Lilliane Brady

Lilliane Olive Brady (29 December 1930 – 7 February 2021) was an Australian local politician in New South Wales. She served as mayor of Cobar Shire for more than 20 years, and sat on the local council for 40 years. At the time of her death she was the longest-serving female mayor in New South Wales' history.

Early life

Brady was born at Lake Cargelligo on 29 December 1930. She moved from Sydney to Cobar with her husband and children in November 1964. Her initial reaction was that it was "the most god forsaken town I had ever seen and I didn’t want to get out of the car", but she soon regarded it as "one of the best places on Earth" after meeting members of the local community.

Political career In 1974 Brady first stood for Cobar Shire Council at a by-election, and was elected. Brady did not serve on the council between 1987 and 1995 as she was focused on running her family's property.

Brady served as mayor on three occasions. The first was between September 1995 and September 1999, the second from 2001 to 2004 and the third from 2007 until her death in office in February 2021. These periods in office made her Cobar's longest-serving mayor. The Land noted that she was "as much feared as revered" among other politicians due to her determination to get "things done for Cobar", and "often left people wondering where they stood after a spray". She became the longest-serving female mayor in NSW history in September 2018. In 2018 she was the first person to receive a Lifetime Achievement Award from Local Government NSW. NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian presented Brady with the award during a visit to Cobar in December 2020. Brady was proud of having served on a number of local government and industry bodies, including being the first female president of the Western Division Group of Shires. She enjoyed following horse racing and owned several race horses. She had been planning to retire from local government in September 2021. All of the town's shops and cafes closed during the funeral as a mark of respect, and 256 council employees, firefighters and members of the public formed a guard of honour for her coffin.