Long-serving Singleton councillor and former Mayor, John Martin has become only the fifth person to be named an Honorary Freeman of the Shire.
Councillor Martin has dedicated more than 60 years of service to the Singleton local government area including 50 years as a councillor and was shire's first popularly elected Mayor.
Councillor Martin and his late wife Jan were also involved in a range of organisations including Apex and Meals On Wheels, while John is also a life member of the State Emergency Service.
Mayor Sue Moore made a special presentation at Monday night's council meeting saying Councillor Martin was most deserving of the honour.
"John is rightly recognised as one of our local legends, but he is equally regarded across the region and the State for his expertise in a range of fields, from flooding and emergency response to his representation of mining-related councils. It's a great privilege to present this honour to John, and my only regret is that we couldn't have a proper audience in the Council Chamber to mark the occasion," she said.
A civic ceremony will be held once the COVID-19 restrictions are lifted.
Councillor Martin said he was embarrassed by the attention.
"People do things for different reasons, and I class it all as just part of what we did - my wife and I, together - and I've been pleased and proud to have done all that. I will never retire completely from community service," he said.
Councillor Martin joins a select and distinguished list of only four previous recipients of the Honorary Freeman of the Shire, including:
* Colonel (later Brigadier) AW Hammett (1984)
* Neil McNamara OAM (1999)
* Major General Peter Cosgrove AM MC (2000); and
* Lt Col Andrew Lowe (2011)
Councillor Martin was the mayor who awarded the honour to Major General Peter Cosgrove (now Sir Peter Cosgrove AK CVO MC), who was serving in Timor at the time.
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| Singleton Councillor and former Mayor, John Martin |
