List of mayors of Rockingham
The City of Rockingham in Perth, Western Australia, was gazetted on 4 February 1897 as the Rockingham Road Board with a chairman and councillors under the Roads Boards Act 1871. With the passage of the Local Government Act 1960, all road boards became Shires with a shire president and councillors effective 1 July 1961, the Rockingham Road Board thereby becoming Shire of Rockingham. Rockingham attained city status on 12 November 1988, at which point the president became a mayor.[1][2][3][4]
Rockingham's current mayor, Deb Hamblin was elected on 16 October 2021 and thereby became the first female to hold this office.[5] Her predecessor, Barry Sammels, at the time of the announcement of his retirement in August 2021 had been the longest-serving active mayor in Western Australia, having first been elected mayor of Rockingham in 2003.[6][7]
Previous to the 2021 elections, the mayor of Rockingham had historically been elected by the councillors. After an eight year debate, the council voted in September 2020 to change to a publicly-elected mayor.[8]
Chairmen[edit]
The chairman of the Rockingham Road Board:[2]
| Chairman | Term |
|---|---|
| C. Parkin | 1897–1902 |
| E. Thorpe | 1903–1908 |
| C. G. Meade | 1909–1912 |
| S. Dvoretsky | 1913–1916 |
| D. Mitchinson | 1917–1919 |
| S. Dvoretsky | 1920–1928 |
| G. E. Grigg | 1925–1938 |
| S. Dvoretsky | 1931–1932 |
| T. H. Purdy | 1939 |
| F. W. Churcher | 1940–1943 |
| G. E. Grigg | 1940–1947 |
| H. E. France | 1944 |
| H. M. Growden | 1947 |
| W. L. Hughes | 1948–1949 |
| F. W. Churcher | 1950 |
| C. G. Lynch | 1951–1953 |
| N. H. France | 1954–1956 |
| Alf Powell | 1957–1961 |
Shire presidents[edit]
The shire presidents of the Shire of Rockingham:[3]
| President | Term |
|---|---|
| Alf Powell | 1962–1981 |
| W. D. A. Mays | 1982–1986 |
| Laurie E. Smith | 1986–1988[9] |
| Richard R. Smith | 1988 |
Mayors[edit]
The mayors of the City of Rockingham:[4]
| Mayor | Term |
|---|---|
| Richard R. Smith | 1988–1991[10] |
| Laurie E. Smith | 1991–1994[9] |
| F. W. Gardiner | 1994–1997 |
| Chris S. Elliott | 1997–2003[11] |
| Barry William Sammels | 2003–2021[12] |
| Deb A. Hamblin | 2021–present[5][13] |
Election results[edit]
The election results since switching to a publicly-elected mayor:
2021[edit]
| Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deb Hamblin | 6,386 | 25.79 | |
| Lornan Buchan | 5,489 | 22.17 | |
| Mark Jones | 4,411 | 17.81 | |
| Craig Buchanan | 4,203 | 16.97 | |
| Cullum Ashton | 2,573 | 10.39 | |
| Jack Pleiter | 1,699 | 6.86 | |
| Total formal votes | 5,519 | 93.32 | |
| Informal votes | 395 | 6.68 | |
| Turnout | 5,914 | 6.72 | |
References[edit]
- ^ "City of Rockingham profile". rockingham.wa.gov.au. City of Rockingham. Retrieved 29 October 2021.
- ^ a b Rockingham Road Board 1897–1961 (Honour board). City of Rockingham council chambers: City of Rockingham. 2006. Retrieved 29 October 2021.
- ^ a b Shire of Rockingham 1962–1988 (Honour board). City of Rockingham council chambers: City of Rockingham. 2006. Retrieved 29 October 2021.
- ^ a b City of Rockingham 1988 (Honour board). City of Rockingham council chambers: City of Rockingham. 2006. Retrieved 29 October 2021.
- ^ a b Cooper, Daniela (19 October 2021). "Deb Hamblin voted in as first ever female mayor for Rockingham". Mandurah Mail. Retrieved 22 January 2023.
- ^ Thompson, Holly (3 August 2021). "Sunset on Sammels' City reign". Sound Telegraph. Mandurah. Retrieved 19 October 2021.
- ^ Welhan, Monique (2 August 2021). "End of an era for Rockingham Mayor Barry Sammels". 97.3 Coast FM. Mandurah. Retrieved 19 October 2021.
- ^ Fraser, Chloe (30 September 2020). "Rockingham community to decide mayor at 2021 ballot". Sound Telegraph. Mandurah. Retrieved 29 October 2021.
- ^ a b Seeber, Elisia (11 June 2014). "Local leader reflects". Sound Telegraph. West Australian Newspapers. Retrieved 22 January 2023.
- ^ Morton, Arran (1 November 2013). "Smith elected to deputy role". Sound Telegraph. West Australian Newspapers. Retrieved 22 January 2023.
- ^ "Former Rockingham mayor to retire from council at October local government elections". Sound Telegraph. West Australian Newspapers. 13 August 2019. Retrieved 22 January 2023.
- ^ Welhan, Monique (13 October 2021). "City of Rockingham farewells departing Mayor Barry Sammels". 97.3 Coast Live. Retrieved 22 January 2023.
- ^ "Deb Hamblin". Business News. Retrieved 22 January 2023.
- ^ 2021 Ordinary Election - Rockingham, Western Australian Electoral Commission
