Cobar mayor Lilliane Brady OAM, NSW’s longest-serving female mayor, has died aged 90.
Cr Brady, who remained Cobar’s mayor until her death, died peacefully on Sunday morning at the central west NSW town’s hospital.
She served as mayor in the town for more than 20 years in total, and sat on the local council for 40 years. She had planned to retire this coming September.
Cr Brady moved to the town with her husband and three children in the 1970s, and had earned a spot on the Cobar Shire Council by 1974.
She is also the founder and namesake of a nursing home in Cobar.
Local Government Minister Shelley Hancock expressed her condolences to Cr Brady’s family, labelling the mayor a tireless rural advocate.
“I sincerely thank Lilliane for the tremendous contribution she made to her community, the NSW local government sector and the advancement of equality for women in public life,” Ms Hancock said in a statement.
“Last year I had the pleasure of presenting the inaugural Minister for Local Government Award for Women to Lilliane to formally recognise her exceptional contribution to her community and our state.”
Deputy Premier and Regional NSW Minister John Barilaro also said he was heartbroken to hear of Cr Brady’s death, saying he was “in awe of her passion and her fight, her ability to always say how it was”.
NSW Labor in a statement lauded Cr Brady as a “local legend” with a deep love for her community and the courage to get things done.
“Lilliane was tough and always a fighter for her community. It is difficult to imagine Cobar without its long-time Mayor, who put her heart and soul into fighting for a fair go,” Opposition Leader Jodi McKay said.
Tributes were posted on social media.
