Standing for council is a challenging and I suspect often thankless task. Rod Campbell represents to me all that someone standing for council should epitomise. Rod has been a councillor since 2008, and was mayor in 2009/2010. He is a warm and engaging man, genuinely interested in people, and thoroughly enjoyed meeting his constituents whenever he could.

There have been many accolades for Rod since announcing he would not stand for re-election. I couldn’t do better than to quote Rob Stephenson who wrote recently in the Bendigo Advertiser: “Rod, thank you for your commitment and always considered, thoughtful approach and response to council decision-making. Your expertise and judgment will be missed.”

In observing the way in which councillors voted during council meetings it was very clear that Rod always read submissions and considered his vote very carefully on every issue which came before council. He would explain his position if he was challenged and had a clear picture in his mind of why he chose to vote in a certain way. That is what we should expect of a councillor – that he or she read everything necessary to come to a conclusion, including taking advice from the professional council officers, and vote accordingly.

In 2010 Rod was struck down with a recurrence of the life-threatening Guillain Barre Syndrome, which significantly affected his ability to stand or grip with his hands. This would have been a devastating diagnosis for most people, but not Rod. This is where I come to the second part of this inspiring story, because it introduces Rod’s wife Alison. Alison threw herself wholeheartedly into becoming Rod’s hands and legs, his carer, his unassuming supporter, allowing him to continue with the work of a councillor, a role he relished and considered critical in the community. She was by his side constantly, enabling him to participate in public meetings and listen to his community, responding to the needs of both individuals and organisations.

Rod brought to the table his experience as an engineer who had worked with both urban and rural communities across Victoria and had managed his own construction business. The list of committees he served on as a councillor and the interests he was involved in were formidable and more than exhausting for most people. Not Rod. He relished the challenges they brought.

Rod chaired and sat on numerous committees, working tirelessly for the best interests of residents “to ensure that we create a city that not only suits today’s needs, but will serve future generations and also become the most livable city in regional Australia.” That was a big call, but one which never daunted Rod; he had a big picture view of Bendigo.

Rod Campbell was not only an exceptional councillor but he spoke for the disabled in our community who struggle every day to make sense of a world designed for physically upright citizens, not those bound to wheelchairs. Rod unintentionally ended up becoming a spokesperson for this group within our community because he too ended up wheelchair bound.

“The measure of a man is the way he bears up under misfortune” ( Peter Zarlenga). 

That is the councillor Rod Campbell I know and regard with utmost admiration and respect. We will miss his wise counsel and common sense.

ANNIE YOUNG