Devoted family man, ex-councillor and Lismore Workers Club stalwart Barry Crimmins dies aged 90

The Northern Rivers has bid farewell to a “true gentleman” of Lismore – an ex-councillor, devoted family man and club worker, avid golfer and vege garden champion.

The Lismore community has farewelled beloved former councillor and Workers Club stalwart Barry Crimmins. He is pictured with his wife Annette.

The Northern Rivers community has bid farewell to a “true gentleman” of Lismore – an ex-councillor, devoted family man, avid golfer and vege garden champion.

Former Lismore City Council councillor and Lismore and District Workers Club manager Barry John Crimmins died peacefully in Goonellabah on May 24, aged 90.

Barry Crimmins was remembered at the August meeting of Lismore City Council.

Wife Annette Crimmins said her late husband, a grandfather, was a “very sweet” man who “never got cranky” and “never swore”.

Mr Crimmins was born at Murwillumbah in the Tweed on June 30, 1932 and grew up in Uki before attending St John’s College Woodlawn at Lismore.

An active sportsman, Mr Crimmins played rugby league and was heavily involved with the Evans Head surf club as a youth.

Barry Crimmins was part of the Woodlawn football team.

Mr Crimmins left Woodlawn to start work as a surveyor, but changed jobs for a financial secretarial role at Carl Smalls Furniture Shop, now Warina Walk Arcade in Lismore, where he met and married his lifelong love, Annette.

They would have celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary this year.

Mrs Crimmins said she attended mass with her husband each week as religion was important to him.

“He was a straight down the middle kind of bloke,” she said.

“He was very truthful and honest. What he said he meant.”

Mrs Crimmins said he got a lot of enjoyment out of family and was passionate about golf.

Barry Crimmins playing soccer with family.

“He used to take Thursday afternoon off every week, and he’d go from work to play golf,” she said.

Mr Crimmins played twice a week and, once retired, he could be seen “hitting a bucket of balls” every morning and played several 18-hole games each week – rain, hail or tempest.

The couple also grew award-winning vegetables on their property.

One of Mr Crimmins’ gardening club friends was taken aback by their garden and convinced them to enter a competition.

“We won championship prizes for it three years in a row. Just by accident,” Mrs Crimmins said.

“Barry and I both had a ride on mower. I used to do the acreage and he mowed the paddocks.”

Barry Crimmins.

Mr Crimmins was financial manager for Lismore and District Workers Club from 1972, became secretary manager in 1975 and retired in 2002.

In 1982, Mr Crimmins advised the board radical cuts had to be made to reign in weekly interest commitments of $10,000 after the Club spent $3.5 million on major projects

“We commenced trading at a loss for the first time,” Mr Crimmins wrote in a meeting brief.

He cut every ounce of fat he could find and the Workers Club survived the financial crisis, thanks to the board agreeing with all recommendations.

Barry Crimmins, former Lismore Workers Club financial manager and Lismore councillor, has died at age 90.

Mrs Crimmins said her husband’s other career milestone was the amalgamation of the Heights Bowling Club, Goonellabah Sports Club and Lismore Golf Club.

“He felt a golf club was integral to a town. If a town didn’t have a golf club it was a bit of a lost soul,” Mrs Crimmins said.

When the couple drove past the Keen St Workers Club after the devastating 2022 floods, he could not wrap his head around the club not operating.

Barry Crimmins was passionate about golf and fitness.

Mrs Crimmins said her husband loved his work and was reluctant to give up his routine of exercising and being at his desk by 7.30am.

“He really did love going to work every day,” she said.

Mr Crimmins enjoyed interacting with staff, members, and sporting groups the club sponsored.

Returning from a trip to Bunnings recently, Mrs Crimmins felt the absence of her husband particularly sharply.

She looked to the passenger seat and questioned: “Where are you? You’ve always been there.”

Barry and Annette Crimmins.

“Every time I went out in the car he was with me,” Mrs Crimmins said.

Former Lismore Mayor Jenny Dowell remembered Mr Crimmins’ service at the council over two terms and said he was “a lovely man”.

“We bantered a lot,” she said.

Lismore Mayor Steve Krieg honoured Mr Crimmins with a moment’s silence during the August meeting of the council.