David Thomas Fox was admitted as a Solicitor in New South Wales 1967. He held a practising certificate for 58 years. He passed away on Saturday 21 June 2025, having practised as a solicitor in Gordon for almost all of that time.

David Thomas Fox was born on 30 August 1935 in Summer Hill. At that time, his parents, Ena and Norman Fox, were living in Nowra where Norman was the Rector of All Saints Anglican Church. In 1942, because of the fear that Sydney might be attacked during the War, David and his sister Joy were sent to live for a year with their Aunt Elsie and Uncle Don at Lismore. In 1943, Joy and David returned to the city to live in Surry Hills where their father Norman was then the Rector of St Michael’s Church. Subsequently his father moved to St Martin’s Church, Killara. At 28 David married the girl next door, Angela Bradfield, a granddaughter of the famous Dr Bradfield of the harbour bridge fame.

David was a wonderful character. He had a certain charm and he was always a really good storyteller. If you met him you really liked him, he was one of those genuinely nice people and you got what you saw. David was a solicitor and a partner in a city legal firm called Sillar and Madison.

David opened the branch office of Sillar and Madison at Gordon in 1968. Richard Staniland joined him. The office was at 772 Pacific highway Gordon and was really small. David's wife Angela was the receptionist and only employee. David and Richard were squashed into a tiny space. To give you an idea of how small the office was, if a client arrived Angela would have to stand up and leave her desk for the client to have access to the offices.

David was a gatherer – he gathered people around him because he was such a wonderful gregarious character. Everybody loved him so it was not long before he was out socialising with the Gordon business community the local bank managers, local estate agents or anybody who would stop and have a chat with him. It was not uncommon for David and Richard to get a case of beer on a Friday afternoon and knock on the back door of the Westpac bank and sit down with all the staff for some after work refreshments.

By 1972 the firm was flourishing. It was when the city office wished to amalgamate with another city firm. Richard and David made the bold decision to go their own way and Fox and Staniland was born!

Fox and Staniland is now one of the largest legal practices on the northern side of Sydney with 20 lawyers and multiple staff. It occupies large premises next door to the council chambers. It has the naming rights to the building so that “Fox and Staniland” is lit up on the outside of the building facing Pacific Highway. David was so proud to see the way the firm has progressed since its humble beginnings.

The firm recently moved into larger premises within the same building. David came to look at the new offices about four or five weeks ago. He was so impressed with what he saw. Two major conference rooms are named after David and Richard. The Fox room is immediately off reception for everyone to see. All of the employees loved David as did all of his clients and others around him because of his empathy and understanding of the problems which people faced. He will be sadly missed by all those who knew him.