Upwey’s Peter Marke has resigned from the Upwey Village Consultative Committee after 15 years of service.By Shaun Inguanzo
UPWEY’S Peter Marke will stand down from the Upwey Village Consultative Committee after 15 years of service.
Affectionately coined by locals as Upwey’s ‘mayor’, Mr Marke’s departure and legacy have left an intimidating hole to fill according to the committee’s secretary, Mark Addison.
Mr Marke last week announced his resignation from the committee which he helped create while he was a councillor with the Shire of Sherbrooke between 1988 and 1990.
Mr Marke is also chairman of the Upwey and District Community Bank and captain of the Upwey Country Fire Authority.
While he admitted it would be sad leaving the committee he helped develop, Mr Marke said work commitments required his full attention, particularly with the Bendigo Bank.
“I have a lot of commitments through my consultancy work with the Bendigo Bank,” he said, which involves establishing new branches, such as in Cockatoo and Belgrave.
Mr Addison said Mr Marke was an unbelievable workhorse whose role would have to be filled by a rotating roster of chairpeople.
“Peter worked like you wouldn’t believe.
“The amount of correspondence he churned out was amazing.
“We will have to split (the role) between three or four people.”
During his time as Upwey Village Consultative Committee chairman, Mr Marke said he had seen many changes and developments, including Upwey’s community bank.
“There is a lot of sadness (upon leaving) but certainly a great sense of achievement,” he said.
“On many projects we have worked with council officers, such as Upwey Village Square, and the acquisition of the View Street property, which extended the community reserve area.”
Mr Marke said the committee had made Upwey Village a far more ‘user friendly’ place.
“But it is certainly time for someone else to take over, and I wish them all the best,” he said.
