Tributes are flowing for Dr Ros Irwin, the president of Friends of the Koala and Lismore’s first female mayor, who has died at the age of 82.
Elected to Lismore City Council in 1991 under the banner ‘There’s room for us all in City Hall’, Dr Irwin became mayor in 1997, battling the male conservative majority to transform Lismore, and set the stage for Jenny Dowell, who became the city’s second female mayor in 2004, before Vanessa Ekins followed in their footsteps.
Jenny Dowell remembered Ros Irwin yesterday on social media: ‘Her death has rocked me to my core but the loss and grief Bill her partner and family are experiencing are immeasurable.’
Ms Dowell said she remembered ‘a strong woman of principle and passion.’
Current Lismore Councillor Jasmine Knight-Smith said, ‘It is with great sadness I acknowledge the passing of former LCC Mayor Ros Irwin.
‘Ros was a dedicated servant to our community, a strong leader, and a trailblazer for women in local government. Big love to her friends and family, she will be missed.’
A truly passionate friend
A statement from Friends of the Koala described Dr Irwin as ‘a truly passionate friend of the koalas’, with her involvement with the group going back to 1992.
As President of Friends of the Koala during the 2019-2020 bushfires in the Lismore region, a particularly challenging time for koalas, she is said to have made an ‘enormous’ contribution.
‘Ros was an extraordinary woman – insightful, intelligent, visionary, energetic, determined, direct, reflective, thoughtful and considerate; a woman of integrity and a highly respected leader in several fields, not least, of Friends of the Koala…’
Long may her legacy live on.’
After leaving Lismore City Council, Dr Irwin lectured in arts and social sciences at Southern Cross University for many years.
She and Jenny Dowell both battled cancer and met again recently at a radiology clinic. Speaking on the ABC yesterday, Jenny Dowell described her former mentor as ‘a force of nature and a great intellect.’
Dr Irwin is survived by her partner Bill Sheaffe, their daughter, four grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.
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