ABC News
Joshua Boscaini
In short:
HIV advocate and pioneer David Polson has been farewelled at a state funeral in Sydney.
Polson has been remembered as a “beacon of hope” for people living with HIV.
He was honoured for his work around HIV prevention, support, treatment and research.
Prominent HIV advocate David Polson AM has been remembered as a community warrior at a service in Sydney.
Polson, who died aged 70, was one of the first 400 men diagnosed with HIV in Australia in the 1980s when he was 29.
His HIV diagnosis made him determined to find a treatment, volunteering in 28 drugs trials under the care of Professor David Cooper AC.
In February 2024, Polson helped open Qtopia Sydney at the old Darlinghurst Police Station.
The museum documents the history of those affected by HIV and the struggle for legislative changes on homosexuality.
At a state funeral held at the City Recital Hall, Polson was remembered as a “beacon of hope” for people living with HIV.
Qtopia Sydney chief executive Greg Fisher paid tribute to Polson’s participation in medical trials, that often came at great personal cost.
“David saw himself as a cog in the wheel to overcome HIV/AIDS. That selfless statement reflected the man David was,” Mr Fisher said.
“His cog was not well-paid, his cog didn’t miss the torturous pain and side-effects of the trials he participated in.
“His cog did not avoid sharing Ward 17 South at St Vincent’s Hospital with other patients whose screams of pain as their organs were gradually shutting down would haunt David forever.”
Mr Fisher honoured Polson’s work around HIV prevention, support, treatment and research, and his resolve to bring Qtopia to life.
“It is Qtopia Sydney that was David’s final punctuation mark. It was the entity that would bring everything in his life together,” he said.
“He was humbled that so many people had willingly stepped up to make Qtopia Sydney all he hoped it would be and more.”
Polson’s long-time friend Peter Campbell remembered him as a “confident and charming” man who’s life was an “enigmatic amalgamation of paradoxes”.
“David Polson didn’t walk past anybody. He embraced everybody … Each of us felt we had a unique bond with him. That’s because he was naturally empathetic,” he said.
“He knew that LGBTQIA+ does not spell ‘woke’. It’s a formula for hope, humanity and unity, where all parts of one or more minorities in the puzzle that makes up a mature, open, interesting and above all civilised society.”
Throughout the countless years of medical trials, Polson became a fixture at St Vincent’s Hospital at Darlinghurst where he formed close friendships with the staff who cared for him.
“He nearly died several times and the worst thing I think that while he was suffering he watched many friends die … but he pulled through time and time again,” he said.
Polson was ‘adored by the people around him’
Polson was awarded an Order of Australia in 2023 for his “significant service to community health through HIV education and advocacy”.
“Most of the work David did that earnt him his Order of Australia and this marvellous state memorial, and other accolades, was done by a man who lived on the smell of an oily rag,” Mr Campbell said.
Sydney barrister Tom Woods said Polson, who helped look after him as a child, was one of the most visible and recognisable people in Potts Point.
“David knew everyone along Macleay Street and Darlinghurst Road, always greeting them with a kind word or a hilarious put down,” he said.
Mr Woods recounted how Polson, who had to pick up his mother Amanda from the hospital after surgery, pretended to her parole officer.
“When mum needed someone to collect her from hospital after a minor surgery a few years ago, David at once alarmed and delighted everyone in the hospital waiting area by announcing that he was Amanda Findlay’s parole officer,” he said.
“Despite all the problems with his health, he was, I always believed, fundamentally happy.
“He lived a fulfilling life and was absolutely adored by the people around him.”
