IAN Paul Gale was born on Christmas Day, 1940, at Crown Street Women's Hospital, Paddington, younger brother of Kevin, twin to Peter, and son of Arthur and Dorothea.
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Paul lived all his single life in Jellicoe Street, Hurstville Grove. He went to Hurstville Primary School and Kogarah Boys High.
He was a keen sportsman. As an 11-year-old he was selected as a ball boy for the Davis Cup at White City.
On leaving school, Paul joined the Sydney Water Board at Sutherland, and played "A" Grade tennis in the St George competition.
Visiting relatives in Kiama, Paul met his wife-to-be Helen Fretwell, whom he married in 1964.
The couple lived in Heathcote, where he joined the Sutherland Rural Fire Service.
In 1967 he moved to Kiama to join Kiama Municipal Council as rates clerk, a position he held for 25 years-plus.
The couple and their two children, Andrew and Alison, lived in Gwinganna Avenue overlooking Kendalls Beach.
During those early Kiama years, Paul served on the board of Kiama Methodist Church and was its treasurer. He played rugby for Kiama and would become a very competent golfer.
He joined the newly formed Kiama Jaycees and become its president in the year it developed the Bonaira Reserve as a personal fitness park, and was involved in the Jaycees' sponsoring the formation of the Kiama Pre-school Kindergarten, becoming the the chairman of its board.
A proficient debater he was a member of the Kiama Jaycees team that won the NSW Jaycees state debating champs.
Elected NSW Jaycees state president, he was also awarded the highly prized Senatorship of Junior Chamber International.
He married his second wife, schoolteacher Bonita Gibson, in 1976. The couple had a son, Justin.
Paul chaired Kiama's Tidy Town Committee when Kiama was recognised at both state and national level.
He was appointed by the state government to the Kiama Hospital Board and remained a member until it closed as a full service hospital.
He was a member of the Lions Club of Kiama and chaired the committee that formed the Minnamurra Lions Club. He would become a board member at Kiama and club president.
He was awarded the Lions International Foundation's highest honour, a Melvin Jones Fellowship, for his outstanding community work and life membership of Lions International.
Paul left Kiama council to became manager of the St George Bank at Figtree, then manager in Kiama and retired from the bank as southern NSW district manager.
He joined the University of the Third Age, U3A, becoming its treasurer. With Gordon Bell he began the Tuesday Morning Men's Social tennis group.
Paul suffered a number of physical setbacks throughout his life, including a recurring back injury from a tennis fall which was eventually cured through surgery.
Paul would be diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease and Lewy Bodies Dementia.
When Bonita was no longer able to care for him at home, he was admitted to Blue Haven Nursing home, where he spent the last 20 months of his life.
He died peacefully two weeks after a fall that required a short hospitalisation and stitches to his head.
