Council officers who worked with Patrick Northeast (from left) Neil Armstrong, Jennie Lee, Ross Currie, John Ross, Steve Onans, Ron Chidgey and Mike Simpson.EULOGIST Neil Lucas described for Patrick Northeast PSM as a “man amongst men” at his funeral on Friday, held at St Dominic’s church in Camberwell.
Mr Lucas said the former City of Berwick officer Public Service Medal recipient was a leader, initiator, an inspiration, caring and supportive, a man who loved to laugh, loved to work, and loved to play sport.
He said Mr Northeast was a most incredibly popular and admired person, and to many people he was “the boss”.
“Above all these attributes he was a Christian, a loving husband, loving father and grandfather,” Mr Lucas said.
“We give thanks to God for having known and loved this wonderful human being and we extend our sympathy to Fran, Mark, Simon, Felicity and Rebecca, and to their respective families.”
Patrick John Northeast was born at the Cobden Bush Nursing Hospital on 25 January 1932, the youngest of three sons to Frank and Millicent Northeast.
He enjoyed hunting rabbits, fishing and sport.
After his primary schooling at Cobden, Mr Northeast attended St Bede’s Mentone as a boarder, where he represented the school in football and cricket.
Back at Cobden he made quite an impact on the sporting scene playing football for Cobden and later captain coached Purrumbete.
He also played and coached tennis and hit a mean ball at golf, once winning the A grade championship at Cobden.
Mr Northeast was a great footballer and was invited to play with three league clubs – Fitzroy, Collingwood and Footscray.
Footscray guaranteed him six games in the firsts for 1953 – a year before the club won its first premiership – but Pat remained in Cobden.
He continued his golfing by serving as the Cobden club’s treasurer, and as chairman of the greens committee at Kingston Heath, and he played off a six handicap.
After a short time in banking Mr Northeast changed direction and took up a successful career in local government.
He joined the Shire of Heytesbury and was good at his work.
During 1957, Franwyn Treadwell visited Cobden to attend the 21st birthday party of a friend.
Mr Northeast and Fran met in the RSL Hall and were married at St Dominic’s, Camberwell, on 30 January 1960.
They each established successful careers, married, had five children – Mark, Simon, Felicity, Rebecca and Spohie, who died a few days after birth – and 12 grandchildren.
Mr Northeast was always very proud of his children and grandchildren.
After doing well at the Shire of Heytesbury he became town clerk at the Borough of Queenscliff, and, at 27, was the youngest town clerk – a position equivalent to the chief executive – in Victoria.
After five years the Heytesbury Shire’s secretary’s position became vacant and he returned.
Such was the admiration of Mr Northeast at Heytesbury that after 18 years the shire had representatives at his retirement dinner in Berwick.
In 1973 the newly established City of Berwick called for applications for its town clerk, and Mr Northeast’s appointment was the start of an era in the City of Berwick that continued for 17 years.
Mr Northeast and his colleague Max Pawsey, under the new council led by Barry Simon, appointed a team to establish the new municipality.
The record shows most of that team stayed with the council until local government amalgamations in 1994, such was the loyalty and good spirit engendered in the council staff.”
