Kings Cross farewells one of its colourful characters

Kings Cross will farewell one of its most colourful characters tomorrow.

Mourners will gather at the Crematorium of the Eastern Suburbs Cemetery in Matraville to say goodbye to Malcolm Duncan.

Mr Duncan died died in the early hours of last Friday morning at the age of 54.

He had not been well for several days and thought he had the flu. The cause of death is yet to be determined by the coroner.

Duncan was a Potts Point resident, barrister and President of the 2011 Residents’ Association.

Well known for his over the top personality and fiery diatribes he was fondly remembered by members of the community.

On his Facebook page Sydney Councillor Shane Mallard, who Duncan referred to as Cr Duck, paid tribute to his memory.

“Vale one of the colourful characters of contemporary Kings Cross,” he writes.

“We had many run-ins over issues like Injecting Centre. My last contact with him was sending a Christmas Card.”

President of the Kings Cross Heritage Society Andrew Woodhouse said while Duncan hada gift for ruffling feathers his heart was always true.

“He was a generous man, both in girth and in his efforts to see justice done and seen to be done, especially for our community,” he said.

“He was a ‘barrister-at large’ and will always be remembered as someone who put others first as an advocate for the poor and mistreated despite his own personal peccadilloes.”

He took on various cause célèbres pro bono, such as a Supreme Court action to injunct the Kings Cross Injecting Centre, which he lost, and was general legal counsel for the Kings Cross Community Centre.

He had planned to stand as an independent candidate for the seat of Sydney in the 2011 state election against incumbent Lord Mayor Clover Moore, who he routinely criticised as a “disaster” and “concrete Clover”.

He championed causes such as retention of the 311 bus route, traffic congestion affecting public transport and retention of Fitzroy Gardens in their current form.

Mr Duncan is survived by his partner, school teacher Suzanne O’Connell, and his parents Bruce and Joy Duncan of Darling Point.