Tributes flow for former Melbourne’s lord mayor Trevor Huggard who has died aged 80

Former Melbourne lord mayor Trevor Huggard is being remembered as a committed civic leader, family man and a passionate sailor after his death aged 80.

Former lord mayor Trevor Huggard.

Former Melbourne Lord Mayor Trevor Huggard, who has died aged 80, is being remembered as a committed civic leader, family man and a passionate sailor.

Known as Melbourne’s sailing lord mayor Mr Huggard served on the city council from 1982 to 1991, donning the mayoral robes from 1986 to 1987.

Mr Huggard, a civil engineer, was also president of the Carlton Association before his election to Town Hall.

His love of sailing defined much of his life, especially after politics.

Huggard was lord mayor of Melbourne in 1986-87.

The Ocean Racing Club of Victoria has saluted his skills as a navigator.

The Ocean Racing Club of Victoria remembered Mr Huggard’s many voyages, including 35 Melbourne to Hobart events, and saluted his skills as a navigator.

“Trevor’s ocean racing career was much more than a series of competitions, it was a lifetime of bold journeys and unforgettable moments,’’ the club said.

In 2005, he even competed in the Melbourne-to-Hobart race just two weeks after a cancer diagnosis and subsequent surgery to remove a tumour.

“I won’t be the prettiest competitor,’’ he joked at the time.

He was also the driving force behind Melbourne’s dragon-boat racing scene, and served as

president of the dragon boat association for 30 years until 2014.

Huggard in his time as lord mayor of Melbourne.

Mr Huggard was also a classic car enthusiast. His first car was a 1928 Pontiac and among many purchases, his everyday drive at one time was a 1974 Lancia. The vehicle was wheel-clamped leading to a legal battle with the clamping company which we won.

He also competed in the Targa Tasmania Rally, emerging unscathed from a 120kmh crash in 1993 when his Porsche 930, driven by Collingwood architect Max May, rolled and hit a tree.

While in office, Mr Huggard was credited with establishing Melbourne’s sister city relationship with Osaka in Japan.

In 1991 he had a bankruptcy order against him rescinded by the Federal Court.

He was also part of the campaign for the council to restore the then-derelict Regent Theatre. The engineer had been involved with the restoration of the Princess and Athenaeum theatres.

“It is one of Melbourne’s most precious assets,” he said of the Regent.

Huggard campaigned to restore the Regent Theatre.

He has been remembered as a passionate civic leader.

The theatre, 51 per cent owned by the council, is now the subject of the current election campaign with current Lord Mayor Nick Reece vowing to sell it off to pay for community arts projects.

Mr Huggard also ran as in independent in the 1996 state election for the seat of Melbourne which was retained by Labor’s Neil Cole.

Mr Reece said Mr Huggard had left “a valuable and enduring legacy at the City of Melbourne’’.

“His passion for sailing rippled throughout the community – and the world

“In Melbourne, he was a pillar of the Dragon Boating scene in Docklands, and was a strong supporter of the Melbourne to Hobart yacht race during and after his time on Council.

“Globally, he was key to establishing the inaugural Melbourne to Osaka Yacht Race in 1987. This race and Trevor’s contacts in Japan and the global sailing community strengthened the then-fledgling Melbourne-Osaka sister city relationship.”

Mr Huggard died on Sunday after battling Parkinson’s disease. He is survived by his wife Jan, children Titia and Tim, and three grandchildren.

Mr Huggard’s death comes just two weeks after the passing of another Lord Mayor Ivan Deveson, aged 90.