Friends remember the life of North Queensland bureaucrat Rod Wilkinson

Bureaucrat, apprentice fitter, fish and chips shop owner, and international FIFO worker. This was the life of North Queensland’s Rod Wilkinson.

Former State Development, Manufacturing, Infrastructure and Planning director Rod Wilkinson began his career with an apprenticeship at Mount Isa Mines. Picture: Supplied.

A former state development regional boss who rose through the ranks of North Queensland’s industry without a degree has died, leaving his family and industry leaders in mourning.

Mount Louisa resident Rod Wilkinson was 73 when he unexpected died from long-running health complications while travelling through Mackay with his wife Sandy earlier this month.

His family and friends held his funeral at The Lakes Chapel in Townsville last week, where it was heard of his adventurous life and numerous career changes that began with his deep Mount Isa roots and the opportunities that came about from having a go.

Mr Wilkinson managed the company that built the prominent Bougainvillea Arbor in Brisbane’s South Bank, and that he took enormous pride claiming his contribution.

His first years were spent in Lake Nash, in the Northern Territory about 170km south west of Mount Isa, but the family moved to the outback mining city before he began school.

Rod Wilkinson has been remembered for his versatile career including in the State Government as well as for his position as a Mount Isa City councillor.

While studying at Mount Isa State High School, he met his wife Sandy after sneaking into the drive-in theatre where his mum Beryl managed the front gate, and was also a passionate sportsman who played cricket as well as for the Black Stars rugby team.

After finishing school he completed a fitter and turner apprenticeship at Mount Isa Mines, and was soon promoted through the ranks to become a foreman.

His hard hat was painted two different colours to recognise that he was running two different sections of the mine at once.

The Wilkinsons married in 1972 and had three daughters, and while they were young he decided to try working for himself, so he quit his job at the mines and bought the Tropical Convenience Store in Fourth Avenue, eventually expanding it to include a fish and chips shop, where he was known for having a parrot on his shoulder.

But MIM’s bosses must have considered his talent wasted, because they persuaded him to work Fly In, Fly Out to Nevada to supervise construction of a zeolite mine.

Mrs Wilkinson managed the convenience store for a year until she told him she had enough, so he returned to Mount Isa.

But one of his biggest contributions was establishing former apprenticeship organisation MIGATE, and also managed Schmider Engineering Group which was contracted to build the Bougainvillea Arbour in South Bank.

Mr Wilkinson also served as a Mount Isa councillor under the long-running mayor Ron McCullough, but he stood down in 2003, citing a perceived conflict of interest after being appointed to become a regional director of the Department of State Development.

He worked for the department for 20 years, even after the Wilkinsons moved to Townsville to be closer to their family about a decade ago.

Former Mount Isa based state development minister Tony McGrady emphasised Mr Wilkinson’s love for sport but also his instrumental impacts in establishing the former MIGATE body as its first chief executive.

“He was a real community man, he wasn’t involved in organised party politics, but anything at all he could do to promote Mount Isa, and then he went to Townsville but he loved it.

“If you had Rod on your committee or on your group or on your football team, you knew you had a local person who would do all he could to make sure the organisation prospered.”

Former Mount Isa councillor Jean Ferris, who used to work alongside him, was saddened by the news.

“He was a good councillor and a gentleman, (a) great ambassador for the city, and also had the best fish and chips shop in the Isa,” she said.

Originally published as Friends remember the life of North Queensland bureaucrat Rod Wilkinson