GYMPIE, Australia — At recent elections in Australia, David Gibson of Gympie Ward won the seat of Gympie in the state of Queensland, and now enters the Legislative Assembly of the Queensland Parliament as the first Latter-day Saint to be so elected.

Photo courtesy Gibson family

David and Alicia Gibson, with three of five children, won legislative assembly seat in Queensland Parliament. He enters Parliament, winning his seat with a 30 percent margin, as the first Latter-day Saint to be elected.

The general manager of the local daily newspaper in Gympie, Brother Gibson announced last November that he was making a run for the seat of Gympie as the candidate for the National Party.

"All the hard work of the last nine months has paid off, but I couldn't have done it without the support of my family," he said.

Brother Gibson joined the Church in 1989 in Perth, Western Australia, after the missionaries knocked on his door one Saturday afternoon. "I had seen the missionaries before but I never made the effort to talk to them. This time they came to me and everything they taught just made sense. After a strong witness to the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon, I was baptized two weeks later."

He served a mission in the Australia Sydney Mission and was there when it divided into the Sydney South Mission. "As a new convert to the Church my mission helped me to grow spiritually. I learned so much from my companions and especially from my mission president, Keith Nielson," he said. He also met his wife while serving in Canberra; they were married in 1995 and sealed in the Sydney Australia Temple in 2001. They have five children.

A graduate of the Royal Military College Duntroon, Brother Gibson served as an army officer before embarking on a successful career in media marketing and management. He has served as a seminary teacher, Young Men president, elders quorum instructor and branch president, and he currently serves as the Primary Achievement Day coordinator in the Gympie Ward.

"I have always loved teaching the gospel; whenever I immerse myself in the scriptures I always learn something new."

Speaking of growing up as the eldest child of disabled parents, Brother Gibson believes this gave him his desire to assist people and to ensure that even the most disadvantaged in the community are given a voice to be heard.

"Our circumstances were very humble when I was young, and money was often scarce. I learned early the value of being frugal and the importance of education. Since joining the Church I've always tried to give back to the community in recognition of how much my family has been blessed."

Brother Gibson is actively involved with a number of community groups, including the Gympie APEX Club, Gympie & District Hockey Association and Cooloola Shire Art Gallery. He is also on the board of the Australian Institute of Country Music and is the president of the Gold Rush Festival committee.

Continuing his community involvement, Brother Gibson saw a need in 2004 and launched a local Community Christmas Hamper Appeal, whose mission is to raise money and donate hampers to local charities for distribution to needy families at Christmas time. Over the past two years the appeal has raised over $30,000 and provided more than 1,000 hampers to families in the Gympie region. The hampers were packed by members of the Church and then distributed by St. Vincent de Paul and the Salvation Army to local families in need.

"The privacy laws didn't allow us to know who received the hampers but we received a lovely Christmas card from a single mother saying, 'Thank you.' It's those little things that make it worthwhile."

When asked what he expected from his new career in politics, Brother Gibson replied that he hoped to be able to represent the people of Gympie with integrity and commitment.

"People know that I am a member of the Church and understand what I stand for. These days people are looking to politicians who have strong values and have the courage to stand up for them."

Brother Gibson convincingly won his seat this September with a 30 percent margin from his nearest opponent.