC and was later the ATSIC commissioner for Brisbane and southeast Queensland. He was widely known for his community work,[2] and was the founder and chair of First Contact Aboriginal Corporation for Youth, an organisation dedicated to improving the lives of indigenous youth, in 1992.[3]

Williams was the son of Hazel, an Aboriginal woman with connections to the Yugambeh language group, and his father was Bob Williams, a butcher. He trained and worked as a butcher for several years before gaining a diploma in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander welfare and joining the Australian Public Service, working in the Department of Social Security.[4]

He was married to Trish and had four children. He died of a heart attack at the age of 45 on 20 December 2007.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: The Courier Mail | Breaking News Headlines for Brisbane and Queensland | Courier Mail.
  2. Web site: Hundreds honour 'Aboriginal warrior'. Georgina. Robinson. 29 December 2007. Brisbane Times.
  3. Web site: Robbie Williams to enter politics. Georgina. Robinson. 28 September 2007. Brisbane Times.
  4. http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,22983090-5006786,00.html Hundreds farewell 'Aboriginal warrior' | The Australian