Mick Venardos voted Gympie’s best councillor of 2000s

One Gympie region councillor has left a significant mark on ratepayers with almost a quarter of voters choosing them from a 52-strong field as the region’s best of the 2000s.

Former mayor Mick Venardos has emerged from a 52-strong field which included ststrong support for fellow former mayors Mick Curran and Rony Dyne to be named the region’s best councillor of the 2000s.

A decade-long run in the council’s top job by Mick Venardos has left its mark on ratepayers with the former Gympie City Mayor lauded as the region’s best councillor of the 2000s.

Mr Venardos claimed the title with strong support from The Gympie Times readers, securing almost a quarter of the vote.

His closest competition all had ties to the mayoral seat too.

Mick Curran claimed with 12 per cent support, and Ron Dyne and Glen Hartwig took 8 per cent each.

Ian Petersen finished out the top five with 7 per cent support, the largest slice of the vote given to a councillor who did not sit in the mayoral seat.

Former mayor Mick Venardos secured almost one quarter of the vote, giving him a solid margin above the rest of the 52-strong field.

Mr Venardos was “humbled” by the result.

“I’m absolutely amazed that people would still think that highly of me,” Mr Venardos said.

Mr Venardos, who served as Cooloola Shire Mayor from 1997-2008, said the goal was always to respect those who elected him and their financial situation.

“Gympie is not a high income town,” Mr Venardos said.

“Our first and primary consideration was their ability to pay whatever rates were imposed.”

This included not heavily investing in what “might be termed luxury items”.

His legacy was larger than financial management though.

One reader called him the “friendly lamington man”.

Mr Venardos said his wife Tina was a vital part of the success of his mayorship. photo Bob Gould

Mr Venardos said he and wife Tina had always supported people in their time of need, although they did not fully understand the importance until they lost their son Emmaniol at age 18 in 1977 in a motorcycle accident

“Prior to 1977 when people lost a loved one we would turn up at their door … and say we’re sorry,” Mr Venardos said.

“Those words were hollow.”

Once the Venardos’s “cross that threshold … people knew we were genuine when we said ‘we are sorry for your loss’”.

He said Tina was a key part of his time in the council’s top elected job.

“My wife … was there right beside me and doing things a male mayor could not to,” he said.

Other councillors to nab honourable mentions from voters included Col Chapman, Bruce Devereaux, Graham Engeman, Bob Fredman, Adrian McClintock, Bill McIntyre, Donna Neilson, Tony Perrett, Shane Waldock and Julie Walker.