In August last year, the West Tamar lost one of its true characters with the passing of Geoff ‘Dicko’ Dickinson.
Many people in our community loved and genuinely respected Geoff – for his passion and love for the West Tamar, his incredible mind and his care and empathy for all of those who knew him.
To honour this, Council received a motion at its AGM in November last year from a member of our community requesting that “Council initiates a Council Award in honour of the late Geoff Dickinson”.
Upon consideration of the motion, Council officers recommended that to best honour and to recognise the incredible life of Mr Dickinson, Council should name its meeting lectern in the Council Chambers in his honour.
Following this, a motion from Deputy Mayor Rick Shegog was unanimously supported at the December 2025 ordinary meeting requesting that Council:
- Endorse the naming of the lectern in the Windsor Council Chambers as “The Geoff Dickinson Memorial Lectern’
- Authorise the CEO to arrange for a plaque to be affixed to the lectern, and
- Authorise the CEO to write to the family of the late Mr Dickinson to advise them of the memorial and express Council’s appreciation for the many years of contributions to his community.
Prior to the August 2026 ordinary Council meeting, Mayor Christina Holmdahl unveiled a memorial plaque on the Council’s lectern alongside Mr Dickinson’s long-time partner Dr Rosa McManamey.
The plaque reads:
Geoff ‘Dicko’ Dickinson
Memorial Lectern
Geoffrey Jules Dickinson
July 17, 1941 to August 26, 2025
“An extraordinary orator, Dicko’s speeches to Council were intelligent, respectful and driven by a deep concern for his community.
“May those who follow in his steps be similarly inspired.”
Geoff was an extraordinary Tasmanian, who led an extraordinary life. He was born in Sydney in July 1941 and was a Tasmanian resident for 25 years.
However, the links to his Tasmanian heritage stretched back long before that, dating back to the 1830s on his grandfather’s side.
His academic and professional achievements were impressive to say the least.
He studied Pure Science at the University of Sydney from 1959 to 1962.
He completed a Company Directors Diploma at the University of New England in 1991 and was the founding Fellow of Australian Institute of Company Directors.
He received a Master of Transport Management and Logistics from the University of Sydney in 1993, a Master of Management AGSM from the University of New South Wales in 1998, Studies research at the UTAS School of Sociology from 2001 to 2003.
He receive a Graduate Certificate of Computer Science, Interactive Creative Media at UTAS in 2011, a Graduate Certificate of Arts, Philosophy, also at UTAS in 2013, a Master’s in Arts by Research (pending) UTAS, Philosophy “A Study into Intergenerational Justice, a Tasmanian Context” and he was a Lecturer in Supply Chain Logistics: Purchasing at the Australian Maritime College from 2012 to 2015.
His real world experiences were also numerous.
Geoff worked in construction management and maintenance at rural and city hotels/motels in NSW in the 1960s.
He was a Foundation team member of Ecolab, Australia in the 1970s and was a licenced builder in NSW from 1975 onwards and won two housing awards, with a focus mainly on heritage restoration.
He was a transport logistics consultant for Pan Am and United Airlines in the 1980s and was awarded the Key to Kansas City for the transportation and organising live kangaroo exports to their zoo from NSW.
Geoff was the Project Manager for a build and finance bid for the Basslink sub-sea project between 1998 and 1999.
He worked in contract analysis, management and major recovery for a Japanese seed contractor/exporter in 1998.
He also published a number of research papers and was President of The Scots College in Sydney, Parents and Friends Association in 1986 and was elected Student Representative of the Graduate School of Business at the University of Sydney in 1993.
Finally, Geoff was the President of the West Tamar Rotary Club in 2006 as well as a committee member of the Beaconsfield Neighbourhood House.
This is merely a snapshot an incredible life lived to its fullest.
‘Dicko’ leaves behind him an extraordinary legacy – one that will remain etched into the annuls of history of the West Tamar Council for many, many years to come.
Rest in peace Dicko.