Frederick Sinclair Dobbin

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Fred Dobbin Mayor of Orange 1972-1974

Frederick Sinclair Dobbin was born in the inner Sydney suburb of Enmore on 4 March 1921 and attended Australia Street Kindergarten at Newton, Enmore Infants School and Northmead Primary School before his family moved to Bohnock near Taree during the depression. From the one teacher school at Bohnock he moved on to Taree High School and won a scholarship to the New England University College of Sydney University where he studied science and education.

He began his teaching career as a science teacher at Manly Boys Junior High School in 1944 before moving to Newcastle, Bega, Griffith, Armidale and Portland. It was at Portland that he met Margaret Eileen Crowley (known as Peg) and they were married in Peg’s home town of Broken Hill on 29 December 1949.

Fred taught in Mullumbimby, Finley and Narrabri before he was appointed principal of a new high school to be built in East Orange, the Canobolas High School, in 1967. The school moved to its permanent site on March 23 1968 and was officially opened on 7 December the same year. Fred retired from teaching in 1982.

Fred was elected as a life member of the Teachers’ Federation in 1977 and also received the Queen’s Jubilee Medal in the same year.

Fred was elected to Orange City Council in December 1968 and remained a Councillor until 1974. He served 3 terms as Mayor from 1972 to 1974 and was instrumental in the development of the orange Civic Centre.

Fred Dobbin died in Sydney on 21 October 2011 aged 90 years.

  • 'Fred Dobbin is Canobolas' Central Western Daily 11 December 1982, ps 4 and 8
  • 'Former mayor dies, aged 90' Central Western Daily 22 October 2011, p 3
  • Death notice Central Western Daily 22 October 2011, p 26
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