2024 Toowoomba mayoral candidate Douglas Doelle of Oakey passes away at 71
A twice-former Toowoomba mayoral candidate with a “real passion” for the region’s small towns has passed away.
Death Notices and Funerals
Don't miss out on the headlines from Death Notices and Funerals. Followed categories will be added to My News.
The Toowoomba region’s only other mayoral candidate for the 2024 council elections has passed away.
Oakey’s Douglas James “Doug” Doelle, who ran against Geoff McDonald this year and former mayor Paul Antonio in 2020, died on October 19. He was 71.
A former council employee, Mr Doelle was passionate about the Toowoomba region’s smaller communities and ran campaigns on trying to secure more money for towns like Oakey, Pittsworth and Millmerran.
“All money seems to be going to Toowoomba and not the small towns,” he said in 2020.
“I’m going to go around to all the small communities and find out what they want.”
Mr Doelle also ran for the vacant councillor’s position in 2023 following Mr Antonio’s retirement, before making a late entry into the 2024 race.
At the time, Mr Doelle told News Corp he felt he was up to the challenge.
“I feel pretty good — it will be hard against Geoff, but if I don’t get in, it’s not the end of the world,” he said.
Despite a lack of resources and profile, he still earned 17,000 votes — good for about 17 per cent of the vote.
His daughter Melissa thanked residents who had voted for her father and supported him, noting he was a man who stood by what he believed.
“He had a real passion to be mayor. He had a lot of plans for Toowoomba and regional towns," she said.
"He was talking Paul Antonio and that's how it started, it just popped into his head - to beat the mayor.
"He wanted to spend the money in Oakey and Jondaryan and the regional towns too, because he was worried they were being forgotten about.
"Sometimes politics needs the everyday Australian in them, to give some perspective. That was my dad, he was an everyday Australian."
Ms Doelle said she would miss her father's love for Vegemite sandwiches along with watching shows like My Kitchen Rules together.
"I miss his voice already, I miss watching MKR together. He never missed an episode of it, he was really into MKR," she said.
Mr Doelle’s funeral will be held at a gravesite service at the Oakey Cemetery on Taylor Street on October 29 from 10.30am.
‘Death trap’: City motorists slam catastrophic 600m stretch of road
A deadly stretch of suburban road in Toowoomba has ignited calls for change and outrage from motorists after it became the scene of another catastrophic crash. HAVE YOUR SAY
‘Miss you dearly’: Touching tributes as beloved businessman farewelled
Toowoomba philanthropist and businessman Clive Armitage has been farewelled in a large service at St Luke’s Anglican Church, as the true extent of his generosity to charities and other causes has been revealed.
‘Constantly giving’: What drove city philanthropist Clive Armitage
One of Toowoomba’s most celebrated philanthropists will be laid to rest next week, as family and friends reflect on the life and legacy of Clive Armitage.
Toowoomba man with MD remembered as ‘warrior’ without fear
A Toowoomba music lover and representative sportsman with a severe disability has been remembered as a man who lived his life without fear of his condition.