Graham Roy Neilson was born in 1951 in Toowoomba where he and his sister Judy spent their formative years. After graduating from Toowoomba State High School in 1968, he commenced his Articles of Clerkship at Wonderley and Hall in 1969.
After moving to Gympie in 1973, he finished his articles with Rod Sykes, and then was admitted into practice in 1974. In the late 1970s he bought into the firm, and it was rebranded Sykes, Neilson and Co.
In 1984 Neilson Stanton and Parkinson was formed, the firm in which he was a partner until his retirement in 2018.
His experience and wisdom benefited the Gympie legal fraternity in many ways, but most significantly so through his contribution as a Senior Counsellor.
Many in the local legal community were the beneficiary of Graham’s wisdom and guidance. Beyond that role, Graham was a wonderful colleague, and mentor and a decent adversary. He was the embodiment of everything that a country practitioner should hope to be.
Outside of the law, he was a foundation member of the Gympie-Cooloola Rotary Club, and a Paul Harris Fellow.
He had a love for fishing and boating. I recall he warned me against the costs associated in buying a boat, telling me that it simply stands for Bring Out Another Thousand.
I have known Graham for all of my life, as he and his first wife, Donna, were good friends of my parents. I am fortunate to have enjoyed changing and maturing relationships with Graham, from him being parents’ friend, to the wise partner in another law firm, to equal (or so I would like to think).
Reflecting upon Graham’s life, these words do not capture him properly. Others have described him as “kind” and “ethical”.
Those features seem to be a constant when recounting interactions with Graham, even from those who were not particularly close to him.
His family was so very important to him. His two daughters, Jo and Amy, were the apples of his eye. That love has extended to his grandsons, who he loved to watch grow and play sport.
Despite producing two beautiful and formidable daughters, the union of Graham and Donna did not last. He was fortunate to find love again with Margaret, who he loved and adored.
They married in 2002 and spent their happiest years between their home in Gympie and their boat at Tin Can Bay.
They savoured the simplest pleasures, morning coffees, visiting wildlife and regular catch-ups with friends. She, along with his daughters, cared for him through his battle with cancer. He passed on Sunday, 5 April 2026.
Vale Graham Roy Neilson.
Share this article