{"id":201174,"date":"2018-02-12T20:41:38","date_gmt":"2018-02-12T10:41:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/?p=201174"},"modified":"2020-08-07T14:01:44","modified_gmt":"2020-08-07T04:01:44","slug":"south-burnett-loses-another-legend","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/2018\/02\/12\/south-burnett-loses-another-legend\/","title":{"rendered":"South Burnett Loses Another Legend"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>
Bill Roberts and his beloved wife Mary as most people would remember them … this was taken at the 2013 Murgon Show which Bill officially opened<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/a>
Member for Nanango Deb Frecklington presented Bill Roberts with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2014 South Burnett Regional Council Australia Day awards<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

February 12, 2018<\/strong><\/p>\n

The South Burnett has lost another towering figure in local government with the death on Sunday night of former Murgon Shire Chairman and then Mayor, Bill Roberts OBE.<\/p>\n

Bill served on Murgon Council for 30 years but was also a successful local businessman, an energetic community volunteer and the man behind what became Australia’s longest-running newspaper column, Hub Rattles.<\/p>\n

He was an enthusiastic chronicler of everything positive that happened in the Murgon area, always snapping photos for posterity at events.<\/p>\n

He also worked hard to ensure the area’s past, particularly Murgon’s World War II history, would never be forgotten.<\/p>\n

George William Roberts – better known as Bill – was born on April 22, 1925, to George Burnett Roberts and his wife Vera Alice Wright.<\/strong><\/p>\n

He attended Murgon State School and Brisbane Boys’ College, but left in 1942 aged 15.<\/p>\n

After a year at Queensland University, Bill joined the RAAF where he worked with radio and radar units.<\/p>\n

At the end of the war, he returned to Murgon and became a clerk in his father’s law firm and accountancy business.<\/p>\n

Bill married the love of his life, Mary Cobb, on November 5, 1949.<\/p>\n

When his father retired in 1967, Bill opened his own practice as a tax agent in Lamb Street, where he was still working at the age of 90.<\/strong><\/p>\n

He was elected to Murgon Shire Council on March 4, 1970, and was immediately appointed Deputy Chairman.<\/p>\n

He was appointed Chairman (Mayor) on May 9, 1972, a position he held until he resigned in\u00a02000.<\/p>\n

Over the years, Bill served on many committees and boards, including the Murgon Fire Brigade Board, Local Ambulance Committee, Wide Bay-Burnett Area Consultative Committee, the Fraser Coast South Burnett Tourism Board and the Murgon Business and Development Association.<\/p>\n

He was also a foundation member of the Murgon Apex Club and a Murgon Rotarian of many years standing.<\/p>\n

On December 31, 1979, Bill was awarded the Order of the British Empire for services to Local Government, and in 2001 was presented with the Centenary Medal.<\/strong><\/p>\n

In 2012, a small footbridge on the outskirts of the Murgon CBD was named in his honour.<\/p>\n

The event was attended by South Burnett councillors,\u00a0former Murgon Shire councillors, local business owners, friends, family and people who had worked with Bill over the years.<\/p>\n

Two years later, Bill had his named affixed to another spot in Murgon … this time reflecting his long involvement and friendships with the nearby Cherbourg community.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Murgon State School’s Parent Group Building was jointly dedicated to Bill and former Cherbourg Elder, the late Joe Button.<\/p>\n

At the time, Parent Liaison Officer Vera Sullivan, the daughter of Joe, said\u00a0her father would have been proud and honoured to have his name beside Bill\u2019s on the plaque.<\/p>\n

She said Joe and Bill worked together and would visit each others\u2019 homes for tea and a chat.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019d love this because Bill was a great friend,\u201d Vera said. \u201cThey were like brothers.”<\/p>\n

At the 2014 South Burnett Australia Day awards, Bill was presented with the Lifetime Achievement award by Member for Nanango Deb Frecklington.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The award recognised an individual who had made significant contributions to the South Burnett Region over the course of a lifetime, truly summing up Bill’s legacy.<\/p>\n

Bill is survived by his wife Mary and three children: Scott, Kay and Swain, nine grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.<\/p>\n

His funeral service will be held at Murgon Town Hall on Monday, February 19, from 12:30pm. In lieu of flowers, donation envelopes for the Queensland Dairy and Heritage Museum will be available at the door.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Murgon State School parent liaison officer Vera Sullivan with Bill and Mary Roberts in 2014\u00a0 (Photo: Marcus Priaulx)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The South Burnett has lost another towering figure in local government with the death on Sunday night of former Murgon Shire Chairman and then Mayor, Bill Roberts OBE.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20,"featured_media":201193,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[22,16,3],"tags":[1131,28],"yoast_head":"\nSouth Burnett Loses Another Legend<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The South Burnett has lost another towering figure in local government with the death on Sunday night of former Murgon Shire Chairman and then Mayor, Bill Roberts OBE.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/2018\/02\/12\/south-burnett-loses-another-legend\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta 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