Mayor Leo Hauville suspended standing orders during the first meeting of the new term of Council to acknowledge her extensive contributions to our Shire community, including her eight years as a Kempsey Shire councillor.

"I would like to pay tribute to councillor Jennifer Anne Sproule who died on January 14, and on behalf of council I would like to acknowledge her extensive contributions to our Shire community." Cr Hauville said.

Jenny Sproule was first elected to Council at the election held in September 1999 and served a four-year team with distinction.

She was elected for a second separate term in 2008, at the election held on 13 September.

The minutes of Council meetings from that period show that Jenny was an active member of Council. In 2009 alone she was a member of the Aboriginal Consultative Working Party, the Crescent Head Works Prioritisation Committee, the Kempsey Masterplan Implementation Committee, the Local Heritage Committee, the Macleay Floodplain Project, the Mid North Coast Regional Arts Board, and the Smithtown Works Prioritisation Committee.

Outside of Council she was very active in the community. She was an official visitor to the Kempsey Correctional Centre, a member of the Community Union Alliance and an active member of the University of the Third Age, U3A, serving as its president in 2016.

In 2015 she was awarded a Women of the Macleay award which honours local women who have made a positive difference to the lives of many through volunteering, strong leadership or advocating for change.

As recently as 2020 she worked as the secretary for Kempsey Advisory Training Enterprises which supported local students and education organisations.

Sadly, Jenny had been unwell for quite some time, but she continued to make the most of every moment with her family, her friends and the wider community.

Councillor Sproule leaves a legacy of fulsome community involvement and dedicated work for Kempsey Shire Council.

"Jenny and her colourful scarves will be sadly missed by all who knew her," Cr Hauville said.

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