Shire of Murray councillor Chris Thompson has reached thirty years of continuous service on council.
Elected in May 1986, Ms Thompson has served the people of Murray for one of the longest continuous stretches of service to local government Western Australia has seen.
When Ms Thompson was elected, the Shire only had a population of 6634, there was no Murray River Country Estate or Ravenswood Waters, and the South Yunderup canal development was significantly smaller.
Shire president Maree Reid said in the time Ms Thompson has been on council, she has seen Murray grow from a small rural shire to a flourishing peri-urban district that now has a population of 18,000.
“Her commitment to the people of our Shire has been nothing short of outstanding,” Ms Reid said.
In particular Ms Thompson has been a leader in bush fire and emergency management, having chaired the Local Emergency Management Committee for over 16 years.
“Councillor Thompson’s leadership, particularly in emergency management, is second to none,” shire chief Dean Unsworth said.
“Her experience and strength shone through in the way she coordinated the devastating Dwellingup fires in 2007.”
Ms Thompson has served on over 30 committees and boards, and spent eight years as deputy president of the Shire.
During her tenure she has worked with four Shire chiefs, five Shire presidents and 44 councillors.
