Former Gosford Council solicitor dies

The Umina man who was Gosford Council's in-house solicitor for 20 years, Mr Alan Ford, has died at the age of 69.

Mr Ford, who worked for the council for more than 50 years, was honoured with a Mayoral Minute and one minute's silence at last Monday's council meeting.

Mr Ford, who died on November 5, had involved himself in the Peninsula community through Scouts for more than 60 years and was a long-term member of the Rotary Club of Woy Woy.

"We lost a great member of our Rotary Club in Alan Ford," said Woy Woy club president Ms Jayne Mote.

"Alan passed away at Gosford Hospital after suffering a cardiac arrest eight days earlier.

"Alan lived his life in our Peninsula area attending primary school at Ettalong and then high school at Woy Woy.

"He started at Gosford Council in 1965 as a draftsman and went on to study law at Sydney University completing his qualification in 1994.

"At the Council, he transferred to legal officer in 1988 and solicitor in 1995."

He retired in 2015.

"He was an expert on many topics and his intellect was recognised by his peers.

"Alan and his wife Mary married in 1980 and have a son Peter, in his early 30s who lives in Canberra.

"They built a house in Haynes Ave, Umina, where he and Mary have lived since.

"Alan was a respected elder in the Uniting Church, Umina, and for a 12-year period was Parish Treasurer.

"He joined the Scouting movement when he was eight-years-old and was with them for over 60 years becoming a leader, a district commissioner and organising jamborees and many other events.

"Alan joined the Rotary Club of Woy Woy on the December 1, 1983, and became president in the 1987-88 Rotary year, as well as serving on boards giving sound advice on legal matters.

"He was always a volunteer for anything going on at Rotary and was a champion seller of Melbourne Cup Trifecta tickets to his fellow staff at the Council.

"He was awarded a Paul Harris Fellowship.

"Alan received an Order of Australia Medal for his service to the Central Coast community, the Scouting movement and to Local Government in June 2009.

"The club members will miss Alan at our meetings and other events.

"He will be fondly remembered," Ms Mote said.

Mayor Cr Jane Smith said Mr Ford had served as a member of the management committee for the former Gosford Council's Protection of the Environment Trust.

Deputy mayor Cr Chris Holstein paid tribute to Mr Ford during consideration of the Mayoral minute.

"Alan Ford was known to me in my 20-plus years with Gosford City Council," Cr Holstein said.

"Alan was a bit of a character and, it didn't matter what the temperature was, Alan would have his shorts and long socks on," he said.

"He was a great resource and his knowledge of the local community was unsurpassed."

Cr Holstein commented on Mr Ford's commitment to Rotary and "his beloved Scout movement".

"Alan's personal motto was always be prepared, and he was always prepared to give an opinion, advice, information, a helping hand to the community, and time for something he believed in." he said.

Cr Holstein summed up Mr Ford as someone whose three great loves were for family, his job and his community.

Mr Ford's funeral was held on Tuesday, November 13 at Umina Uniting Church.

SOURCE:

Central Coast Council agenda 1.4, 12 Nov 2018

Newsletter, 13 Nov 2018

Vic Deeble, Rotary Club of Woy Woy