Berwick dignatory Cyril Molyneux becomes life governor

Cyril Molyneux lived by the motto ‘endeavour with integrity.’ He was a well-respected citizen of Berwick and was involved in many community and arts projects. He became Life Governor in 1981.

His strong call to duty and love of life was highlighted in World War II. He was manning guns in Darwin when 81 Japanese planes began to drop bombs on the town.

While he survived, other mates were not as fortunate. In 2013, when he was 94, Mr Molyneux told the Herald Sun, “I had a mate who was in his first raid in a Hudson bomber over the Malayan Peninsula and he was shot down. He was only 22 years old. You think of these people and you think, I’m bloody lucky to still be here.”

Having survived, the veteran set up home in Berwick in 1963. He swiftly embraced the local, burgeoning community working as a real estate agent. Mayor of Berwick between 1985 and 1986, Cyril Molyneux guided many new projects for the local community.

The new projects included the acquisition of Wilson Botanic Park and the Old Cheese Factory. He was the first chairman of the Berwick Craft Market, and promoted global friendships with the sister cities of Berwick Upon Tweed and Springfield, Ohio, USA.

When interviewed before his death, Cyril attributed his success to lessons learned from army life and an ability to separate local issues from the wider arena of state politics.