Former NT Deputy Chief Minister Mike Reed, Katherine’s longest serving MLA, dies

ONE of the Territory’s ‘greatest champions’, former Deputy Chief Minister and long-serving Katherine MLA Mike Reed, has died.

Former Deputy Chief Minister Mike Reed has passed away.

ONE of the Territory’s “greatest champions”, former Deputy Chief Minister and long-serving Katherine MLA Mike Reed has died.

Mr Reed, the man credited with the idea of making Charles Darwin National Park what it is today, died overnight. He was 75.

The passionate ornithologist and historian is survived by his wife Ann and children Steven, Megan and David.

Prior to politics Mr Reed worked as a wildlife ranger and regional manager at the NT Conservation Commission.

Northern Territory Deputy /Min Mike Reed at proposed pier development in Darwin, NT. F/L

In 1987 he was elected as Katherine’s first ever MLA and remains its longest serving, spending 16 years in the role until his retirement in 2003.

He served as Deputy Chief Minister from 1995 to 2001 during the terms of Shane Stone and Denis Burke.

“He was an outstanding colleague, a very good treasurer and by the time he had left government he had left a very strong legacy,” Mr Stone said.

His finest hour, according to Mr Stone, was during the disastrous 1998 flood that hit Katherine.

Mr Reed, who was Deputy Chief Minister and Police, Fire and Emergency Service Minister at the time, moved quickly to declare a state of emergency and has been hailed since for his tireless efforts during the catastrophe.

Denis Burke and Mike Reed at a press conference in 2001 claiming Labor would send the Territory broke.

It would be a description some would baulk at, Mr Stone said, but at his heart Mr Reed was “a bit of a greenie” who drew great joy from nature and birdwatching.

Opposition Leader Lia Finocchiaro, extending her sincere condolences to Mr Reed’s family and friends, said the Territory had lost one of “its greatest champions”.

“His service as Treasurer was exemplary and he also held many other Ministerial portfolios including: Health and Community Services, Primary Industry and Fisheries, Mines and Energy, Lands, Planning and Environment, Tourism, Police and Parks and Wildlife,” she said.

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“Mike was at the forefront of the recovery of Katherine after the Australia Day floods in 1998 and the NT’s response to East Timor self-determination in 1999.

“Mike was passionate about Katherine and its region and had a deep understanding of the Territory’s natural environment and its natural advantages, which was reflected in his work as Member for Katherine, as a Minister, as well as in his interests outside politics.”