Vale Sir Ninian Stephen

The Rt Hon Sir Ninian Stephen, HFA’s Patron for many years, died on 29 October 2017, aged 94.

Sir Ninian Stephen was a supportive and loyal friend to HFA over many years.

Sir Ninian had been a High Court judge and was Governor General of Australia in the 1970s and 1980s.  He chaired the Review of the Australian Blood Banking and Plasma Product Sector in 2001 which gave rise to the National Blood Agreement and the establishment of the National Blood Authority.

He was also centrally involved in the establishment of the Mark Fitzpatrick Trust, which was set up by the Australian Government to provide special financial assistance to people with medically acquired HIV and their dependents and named for a young Tasmanian boy with haemophilia who died of AIDS when he was 10 years old.

Well known for the “gentle dignity” he brought to his roles and his respectful approach to all he met, Sir Ninian Stephen will be sadly missed.