Friends and family of distinguished lawyer Edi Selwyn have paid tribute to a loyal friend and passionate family man after his recent death at the age of 74.
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Eduard Selwyn, formerly Soroszczuk, was born in Lebenstedt, Germany in 1946, the fifth of six siblings.
His family moved to the Riverina exactly 70 years ago on August 18, 1950, first settling in a migrant camp at Uranquinty.
The Soroszczuk family then moved to Wagga for 10 years, where Mr Selwyn undertook most of his schooling.
A keen performer from a young age, he was well known for his Eistedffod success with his singing and dancing, and once won a singing competition at the Wagga Mardi Gras at 12 years of age.
The family moved to Sydney when Mr Selwyn was a teenager, and he went on to begin a career in law at his brother Ralph's practice.
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He was admitted to the Supreme Court in 1970 and went on to spend 35 years with the Legal Aid Commission across the country, including brief stints at Wagga while working through regional NSW.
Mr Selwyn's family said he was highly regarded wherever he went in his career and very passionate about law.
His devotion to his work led to him receiving the Excellence Award in Government Legal Service in 1993 and in 2003, he was further recognised for his work with Legal Aid, receiving the Order of Australia Medal.
Mr Selwyn's family said he always remained fond of Wagga through the years, returning frequently and keeping in touch with his childhood friends.
"Edi made friends wherever he went, and was never forgotten by anyone who met him," they said.
Wagga's John Urquhart, a school friend of Mr Selwyn's, described him as a "a larger than life type bloke" who would always make the effort to call on his birthday.
"He was a happy-go-lucky fella, when he spoke he was quite loud and very intelligent, never forgot a thing," he said.
Mr Selwyn kept up his love for the arts as an adult, involved in theatre, choirs, the opera and Scottish Country dancing as well as spending many years in the Sydney Opera company and performing at the Opera House.
Outside his many talents, Mr Selwyn's family said he took great joy in his time with his extended family, a dedicated uncle to his 20 nieces and nephews and 26 'greats'.
