Gympie councillor Bob Fredman to vacate seat at 2024 Qld elections

In an at-times emotional announcement, former head engineer, and for the past few years Mary Valley councillor Bob Fredman has called time on his near-five decade run in local politics.

Change is in the air at Gympie Regional Council in 2024, with Mary Valley councillor Bob Fredman calling time on his political career ahead of the March 2024 elections.

Mr Fredman revealed at Wednesday’s general meeting he would not be running for re-election for the Division 8 seat he had held since May 2018.

His voice broke as he announced his retirement at the end of the meeting, declaring it was time to “give another person a go”.

Mr Fredman told the meeting “I’ve done my best but this has been one tough term”.

His exit ensures a second new face on the council after March; Deputy Mayor Hilary Smerdon is vacating his Division 6 seat to try to wrest the Division 1 seat from incumbent Jess Milne.

Mr Fredman’s exit brings an end to a more than 40-year career with various Gympie region councils.

Bob Fredman first joined the Gympie region council bureaucracy in 1977, then took on a role as an elected representative in 2018.

He started with work experience at Widgee Shire Council in 1974, and joined the organisation officially in 1977.

Across the next four decades he worked for three councils despite never being forced to move his desk and eventually became the council’s head of engineering, becoming known by colleagues as the “engineer for everything”.

Throughout his career he worked under two shire engineers, five CEOs, five mayors and many councillors.

In his 39th year, 2016, he was at the centre of a political storm after his controversial sacking by then CEO Bernard Smith.

Initially called a “retirement” and not a “sacking”, Mr Fredman’s exit sparked a community petition and calls for an inquiry into the shock exit, which coincided with major changes to the council’s water services that were shrouded in secrecy for more than two years before being finally revealed under a Right to Information request from The Gympie Times.

Bob Fredman said it was “time to give another person a go” as he announced his retirement after “one tough term”.

Mr Fredman stayed on the council’s books until 2017, and in April 2018 he threw his hat in the ring for the Division 8 by-election brought on by the sudden departure of James Cochrane.

He won the Mary Valley seat, and held it again comfortably in 2020.

Mayor Glen Hartwig referred back to Mr Fredman’s controversial first exit while congratulation him for his long service to the community.

“You’re an interesting piece of history with Gympie Regional Council,” Mr Hartwig said.

“You’re ‘retirement’ … from the organisation was, in my belief, a gross tragedy.

“For someone what was committed not only to the region, but the organisation … to have done to you what was done was something I could not personally tolerate and sit by idly.

“I think the organisation lost an immense asset on that day, and it has been a pleasure to have you here in the chamber to assist us with our understanding.”