Diane Whalen

I was very sad to hear of the passing of Municipal Affairs Minister and former Paradise mayor Diane Whelan. While the news was not unexpected, as she had been ill for a long time, it is still a huge loss.

I remember when I first meet Diane - she didn’t know me from Adam - when she was the mayor of Paradise. It was at a Needs convenience store and she was walking out carrying a half case of beer. I shouted out across the parking lot, “Long week Diane?” She looked at me, looked down at her beer and deadpanned “No, it’s Friday”. Two of us cracked up laughing.

The last time I meet her was at the town hall in Paradise last year when she was making an announcement for the government. Always the lady and never the politician, she went out of her way to make sure she answered all questions. I asked her how she put up with all the BS thrown her way, the travel, phone calls, complaints and so on. She shrugged her shoulders, smiled and said it never bothered her.

A co-worker of mind, who knew Diane, said she was someone you’d want to have a cup of tea with – if you didn’t ask her, she would ask you. In the big picture, that’s about as good as it gets.

My sincerest condolences to her family at this difficult time.