Vale Brian Simmonds (1938 to 2025)
It is with sadness that we acknowledge award-winning local artist and beloved member of the extended Fremantle Press team, Brian Simmonds, who passed away in early December 2025.
Brian was well known for his talent and his hard work, and also for his kindness and generosity.
Born in Subiaco, Brian worked as a lithographer in the printing industry, while studying art in the evenings, eventually gaining a Bachelor of Arts in Fine Arts at Curtin University. Before becoming a full-time professional artist in 1990, he worked for The Sunday Times and New Idea. Brian said, ‘For about 25 years my day job was in the printing industry, so it was a pleasure for me to get involved in publishing. I felt at home at Fremantle Press and with the people working there – and I still do!’
Children’s publisher Cate Sutherland first met Brian at the City of Nedlands Tresillian Arts Centre where he ran a daily art class for many years. She said Brian was a wonderful teacher and a fabulous artist, so when Dianne Wolfer approached the Press with the story of Lighthouse Girl, Brian was the illustrator who first came to mind.
Brian’s beautiful portraiture and evocative landscapes in charcoal were pivotal to the success of the Light series. Lighthouse Girl, Light Horse Boy, In the Lamplight and The Last Light Horse between them won a WA Premier’s Book Award and a WA Young Readers Book Award. They were CBCA Honour Books, on the CBCA Notables list and were shortlisted for the NSW History Prize, as well as going on to inspire several iconic theatre productions.
Drawings from Light Horse Boy featured in the Australian Publishers Association exhibition Hello! From Australia, at Bologna Children’s Book Fair, which was attended by 4,500 people from 70 countries. At the time, Brian described the book as a distinctive point in his career. He said, ‘As work on Light Horse Boy progressed, I, who have never been a soldier, felt I was growing to know my characters and be inspired by my gut feelings – this book has been quite an emotional ride.’
Brian exhibited his work many times and won numerous prizes for drawing, oil painting and mixed media works. As a result, his work can be found in many private and public collections in Australia – including the State Library of Western Australia’s Children’s Book Illustration Collection.
During the 17 years he collaborated with the Press, Brian created series of art books which saw his pastel landscapes and pencil illustrations accompanied by poetry and prose from well-known Australian writers. The team remembers how hard he worked to capture all the different aspects of Rottnest Island, the Swan River and WA’s amazing coastline resulting in three books: The River, Rottnest Island and The Beach.
While normally a reserved character happy to hide behind his easel, when Brian moved on to create his own books, he really enjoyed the limelight at launches, where he could meet new people and sign their books. At the time of his first solo book he said, ‘I think The River will always be my favourite. It was the first of my own books and the most exciting for me. For weeks after it went on sale I couldn’t go past a bookshop without going in to see my book on the shelf. It’s a feeling I can’t describe.’
Always amicable and good-humoured, Brian was a pleasure to work with, and he set aside an enormous amount of time to both the creation and the promotion of his books. We will miss him dearly, and extend our deepest sympathy to his friends and family.
