Vale Allan Arbon, long-serving Murray Bridge and Karoonda mayor
A farmer, gentlemen and civic leader is being remembered fondly in the wake of his death on January 24.
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Murray Bridge is grieving the loss of a community leader and a gentleman following the death of former mayor Allan Arbon OAM on January 24.
Mr Arbon led the Murray Bridge council from 2000-14, completing a stint of 31 consecutive years in civic leadership.
He had earlier served as chair of the Karoonda council in 1970, then its first mayor from 1979-81, and returned to the role from 1993-2000.
In Murray Bridge, he championed major developments including the Murray Bridge Marketplace shopping centre, the Gifford Hill racecourse, a revamp of Murray Bridge’s town hall and art gallery, and upgrades to Wharf Hill and Ferries McDonald Road.
He lobbied for locals’ interests during the Millennium Drought, and negotiated an agreement – Kungun Ngarrindjeri Yunnun – under which the council committed to cooperating with the traditional owners of the district.
Allan Ernest Arbon was born into a farming family at Balaklava on August 9, 1937.
He worked in the family business before moving onto his own property at Wynarka in 1962, a property which remains in the family to this day.
He was married twice, including to Pam for the past 30 years.
Mrs Arbon described her husband as full of compassion and care for others, and a passion for doing the right thing for his community.
“As long as he left it better than he found it, he was happy,” she said.
“He was very loving and caring, always willing to share … always willing to talk to people, and a good listener.
“I’ve had 30 years of love, joy, friendship and compassion.”
Mr Arbon spent 50 years as a Justice of the Peace; was a past president of the Murray Bridge chapter of Friendship Force, a club devoted to promoting understanding between its members around the world; and bowled for Karoonda, Jervois and Murray Bridge before settling in at Murray Bridge RSL Bowling Club.
He was awarded an Order of Australia Medal for his service to the community in 2010.
Mr Arbon died on January 24, at the age of 87, after an overnight stay in hospital.
He is survived by Mrs Arbon, four children, nine grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren.
A celebration of life service will be held at Murray Bridge Uniting Church at 2pm next Wednesday, February 12.
It is the second time in three months Murray Bridge has grieved the loss of a former mayor; Mr Arbon’s successor, Brenton Lewis, died on November 26.
