Merv Craig: Long-serving former Albert Shire councillor dies at age 91
A respected former councillor and lifelong Gold Coaster has died, with tributes flowing for the “pioneer” of the city who shaped its dramatic changes. READ THE TRIBUTES
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Respected former Albert Shire councillor and lifelong Gold Coaster Merv Craig has died. Tributes are flowing for Mr Craig, who passed away on January 9 at age 91 only weeks short of the 30th anniversary of his retirement from politics.
The Currumbin Valley resident served on the council for nearly 30 years before retiring in 1995 following the amalgamation of Gold Coast and Albert Shire after spending many years as the planning boss.
Mermaid Beach MP Ray Stevens, who served on the Albert Shire Council with Mr Craig for many years, including as its final mayor, remembered his former colleague and friend as a “pioneer”.
“Merv was the quintessential local councillor in the Albert Shire for many years where he represented the southern area of the Gold Coast with great pride and distinction,” he said.
“He was an absolute font of knowledge in matters of planning and contributed greatly to the whole community.
“Merv grew up in the south, was a child of the Gold Coast and was a wonderful companion and friend to all those who met him.
“He had a fantastic sense of humour which relieved many tense situations around the council planning table.”
Mr Stevens said many newer residents would not realise the significant part Mr Craig played in the city during the formative years of the 1970s and 1980s.
“Merv was a pioneer of the Gold Coast and he was loved by many,” he said.
Allan Mervyn Craig, better known as Merv, was born in 1933 and lived his entire life in the region.
His longtime family home in the valley bordered Currumbin Creek, with the bridge which ran over it known as Craig’s Crossing.
Elected to the Albert Shire Council in 1967, he was a key figure in the growth of the region through the ’70s, ’80s and early ’90s, including the approval of Hope Island’s development.
He was re-elected for the final time in 1994 and was one of many councillors to lose their seats the following year when the Gold Coast and Albert shire merged to form the “super council” of today.
At the time of its final meeting in February 1995, Mr Craig was the longest-serving councillor and was “visibly upset” during the proceedings.
“It is sad that the Government has decided to wipe us off the face of the Earth,’’ he said amid tears after asking the packed council chamber to give three cheers for the Albert Shire.
Mr Craig, then 61, was defeated in his bid to be elected to the new council by then-Gold Coast deputy mayor Peter Turner.
His contribution to the region was recognised with the naming of Currumbin Waters’ Merv Craig Sporting Complex on Galleon Way.
He retired to his 62ha Santa Gertrudis stud farm in the Currumbin Valley, the same land his grandfather had farmed, and would occasionally make public comments on everything from weather to issues affecting the valley.
Mr Craig will be farewelled in a service at the Elanora Uniting Church on January 17 from 2pm.
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