Patrick Simon (politician)

rdf:langString Patrick Simon (politician)

rdf:langString Patrick Simon

rdf:langString Patrick Simon

rdf:langString Mayor of Villers-Bretonneux

rdf:langString Politician

rdf:langString Dentist

rdf:langString Catherine Simon

rdf:langString Patrick Simon, AO, (12 June 1955 – 13 May 2020) was a French politician, dentist, Mayor of Villers-Bretonneux from 2008 until 2020, and strong proponent of Australia–France relations. Simon served as Mayor of Villers-Bretonneux for two terms from 2008 until his death in 2020 from COVID-19 during the COVID-19 pandemic in France. In April 1918, during World War I, Villers-Bretonneux was liberated from German occupation by the First Australian Imperial Force at the cost of an estimated 1,300 Australian lives. Following the war, donations from the state of Victoria and Victorians helped to rebuild the village. Simon became a major supporter of relations between France, Villers-Bretonneux, and Australia during his twelve-year tenure as mayor. Mayor Simon oversaw the renovations of the Franco-Australian First World War Museum in Villers-Bretonneux, helped to establish the Sir John Monash Centre in France in 2018, and presided over Villers-Bretonneux's annual Anzac Day commemoration for twelve years. Simon was awarded an honorary Order of Australia (AO) in 2015 for his advocacy on behalf of Australian-Franco relations, while the Australian press dubbed him "Australia's best friend in France." Most recently, Mayor Simon organized of a fundraiser for victims of the 2019–20 Australian bushfire season which raised approximately $37,000 AUD from Villers-Bretonneux's residents and school students by the end of February 2020.