Patrick Simon

Patrick Simon, AO, 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 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.