Respects for town ‘forefather’

By Rebecca Fraser
CASEY Council has stopped to pay its respects to one of the city’s civic pioneers.
Patrick Northeast PSM died on Monday, 14 December and at a recent council meeting everyone in attendance stopped for a minute’s silence to pay their respects to the former City of Berwick manager.
Mr Northeast was credited as the architect of the emerging City of Berwick and the strong basis for the City of Casey.
Edrington Ward councillor Mick Morland said he knew Mr Northeast very well and described him as the City of Berwick’s forefather.
“He was a great visionary for the city and a great community worker.
“I knew him through Rotary and we were very fortunate to have such a great man in our community.
“He was well respected right across the country and will be sadly missed and always remembered,” he said.
Deputy mayor Rob Wilson said he had worked with Mr Northeast in 1984 when he was a councillor and Mr Northeast the City of Berwick manager.
“He was a man of great integrity and competence and was one of the best city managers in Victoria,” he said.
Former Casey mayor Neil Lucas delivered the eulogy at the December funeral, held at St Dominic’s Church in Camberwell.
Mr Lucas said Mr Northeast was a leader, initiator, an inspiration and a caring and supportive man who loved to laugh, loved to work, and loved to play sport.
Mr Northeast married his wife, Fran, at the same Camberwell church in 1960 and had five children Mark, Simon, Felicity, Rebecca and Sophie who died a few days after her birth.
He had 12 grandchildren.