2 days ago
John Martin, first popularly elected Singleton mayor and Shire Freeman dies at 90
Former Singleton mayor John Martin, who spent more than 50 years in local government, and was made a Freeman of the Shire, died this week after a decline in health, the council confirmed.
He was 90.
Mr Martin, who was remembered as a tireless community servant, was elected to the Singleton Municipal Council in 1965 and spent more than half a century as a local representative, including serving as mayor from 1990 to 2000.
He became the shire's first popularly elected mayor in 2012, at 77, narrowly defeating political neophyte Kylie Stibbard, who had entered the race that year, having never served as a councillor, to run second by a mere 118 votes.
In the Singleton Shire, the mayoral office is a four-year term, elected by direct popular vote, while the nine other councillors of the 10-seat chamber are elected proportionally.
Mr Martin retired from political life in 2021, the same year he was officially inducted as a Freeman of the Shire, having been conferred the honorary title in 2020, and spent his later years living in care at the now-closed Mercy Residential Aged Care Facility.
In February, when the centre faced closure amid years of financial strife, Mr Martin told the media that he was concerned about where he would move when the centre closed.
"At the moment, it looks like we might have to go out of town," he said. "I don't want that to happen. Singleton is my town, and I believe in it, and I wish to stay here."
Mr Martin was remembered this week as a tireless community volunteer and a life member of the State Emergency Service. Throughout his six decades in public life, he served with Our Care services, Meals on Wheels, Singleton Apex Club, Albion Park Tennis Club, Singleton Hospital community trust, and Singleton Tidy Towns.
"John leaves a huge legacy, and although he was a humble man, his mark on Singleton will remain for decades to come," the shire's sitting mayor, Sue Moore, said in a statement on Friday.
"He was steadfastly loyal to the people of Singleton right up until his passing, and while our community, and indeed the wider Hunter Region, is all the poorer for his loss, we have certainly been enriched by his contribution."
Mr Martin's public life was surrounded by history. In 1955, he told the council earlier this year, marking 70 years since the Hunter Valley floods, that he had tried to walk home to Fitz Street on the night the town was almost entirely submerged by water.
He was knocked off his feet in chest-height water at Church Street and realised he had to wait it out. It would be two days before his family knew if he was alive, during which time he had helped a local police sergeant to get to the hospital after breaking his leg in a fall.
"The town was a bloody mess," he recalled in February. "There were logs and rubbish everywhere. Burdekin Park, I remember, there were a lot of dead animals in Burdekin Park, sheep and cattle. The smell was terrible. And everything was covered in mud. We had no water, the water works broke down. No electricity. No sewerage.
"There were three semitrailer loads of bananas up on McDougalls Hill, they were being transported and couldn't get through Singleton. So, we had plenty of bananas. You'd go down the street the day after the flood and your bloke would say, 'You want a banana? Here, take a case."
It was in the aftermath of the 1955 disaster that the State Emergency Service was born, then known as Civil Defence, and Mr Martin was Singleton's first controller.
"John's love for Singleton and his service to its people and the community is unparalleled, and unlikely ever to be repeated," Cr Moore said.
"I was very privileged to serve alongside John on council for a number of terms, and while we may not have always agreed, I had a great respect for his leadership and the vast knowledge, expertise and experience that he brought to the chamber."
"I'm deeply saddened by his passing and will remember him most for his unwavering commitment to always acting with the best interests of the community at heart."
Former Singleton mayor John Martin, who spent more than 50 years in local government, and was made a Freeman of the Shire, died this week after a decline in health, the council confirmed.
He was 90.
Mr Martin, who was remembered as a tireless community servant, was elected to the Singleton Municipal Council in 1965 and spent more than half a century as a local representative, including serving as mayor from 1990 to 2000.
He became the shire's first popularly elected mayor in 2012, at 77, narrowly defeating political neophyte Kylie Stibbard, who had entered the race that year, having never served as a councillor, to run second by a mere 118 votes.
In the Singleton Shire, the mayoral office is a four-year term, elected by direct popular vote, while the nine other councillors of the 10-seat chamber are elected proportionally.
Mr Martin retired from political life in 2021, the same year he was officially inducted as a Freeman of the Shire, having been conferred the honorary title in 2020, and spent his later years living in care at the now-closed Mercy Residential Aged Care Facility.
In February, when the centre faced closure amid years of financial strife, Mr Martin told the media that he was concerned about where he would move when the centre closed.
