News / Obituary
Brunswick Greens mourn death of founding figure
Fraser Brindley: September 9, 1973-August 9, 2023
IN December 2001, about a dozen people got together and formed the (then) Moreland branch of the Australian Greens. One of those people was Fraser Brindley.
At the same meeting, a preselection for Moreland City Council candidates for the March 2002 elections was also conducted. We elected candidates for five of the 11 wards, and spent a busy, frantic and fun-filled few months running the campaign (and becoming a team). Fraser was elected to the Lygon Ward, representing Brunswick East.
The Council at the time was essentially an ALP dominated body, who caucused, so the question could be asked – what can one little Green do?
Fraser was smart, always did his homework including additional research if necessary, a good lateral thinker, and often came up with ideas that were too good to dismiss just because he was a Green.
He didn’t care if his ideas were taken over and credited with others – he was of the view that a good idea was a good idea. And he worked with all the other councillors, many of them very constructively, to achieve things. He never lost his cool, and was always ready to take the hard decision. When he spoke against an issue, even when he knew it wasn’t going to get up, the public gallery could hear the sincerity and thought in his argument.
In November 2004, when four year terms and proportional representation were introduced, he was elected to Melbourne City Council. He continued his diligent and informed approach at Melbourne for the 2004-2008 term.
He married in 2009 and a year or two later moved to Tasmania. In recent years he has worked as a well-respected advisor to Greens Senators in Canberra.
He was smart, quick witted, funny, hard working and good company.
His death on August 9 at the age of 49 was a great loss – particularly to his family and his four children Via, Isabel, Ursula and Arthur – and also to the wider community. Vale Fraser.
This tribute was written by Jo Connellan, Moreland City Councillor 2004-12