PR Gibson | About

DR PAUL GIBSON | THE PRESENT

Since 2011, Paul has been studying the application of Neuropsychology in both the practice areas of Leadership Development and Conflict Resolution. He has worked with many neuroscientists, psychologists, psychotherapists, social scientists, and practitioners from the EU and the USA since then. Paul credits Jeremy Lack, (Barrister & Mediator, UK & Geneva) for stimulating his interest in the neuroscience of conflict in 2011 and encouraging Paul to meet Dr Mario Patera and pursue involvement in the International Summer School of Business Mediation (ISBM) in Admont, Austria. It was there that Paul met and worked with Dr Daniel Siegel (USA), Prof Dr Gerald Huther (Germany), and Prof Dr Matthias Varga Von Kibed (Germany).

Dr Mario Patera has had a significant influence on Paul’s study and together with Frank Handy, Paul’s great friend and colleague, he has worked with Mario in Austria and at Tiburon, San Francisco.

Paul now works as an Executive Coach and Conflict Resolver and readily acknowledges the cross-over between these two practice areas that the application of Neuropsychology facilitates.

EARLY YEARS

Paul grew up in central western NSW (in Orange, Blayney & Bathurst) and much of his boyhood was spent on a sheep farm just outside Blayney: riding horses, driving a tractor, mustering, and helping with the day-to-day farming chores and the never-ending animal husbandry and cropping tasks. As a teenager he worked in his father’s contracting hay-baling business, often with the responsibility of ‘supervising’ other employees on behalf of his father. On holidays with his grandparents in Sydney, he often worked as a drive-way attendant in his grandfather’s Shell service station at Mosman.

Pauls’ early education was in Orange and Blayney, and he completed his secondary education at a boy’s boarding school in Bathurst. Paul readily acknowledges that he was a very average athlete but did excel in rifle shooting (as Captain of the School’s Rifle Shooting team, and a competitor in what was then the Earl Roberts Interdominion Rifle Shooting Competition), public speaking (as an NSW state finalist in the ‘Youth Speaks for Australia’ competition) and debating (as Captain of Debating). He was also Head Prefect, a Cadet under Officer in the school’s Cadet Corps, and acted as a Cadet Officer in his final year at the school (a position normally reserved for a staff teacher). Paul was awarded the AC Hall VC Prize for leadership, along with prizes for English and Debating.

WORK

His love of chemistry and a great mentor encouraged him to apply for a Cadetship with CSR Limited, where he began his work career as a ‘bench-chemist’ and tertiary study of Industrial Chemistry (winning the APM prize for Industrial Chemistry Processes). Having graduated with honours in Industrial Chemistry, Paul started his management career with CSR.

(Paul has had a varied & successful professional career and it is summarised separately.)

While at university (UNSW) he was elected President of the Chemical Technology Society, and later, while working at CSR was elected as President of the CSR Staff Officers’ Association (an association representing the interests of all staff employed by CSR Limited).

MILITARY SERVICE

In 1975 Paul applied for entry into the Army Reserve’s officer training program; he was selected, and in 1976 enlisted as an Officer Cadet in 24 Course, OCTU. He went on to graduate as a Lieutenant and was awarded the prestigious Sword of Honour (for the most outstanding cadet), along with the Wooten Prize (for academic achievement), and the STC Award of Merit (for leadership). He was subsequently posted to the Royal Australian Engineers where he served in a number of roles with distinction. He retired from the Australian Army in 1996, having served in the ADF, in a number of Command and Staff roles.

Of particular relevance during his professional military career, Paul served as a Senior Instructor in Leadership and Management at the Reserve Command & Staff College and rewrote part of the teaching syllabus in the subject.

PERSONAL INTERESTS

Until recently, Paul was an active ocean sailor, racing his yacht Belami from the CYCA, and coaching the Australian J24 representative crew to the world titles, held at Newport RI (USA) in 2000.

His passion is that of fly fishing and Paul has experienced the joys of doing so in the Snowy Mountains, Tasmania, NZ, and Patagonia. Paul says that he enjoys the peace, solitude, and meditative qualities of the natural environment while fishing. He remembers Pedro, an Argentinian fishing colleague saying, “There are no strangers on the riverbank – only friends I haven’t met yet”. There is a camaraderie amongst fly-fishers and the shared ‘code’ of catch & release (allowing the fish to breed and be caught by someone else).

Paul is an avid reader and collector of Alexander McCall-Smith’s books; and a great fan of Paul Klee’s paintings – searching them out in galleries around the world.

He also enjoys a casual round of golf with colleagues and mates.

Separately, he is a member of the NSW Wine and Food society, Australia’s oldest gastronomic society, where members cook for their fellow members on Tuesdays, 48 weeks of the year.

CONNECTION TO INDIGENOUS PEOPLE

Paul has several Connections to indigenous peoples. He was adopted by a senior Mara woman from a local tribe. On a visit to Borroloola in 2015 he was adopted by a woman (who is now deceased) and given the skin name of Burrana (an avuncular title of ‘Uncle’). This title accords him relevance, status, and respect within the Mara tribe.

As part of his induction, he was given the ‘Song Line’ of Frog Dreaming and taken to a nearby land where the shape of the landform resembled that of a frog crouching (as if it was resting or dreaming). Paul records this as an extremely spiritual experience.

His second connection is to two aboriginal artists, Michael West and Graham Toomey. These two artists have designed and made Message Sticks for many notable people and institutions - among them Queen Elizabeth II, and the High Court of Australia. Over dinner with Paul, they hatched the idea of a Mediation Message Stick, and the two artists set out to design and make a Mediation Message Stick which they later presented to Paul. It is unique (and is the only one of its design in the world).

(The design of this stick and its use is described separately on this webpage).

Paul’s third connection is to John Moriarty AM. Paul met John through their respective wives, and the two of them had many conversations about indigenous peoples and the work which John and his Foundation had been doing. As part of those conversations the use of Message Sticks by Australian aborigines was discussed. In 2006 Paul was scheduled to visit Austria (as part of his conflict resolution studies) and John carved a Message Stick for Paul to take to Austria and explain its meaning and use to those with whom he would be working. John carved the Message Stick from a piece of Huon pine which he had personally collected in Tasmania many years before and had kept for a special occasion. For all these reasons this Message Stick has enormous significance for Paul.

(The design of this stick and its use is also described separately on this webpage).

FAMILY LIFE

Personally, he lives in Canberra with his wife, Gabrielle, who works as a senior executive with a large hydro-electricity company. They have four adult children between them, and one grandson. They have actives lives; regular gallery, theatre, concert, and movie attendees, and both play Pickleball (‘the fastest growing sport in the western world that nobody has heard of’). Paul and Gabrielle are members of the Metropolitan Food & Wine Society and together take a fond interest in food and wine.

QUALIFICATIONS

His qualifications include – DBA (Management Science), MEngSc (Operations Research), BSc (Hons) (Industrial Chemistry), BA (Applied Social Psychology), Professional Certificate in Arbitration, Senior Fellow of the Corporate Directors’ Association, Chartered Chemist, and Member of the Royal Australian Chemical Institute. He is an accredited International Mediation Institute (IMI) Mediator, and Australia’s only EU qualified cross-border mediator, (registered in Belgium to practise in the EU).

Phone: 0418 414 216
Email: paul@prgibson.com.au

69 Printers Way
Kingston ACT 2604

PO Box 612
Cooma NSW 2630