Former Bendigo mayor Rod Fyffe OAM dies at 75 after 38 years of community service
Former Bendigo mayor, high school teacher Rod Fyffe OAM has died after “a long illness”, maintaining his sense of humour and love for his family and community until the end.
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Former Bendigo “mayor with the hair”, high school teacher and longstanding councillor, Rod Fyffe OAM has died after a “long illness”.
He was 75.
He maintained his sense of humour and love for his family and community until the end, his family said in a statement.
Bendigo mayor Andrea Metcalf and fellow councillors remembered Mr Fyffe as “a truly kind man who took great pride in serving his community”.
“To pass away still a councillor, would have meant a great deal to Rod. He served until the
very end – it was the role of a lifetime,” Ms Metcalf said.
“He was our elder statesman and steady hand. Through the highs and lows of community
life, Rod was there.”
Mr Fyffe was a councillor for 38 years and a teacher for more than 30 years, retiring from Bendigo Senior Secondary College in 2011.
Earlier this week, in one of the last times he met with staff dearest to him, he asked the City
of Greater Bendigo to issue a statement on his behalf.
“It has been a great honour and privilege to serve as a councillor for the wonderful
community of Bendigo,” Mr Fyffe said.
“To have been mayor four times and deputy mayor twice has been special. I’ve worked with
12 mayors, 12 CEOs and was a councillor through the introduction of three Local
Government Acts.
“I quickly learnt the role of a council is so much more than the three Rs – roads, rates and
rubbish – and I’ve been proud to help steer 38 budgets that have each striven to strike the
right balance between the must-haves and the nice-to-haves.”
Some of the projects Mr Fyffe was most proud to be involved with included the construction of the new Bendigo Hospital, development of the Bendigo Art Gallery and the visioning of the View Street arts precinct.
A gallery space has been named after Cr Fyffe at the Bendigo Art Gallery.
“To be a councillor is one of the most rewarding things I have ever done. If you love your
community and if you want to make a difference, there is no better way to do so than by
being a councillor,” Cr Fyffe said.
“Signing off – The ex-Mayor with the Hair.”
Victorian Premier and Member for Bendigo East Jacinta Allan remembered Cr Fyffe as a dedicated public servant.
“Whenever I see the warm sunlight filter through the domes of Bendigo Art Gallery – I know I’ll be reminded of Rod,” she said.
“Rod Fyffe OAM was renowned for his big smile and his even bigger head of hair.Mostly, though, we knew Rod for how much he loved our city.
“While Rod has left us, his legacy lives on.In the students he taught. The people he served.And our city that he loved so much.”
Born on March 20, 1949 in Warracknabeal in the Victorian wheatbelt, Cr Fyffe went on to study at Monash University, graduating with a Bachelor of Economics, majoring in mathematics, statistics and economics, and he went on to undertake a Diploma of Education.
He started his teaching career at Mansfield High School before moving to Scotland in
1975 to study a Bachelor of Arts at Edinburgh University, majoring in archaeology, geology, geophysics and fine art.
He returned to Australia to live in Bendigo in 1979 where he began teaching at Bendigo Senior High School.
In 1983, he began his career as a councillor, with his last council meeting in May 2024.
He also served on the boards of the Municipal Association of Victoria and Goldfields Library, and the Bendigo Easter Fair Committee.
His other great loves were the Golden Square Football Netball Club and the North Melbourne
Kangaroos.
Details of a funeral service will be announced shortly.
Cr Fyffe’s family have request privacy during their time of grief and thank the community for their support.
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