Greens MPs salute Goodlass
Federal Greens senator Lee Rhiannon and NSW MP David Shoebridge yesterday paid tribute to openly gay former Wagga Wagga City Deputy Mayor Ray Goodlass for his groundbreaking work as a councillor and as a community activist, and to wish him all the best in his retirement.
“I was very sad to hear that Ray Goodlass has had to retire from Wagga Wagga City Council due to ill-health,” Rhiannon said.
“I have enjoyed working with Ray immensely. He is in touch with his community and deeply committed to advancing environmental protection and social justice causes.”
Elected to the council in September 2008, Goodlass was the first Greens member to be elected to a council in the Riverina and the first openly gay person to be elected to Wagga Wagga City Council. He was also the Greens NSW Gay and Lesbian spokesman.
Greens NSW Local Government spokesman David Shoebridge worked closely with Goodlass and joined Rhiannon in thanking him for his work.
“Ray is a friend, a colleague and in many ways a mentor in dealing with local government,” he said.
“Lee and I wish Ray a speedy recovery and we look forward to continuing to work with him in coming years.”
Ray’s achievements in LGBTI have been commendable. He’s a 78er – one of those brave people who protested against police harrassment and homophobic legislation, giving rise to the Mardi Gras parade. Since I first got to know him 10 years ago, he’s been a tireless campaigner, and I’m sure he was campaigning long before that.
All the work and bravery of people like Ray have made life a little bit easier for the rest of us, and inspired us to keep striving for equality and recognition. When I was growing up in country NSW, the only gay people I knew of were ridiculed characters on TV shows. We can see what a long way we’ve come when the deputy mayor of Wagga is an openly gay man.
Thanks for everything, Ray. Good to know you’re looking after yourself, and I know you’ll keep up the good work.
I remember Ray as being one of the first gay people I met. I was an innocent country girl going to start University in Wagga, and he was the Drama lecturer there at the time. It was well known on campus in the early 80’s of his sexuality, and for a university that was a centre for agricultural studies as well as media and arts it was a case of two worlds colliding at times. I remember the homophobia towards him by students at the time, but was always very appreciative that he showed me another way of living.
A few years later I spent a lot of time in the Wagga Arts community, where he mentored me in one of my first leadership positions – Wagga Youth Theatre. A organisation we formed collectively for young people to write, direct and perform pieces of work. He was always supportive and genuine.
Later when I “came Out” in Wagga we met at monthly social events ran by the Southern Cross G&L group. It was a case of a very few gay’s in the village then.
When I moved to Sydney we lost touch, but over the past few years we have, by chance, seen each other on the parade route and have had a brief moment of re-connection.
I want to thank Ray for being a role model to so many over the past few decades, in ways which he probably didn’t realise at the time.
I hope his retirement is as inspiring as all he has achieved to date.
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