A former Esk councillor who served local government for almost four decades has died.
Mr Simeon Lord was appointed to the then Shire of Esk council in August, 1968, after being nominated to succeed his father Cr Alan “Bill” Lord.
He stood aside from council more than 39 years later following the amalgamation of the Shire of Esk and the Shire of Kilcoy into the Somerset Regional Council.
During his tenure, Mr Lord was a strong advocate for safe and adequate roads for people living throughout the shire. He also served during the 10-year construction of Wivenhoe Dam in the region which is now an integral part of the SE Queensland water grid.
Mr Lord’s dedicated service on council was officially recognised by the Local Government Association of Queensland in 2008 by then LGAQ President Cr Paul Bell.
Somerset Mayor Cr Graeme Lehmann paid tribute to Mr Lord’s unwavering commitment to the Esk community.
“Sim was someone who wore his heart on his sleeve. What you saw is what you got,” Mayor Lehmann said.
“The whole time I worked with him on council, he was definitely community minded, and I would go as far as to say he put the community before himself.
“He will be missed a lot. One of his favourite things to say was ‘you have to sow a bit of sunshine right across the region’.”