Paul Tomkinson died last week at the age of 78 after a short illness. He was married to Kathleen and had four children - Andrea, Maree, Justina and Paul, who died seven years ago. He was grandfather to seven.

He served as Bendigo mayor during 1980/81 and founded the surveying and planning business Tomkinson Group.

"Paul started the business in a storage room above Sussan's in [Hargreaves] Mall, it was 1973," Kathleen Tomkinson said.

"He then had an office built in Baxter St, he had three offices as the business grew bigger, then a big office in Melbourne. We lived in Bendigo for close to 20 years. We'd buy and renovate and then sell two years later. We lived in Marong, Lockwood, Marong again, Ascot ... we did the rounds.

"I'd met him when I was just 17. He had blond hair styled like the Beatles, beautiful olive skin. He was pretty handsome, and he had a very cool MG car. We married when I was 19 on 31 October 1964, Derby Day. The priest was annoyed he couldn't listen to the race and was hurrying."

"It's been an absolute roller-coaster but the most fun. Paul was a very smart and forward-thinking man."

Colleague and fellow Bendigo councillor Chris Stoltz said the pair enjoyed an eventful period in local government.

"We were facing the closure of the Bendigo Ordnance Factory, the Fortuna Army Survey and engineering at the College of Advanced Education," Mr Stoltz said.

"The city was outraged. There were delegations to Canberra city. At the end of the day the outcome was satisfactory. There were other business issues around town, too - the new library was a big issue and the opening of Hargreaves Mall."

Current Bendigo mayor Jennifer Alden has acknowledged Mr Tomkinson's contribution to the city.

"Mr Tomkinson was a surveyor by trade and was first elected to council in 1977 and was mayor of Bendigo for the 1980/81 term," she said.

"At the end of his term, he reflected that he was surprised to learn of the many people who were doing work in their own way to support their community. I think anyone who has been a mayor or councillor has been impressed by this aspect of community life in Bendigo, which has only gotten stronger over the years.

"Mr Tomkinson was also in favour of mayoral terms of at least two years, a thought that was before its time and now supported under the Local Government Act.

"Our thoughts are with Mr Tomkinson's family at this time."

Mr Tomkinson's funeral is being held in Gisborne on Wednesday.

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