Vale: The Honourable Neal Bignold

The Honourable Neal Bignold passed away on 3 April 2025. Neal Bignold had a very long association with the Land and Environment Court. Neal Bignold was appointed as the first Senior Conciliation and Technical Assessor of the Land Environment Court. He commenced that role on the day the Land and Environment Court commenced operation on 1 September 1980. Before his appointment Neal Bignold was part of a team considering significant reforms of NSW planning and environmental laws for the Minister for Planning and Environment, which reforms included the establishment of the Land and Environment Court.  

Justice Bignold was appointed as an acting judge while Justice McClelland was the Royal Commissioner into the Maralinga Atomic Tests and then as a permanent judge of the Court. He was sworn in as a judge on 4 June 1985. Justice Bignold retired on 16 March 2007 having made a significant contribution to the Court for over twenty years as a judge through his many comprehensive judgments in all areas of the court’s jurisdiction.