"At the moment, it looks like we might have to go out of town," he said. "I don't want that to happen. Singleton is my town, and I believe in it, and I wish to stay here."
Mr Martin was remembered this week as a tireless community volunteer and a life member of the State Emergency Service. Throughout his six decades in public life, he served with Our Care services, Meals on Wheels, Singleton Apex Club, Albion Park Tennis Club, Singleton Hospital community trust, and Singleton Tidy Towns.
"John leaves a huge legacy, and although he was a humble man, his mark on Singleton will remain for decades to come," the shire's sitting mayor, Sue Moore, said in a statement on Friday.
"He was steadfastly loyal to the people of Singleton right up until his passing, and while our community, and indeed the wider Hunter Region, is all the poorer for his loss, we have certainly been enriched by his contribution."
Mr Martin's public life was surrounded by history. In 1955, he told the council earlier this year, marking 70 years since the Hunter Valley floods, that he had tried to walk home to Fitz Street on the night the town was almost entirely submerged by water.
He was knocked off his feet in chest-height water at Church Street and realised he had to wait it out. It would be two days before his family knew if he was alive, during which time he had helped a local police sergeant to get to the hospital after breaking his leg in a fall.
"The town was a bloody mess," he recalled in February. "There were logs and rubbish everywhere. Burdekin Park, I remember, there were a lot of dead animals in Burdekin Park, sheep and cattle. The smell was terrible. And everything was covered in mud. We had no water, the water works broke down. No electricity. No sewerage.
"There were three semitrailer loads of bananas up on McDougalls Hill, they were being transported and couldn't get through Singleton. So, we had plenty of bananas. You'd go down the street the day after the flood and your bloke would say, 'You want a banana? Here, take a case."
It was in the aftermath of the 1955 disaster that the State Emergency Service was born, then known as Civil Defence, and Mr Martin was Singleton's first controller.
"John's love for Singleton and his service to its people and the community is unparalleled, and unlikely ever to be repeated," Cr Moore said.
"I was very privileged to serve alongside John on council for a number of terms, and while we may not have always agreed, I had a great respect for his leadership and the vast knowledge, expertise and experience that he brought to the chamber."
"I'm deeply saddened by his passing and will remember him most for his unwavering commitment to always acting with the best interests of the community at heart."
Former Singleton mayor John Martin, who spent more than 50 years in local government, and was made a Freeman of the Shire, died this week after a decline in health, the council confirmed.
He was 90.
Mr Martin, who was remembered as a tireless community servant, was elected to the Singleton Municipal Council in 1965 and spent more than half a century as a local representative, including serving as mayor from 1990 to 2000.
He became the shire's first popularly elected mayor in 2012, at 77, narrowly defeating political neophyte Kylie Stibbard, who had entered the race that year, having never served as a councillor, to run second by a mere 118 votes.
In the Singleton Shire, the mayoral office is a four-year term, elected by direct popular vote, while the nine other councillors of the 10-seat chamber are elected proportionally.
Mr Martin retired from political life in 2021, the same year he was officially inducted as a Freeman of the Shire, having been conferred the honorary title in 2020, and spent his later years living in care at the now-closed Mercy Residential Aged Care Facility.
In February, when the centre faced closure amid years of financial strife, Mr Martin told the media that he was concerned about where he would move when the centre closed.
"At the moment, it looks like we might have to go out of town," he said. "I don't want that to happen. Singleton is my town, and I believe in it, and I wish to stay here."
Mr Martin was remembered this week as a tireless community volunteer and a life member of the State Emergency Service. Throughout his six decades in public life, he served with Our Care services, Meals on Wheels, Singleton Apex Club, Albion Park Tennis Club, Singleton Hospital community trust, and Singleton Tidy Towns.
"John leaves a huge legacy, and although he was a humble man, his mark on Singleton will remain for decades to come," the shire's sitting mayor, Sue Moore, said in a statement on Friday.
"He was steadfastly loyal to the people of Singleton right up until his passing, and while our community, and indeed the wider Hunter Region, is all the poorer for his loss, we have certainly been enriched by his contribution."
Mr Martin's public life was surrounded by history. In 1955, he told the council earlier this year, marking 70 years since the Hunter Valley floods, that he had tried to walk home to Fitz Street on the night the town was almost entirely submerged by water.
He was knocked off his feet in chest-height water at Church Street and realised he had to wait it out. It would be two days before his family knew if he was alive, during which time he had helped a local police sergeant to get to the hospital after breaking his leg in a fall.
