August 22, 2008

Warwick Bennet, the retiring chairman of Tourism Tamworth, and the mayor of the city for seven years in the 1980s has been named a Freeman of the City, the greatest tribute a local government body can bestow.

Mr Bennet is the 10th Freeman since the first honour for the Hunter River Lancers in 1960. Others include former NSW Governor Sir Roden Cutler, historian Lyall Green, former politician Noel Park and his wife June, a former council town clerk Malcolm Keys, former councillor and long serving electricity chairman Ray Walsh and former mayor David John.

In a surprise announcement at a function on August 21 Mayor James Treloar said the Freeman's title recognised Mr Bennet's "distinguished and meritorious service to the community". Mr Treloar said this included contributions to the fields of business, local government and tourism.

Mr Bennet, 70, was first elected to the then city council in Tamworth in 1974 and became mayor in 1979. He served until 1986 and is credited with driving some major city projects. These include using his casting vote in 1986 to set the wheels in motion to create Bicentennial Park as a bicentenary project for 1988, and suggesting a slide for Scully Park pool and then being the first person to use it.

He pushed for the installation of a revolving luggage rack or carousel when the council took over the Tamworth airport in 1982 but copped a fair amount of criticism from some at the time because they thought it was too grandiose for Tamworth. In business, Mr Bennet was credited with constructing about 300 houses during his years in spec-home building. His first Ring St houses with no front or side fences were An idea from Canberra and a novelty for Tamworth in the 1960s.

He is responsible along with Max Ellis for the 12metre high fibreglass icon the Golden Guitar which was erected in 1987 and with originally creating the Golden Guitar tourist site, including acquiring the first 20 of the wax works country music stars figures and putting the collection at the tourist site.
Mr Bennet was appointed the first chairman of Tourism Tamworth when it was created by the council in 2001 and has served ever since in that capacity. He will retire in about four weeks.

His work and support and his legacy in tourism circles since the 1970s has also been acknowledged with major awards over the years. With Max Ellis, he is credited with being among the first to recognise the enormous tourism potential country music concerts in Tamworth had for dragging tourists into the city and acting on that.

His interest and love for tourism over 40 years may well have been sparked from his early days. After leaving school he signed on as a deck hand on a Swedish freighter and sailed around the world, visiting 35 countries for just 350 pounds.

Mr Bennet was awarded an AM in the Order of Australia in 2002 for his contributions to tourism, local government and the community. He lives with his wife Margaret in Tamworth, in a house he DIDN'T build all by himself. They have three sons, Stephen, Nigel and Ian, who live in Thailand, Ipswich and Sydney, and five grandchildren. 

As one of the rewards of the ancient Freeman system, Mr Bennet is allowed to graze stock on the town common free of charge and drive animals down the main street without hindrance whilst on the way to market. He's never owned a cow and Mr Bennet says he's too old to get into a new career now, but he appreciates the gesture and is deeply moved and honoured by the new title.

Mrs Bennet says Warwick will be tickled pink and blown away with the title she says it will mean more than any other he has earnt in his life because it is from the city he so loves.

At a media call on Friday August 22 Mr Bennet said he was just simply "blown away and stoked."

It was a complete surprise and a high honour from his community that was unexpected. He was humbled by it. He says he was privileged to serve as a councillor and mayor and the legacies of some of the projects he had been involved in were outstanding civic assets now.

If there's one regret in his years of business and promotion of the city and the generation of tourism it's a very simple one if he'd put a penny on every photograph taken at the Gold Guitar tourist site, he'd be much better off. The 12metre replica of the famous awards figurine is the most photographed thing in Tamworth.