Council stalwart Jack retires after 43 years’ service
Published on 29 September 2020
Federation Council will bid farewell to waste water stalwart Jack Rhodes, who is retiring from Council after 43 years of dedicated service.
Jack commenced his career with Corowa Shire Council on April 26, 1977 and has seen the Shire grow into the community it is today. In 1977, Jack worked with Norm O’Donoghue for 14 months as a road doctor, then labored with different gangs working on a variety of things, including footpaths, kerb and guttering, signage, painting, tractor slashing etc. Jack then went on to relief operator where he performed duties like street cleaning, airport work, wastewater plant in Corowa, Mulwala and performed maintenance tasks in Mulwala. It doesn’t stop there, Jack also worked in the plant operation area working with all the great gear like bobcats, rollers, graders, dozers and backhoes just to name a few.
The last 27 years has seen Jack fulfil a permanent role as Council’s Waste Water Plant Operator in Corowa, and in the last two years also working at sites in Howlong, Urana and Oaklands.
Over the 43 years’ of service, Jack said one of his favorite stories involved trimming a tree on a work site where a limb was brought down.
“Unbeknown to me there was a beehive in the limb that came down,” he said.
“Let’s just say the bees went crazy and there was a few of our staff that had the lumps and bumps to prove it. Although I was the closest to the bees, I only received one sting right on the top of my head which made me feel like I could have fit in with one of the road cones.”
Federation Council Mayor Pat Bourke congratulated Jack on his many achievements from over the years and thanked him for his honorable commitment to Council.
“On behalf of Federation Council we would like to wish Jack the very best in his future endeavors, and thank him for his unwavering devotion to Council and our communities,” Mayor Bourke said.
“You will be dearly missed Jack.”
Now that Jack has retired, he plans to travel Australia and overseas when the borders allow him to do so and do some work with his son Ryan cutting, pruning trees and stump grinding.
“It’s been a great place to work here at Council and I will sure miss the many work colleagues that I have, who overtime have become my really great mates,” he said.
“I look forward now to travelling around Australia and the world when the time is right, and sharing my stories when I return. Hopefully I’ll run into no bees.”