"The town was a bloody mess," he recalled in February. "There were logs and rubbish everywhere. Burdekin Park, I remember, there were a lot of dead animals in Burdekin Park, sheep and cattle. The smell was terrible. And everything was covered in mud. We had no water, the water works broke down. No electricity. No sewerage.
"There were three semitrailer loads of bananas up on McDougalls Hill, they were being transported and couldn't get through Singleton. So, we had plenty of bananas. You'd go down the street the day after the flood and your bloke would say, 'You want a banana? Here, take a case."
It was in the aftermath of the 1955 disaster that the State Emergency Service was born, then known as Civil Defence, and Mr Martin was Singleton's first controller.
"John's love for Singleton and his service to its people and the community is unparalleled, and unlikely ever to be repeated," Cr Moore said.
"I was very privileged to serve alongside John on council for a number of terms, and while we may not have always agreed, I had a great respect for his leadership and the vast knowledge, expertise and experience that he brought to the chamber."
"I'm deeply saddened by his passing and will remember him most for his unwavering commitment to always acting with the best interests of the community at heart."
Former Singleton mayor John Martin, who spent more than 50 years in local government, and was made a Freeman of the Shire, died this week after a decline in health, the council confirmed.
He was 90.
Mr Martin, who was remembered as a tireless community servant, was elected to the Singleton Municipal Council in 1965 and spent more than half a century as a local representative, including serving as mayor from 1990 to 2000.
He became the shire's first popularly elected mayor in 2012, at 77, narrowly defeating political neophyte Kylie Stibbard, who had entered the race that year, having never served as a councillor, to run second by a mere 118 votes.
In the Singleton Shire, the mayoral office is a four-year term, elected by direct popular vote, while the nine other councillors of the 10-seat chamber are elected proportionally.
Mr Martin retired from political life in 2021, the same year he was officially inducted as a Freeman of the Shire, having been conferred the honorary title in 2020, and spent his later years living in care at the now-closed Mercy Residential Aged Care Facility.
In February, when the centre faced closure amid years of financial strife, Mr Martin told the media that he was concerned about where he would move when the centre closed.
"At the moment, it looks like we might have to go out of town," he said. "I don't want that to happen. Singleton is my town, and I believe in it, and I wish to stay here."
Mr Martin was remembered this week as a tireless community volunteer and a life member of the State Emergency Service. Throughout his six decades in public life, he served with Our Care services, Meals on Wheels, Singleton Apex Club, Albion Park Tennis Club, Singleton Hospital community trust, and Singleton Tidy Towns.
"John leaves a huge legacy, and although he was a humble man, his mark on Singleton will remain for decades to come," the shire's sitting mayor, Sue Moore, said in a statement on Friday.
"He was steadfastly loyal to the people of Singleton right up until his passing, and while our community, and indeed the wider Hunter Region, is all the poorer for his loss, we have certainly been enriched by his contribution."
Mr Martin's public life was surrounded by history. In 1955, he told the council earlier this year, marking 70 years since the Hunter Valley floods, that he had tried to walk home to Fitz Street on the night the town was almost entirely submerged by water.
He was knocked off his feet in chest-height water at Church Street and realised he had to wait it out. It would be two days before his family knew if he was alive, during which time he had helped a local police sergeant to get to the hospital after breaking his leg in a fall.
"The town was a bloody mess," he recalled in February. "There were logs and rubbish everywhere. Burdekin Park, I remember, there were a lot of dead animals in Burdekin Park, sheep and cattle. The smell was terrible. And everything was covered in mud. We had no water, the water works broke down. No electricity. No sewerage.
"There were three semitrailer loads of bananas up on McDougalls Hill, they were being transported and couldn't get through Singleton. So, we had plenty of bananas. You'd go down the street the day after the flood and your bloke would say, 'You want a banana? Here, take a case."
It was in the aftermath of the 1955 disaster that the State Emergency Service was born, then known as Civil Defence, and Mr Martin was Singleton's first controller.
"John's love for Singleton and his service to its people and the community is unparalleled, and unlikely ever to be repeated," Cr Moore said.
"I was very privileged to serve alongside John on council for a number of terms, and while we may not have always agreed, I had a great respect for his leadership and the vast knowledge, expertise and experience that he brought to the chamber."
"I'm deeply saddened by his passing and will remember him most for his unwavering commitment to always acting with the best interests of the community at heart."
