In his mayoral minute the mayor said many residents would not have heard of Ms Brady but she left an indelible mark on those she met, and the community which she served and loved.
“Born December 29, 1930, Lilliane sadly passed away this month, at the age of 90 … and was the longest serving female Mayor in the history of NSW,” he said.
“Ms Brady will long be remembered as a champion of the people of Cobar, where she selflessly served them for forty years.
Building a reputation for her no nonsense, tough-talking approach.
“She treated everyone as an equal and was revered and respected by politicians, business leaders and her community.
When she set her mind to something … there was no stopping her.
“There are countless stories of her turning up at Macquarie street at 5pm on a Friday afternoon and demanding to see Ministers about funding … and I have it on good authority, she always got an audience.
“And the time she put Minister Carl Scully in his place at a Western Districts Local Government Conference. He thought he would flatter her by commenting how good she looked … she was quick to tell him she was there for finance, not romance.
“Lilliane moved to the western districts mining town of Cobar in the early ’60s with her husband Alan, a GP, and her three children.
When the car pulled into town she had a long look around and refused to get out. . . . later describing it as a “hole of a place”. The plan was to spend only 12 months, but she quickly fell in love with the place and stayed.
“Before running for Council, she was a successful business woman, and amassed some 60,000 hectares and 20,000 sheep. She loved racehorses and had many winners in Sydney, Melbourne and Perth. And, I’ve been told she was just as tough on trainers and jockeys. Many a jockey dreaded that phone call if they’d ridden a bad race.
“But her legacy will never be forgotten.
“Fighting for Government funding for roads, parks and community centres, including a 34 bed not for profit hostel and nursing home, which was named in her honour … She vowed to build that facility after a 74-year old local man died after being transported 430 kilometres to Orange because of a lack of services in town.
“She was equally a compassionate woman and had a soft spot.
“The Cobar Shire General Manager reminiscing that any mention of her late husband … always brought a tear to her eye. He also tells the story of when a Council director’s father passed away and her way of consoling him was calling him into her office and pulling out her best bottle of Scotch.
“Ms Brady was awarded an order of Australia Medal for her services to Local Government, and in 2018, I was proud to be part of the decision by LGNSW in awarding her a Lifetime Achievement Award for services to Local Government and the community.
She had planned to retire this year and even in the days before she passed, she was still lobbying the Government for funds to build a hospital
“Our City has a close bond with the Cobar Shire Council through our Sister City relationship, and when they were doing it tough through a severe drought, our community rallied raising much needed funds … and Council staff were sent to assist where possible.”
