John Thomas Woodward (1 November 1934 – 6 August 2022) was an Australian sportsman, alderman, lawyer, and public servant.

Early life

John Thomas Woodward was born in

Watsons Bay Watsons Bay is a harbourside, eastern suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Watsons Bay is located 11 km north-east of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the Municipality of Woollahra. ...

, Australia on 1 November 1934. He was a keen sailor, member of the Vaucluse Yacht Club. He skippered 'Flying Dutchman' to win th
VJ
Amateur Sailing Association, Commonwealth Championship of 1952-53 and was Senior Club VJ Champion in 1953-54.

Legal career

In 1959, Woodward completed a Bachelor of Laws at

University of Sydney The University of Sydney (USYD), also known as Sydney University, or informally Sydney Uni, is a public research university located in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and is one of the country's si ...

. He concluded his direct involvement in the legal profession in 1974 as a solicitor / partner with Currie & Currie located in King St, Sydney.

Political career

Woodward was an

alderman An alderman is a member of a Municipal government, municipal assembly or council in many Jurisdiction, jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council membe ...

from the

Kirribilli Kirribilli is a suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. One of the city's most established and affluent neighbourhoods, it is located three kilometres north of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area administere ...

ward of the

North Sydney Council North Sydney Council is a local government area on the Lower North Shore of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, established on 29 July 1890 through the amalgamation of three boroughs. The area is bounded by Willoughby to the north and north-w ...

from 1965 to 1974, Deputy Mayor from December 1968 to December 1970, and Mayor of North Sydney from September 1971 to September 1972. During his time with North Sydney Council, Woodward advocated protecting local heritage, reducing housing density and loss of trees, and establishing community services. From 1976 until 1979, Woodward was Director (in the Premiers Advisory Unit) reporting to

Neville Wran Neville Kenneth Wran, (11 October 1926 – 20 April 2014) was an Australian politician who was the Premier of New South Wales from 1976 to 1986. He was the national president of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) from 1980 to 1986 and chairman of ...

, the Premier of NSW.

Environmental and planning career

From 1981 to 1992 he was Chairman of the NSW Office of The Commissioners of Inquiry for Environment and Planning and authored (or co-authored) over 55 reports covering planning and environmental enquiries conducted in NSW during that time. Some of the more notable inquiries included: * A recommendation not to proceed with the F2- Expressway (Stage I – Beecroft to Ryde), but which ultimately became part of the

M2 Hills Motorway The Hills Motorway (also known as the Hills M2 Motorway, M2 Motorway or simply M2) is a tollway in north-western Sydney, Australia, owned by toll road operator Transurban. It forms majority of Sydney's M2 route and part of the 110 km Sydn ...

* Objections to a conservation order The

Royal Automobile Club of Australia The Royal Automobile Club of Australia (RACA) is an Australian motoring organisation, which has also incorporated the Australian Imperial Services Club since 1987. The RACA was established in March 1903 in Sydney, and is the oldest motoring c ...

* A controversial and unsuccessful application for the relocation of a

Bayer Bayer AG (, commonly pronounced ; ) is a German multinational corporation, multinational pharmaceutical and biotechnology company and one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world. Headquartered in Leverkusen, Bayer's areas of busi ...

pesticide plant in

Kurnell Kurnell is a suburb in Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is south of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the Sutherland Shire along the east coast. Cronulla and Woolooware are the only adj ...

. * A successful application for a

BHP BHP Group Limited (formerly known as BHP Billiton) is an Australian multinational mining, metals, natural gas petroleum public company that is headquartered in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The Broken Hill Proprietary Company was founded ...

Mini Mill at Rooty Hill, NSW Between 1993 and 1996, he completed a further three environmental based inquiries: * Commonwealth Commission of Inquiry, Shoalwater Bay Capricornia Coast, Queensland, Australia. * Commonwealth Commission of Inquiry, East Coast Armaments Complex Point Wilson, Victoria. * A proposal for future use of lands at Lucas Heights : Lucas Heights mediation / Sutherland Shire Council and Waste Service NSW. In 1999 he completed an assessment into the amalgamation of the South Sydney, Randwick and Botany Bay councils.

Later life

In his later years, he moved to Tokyo, Japan, where he died aged 87 on 6 August 2022. North Sydney Council passed a condolence motion at its meeting on 22 August 2022, with the motion from the mayor, Zoë Baker, acknowledging his "contribution to North Sydney and NSW, particularly, his legacy of a commitment to strong environmental sustainability and excellent town planning."

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Woodward, John 1934 births 2022 deaths 20th-century Australian lawyers Australian sailors University of Sydney alumni Lawyers from Sydney Mayors of North Sydney Deputy mayors of places in Australia Public servants of New South Wales