Former Hume mayor and Sunbury icon Jack Ogilvie is being remembered as a selfless man who wanted to make the Sunbury community the best it could be.
Jack, who was a councillor for 26 years at the City of Hume and the former Shire of Bulla, died on Tuesday, November 5, after a battle with oesophageal and stomach cancer.
Tributes flowed for the man that many people called ‘King Jack’.
Jack’s wife, Lesley Ogilvie, said her husband fought right to the end and never complained.
“He certainly wasn’t giving up, he was a fighter that is for sure,” she said.
“He was in a lot of pain but kept his dignity well and truly.
“We always called him the Eveready bunny, as he kept going.”
Jack moved to Sunbury after he married Lesley in 1979 and quickly became involved in the community.
He was part of Apex, the Lions Club and sporting clubs including the Sunbury Football Netball Club, among many other clubs and committees.
Jack first became a councillor in 1990 and was mayor on two occasions in 1999-2000 and 2008-2009.
He continued on as councillor until retiring in 2016. A stroke in 2015 couldn’t stop him, as he returned to his role just three months later.
Lesley said being a councillor was something Jack was proud of.
She said he was a selfless man, who devoted most of time to working with people.
“It meant a lot to him,” she said.
“We always called ourselves Team Ogilvie and we did everything together.
“It meant so much to him to be involved in the community and he just loved Sunbury. He was just keen on making sure that Sunbury was a better place to live.
“That is what he worked for and why he was on council. He was very proud of it, lately he’s been a little concerned about some things that are happening in Sunbury.”
Lesley said Jack’s highlights in his council career included being mayor twice, meeting different people and different cultures, conducting citizenship ceremonies and coaching the debate team at Salesian College.
While Jack was committed to the community, he was even more committed to his family.
“He was a family man,” Lesley said.
“He has four grandchildren and two daughters and two son in-laws.
“We are a very close knit family that loved to have a good time together and he thoroughly enjoyed being with his family.”
Lesley said he was a selfless man, who devoted most of time to working with people.
That was still the case even in his last years when he was nicknamed the ‘mayor of Goonawarra’ in his nursing home, where he was an advocate for both residents and staff.
Close friend and local businessman Glenn Ingram said in his time in business, he had never come across anyone who was so community-minded as Jack.
“[He] was never in it for himself,” Glenn said.
“I think his success as a local politician was out of the fact there was no politics in what Jack did … people got to realise that when Jack said something it what was what he believed in.
“He was a lovely bloke – I was very lucky to have known him for so long… Our kids still stay in touch and it’s great to see it.”
Adam Mizzi was another close friend of Jack’s.
The owner of Sunbury Autobarn said Jack was still making sure things were taken care of until the end.
He is calling for Jack to be recognised formally in the Sunbury community, suggesting the Sunbury Global Learning Centre main room be named in his honour, along with a park or sporting field.
“We’ve been best mates for 25 years, so I was with him towards the end, and he gave me [and Glenn] a to-do list,” Adam said.
“But in Jack’s true form, he passed away during the Australian anthem of the Melbourne Cup, and 42 years earlier is when Lesley gave birth to his daughter during the Melbourne Cup. It’s definitely Jack’s way of going out on top.
“Jack and I [have] done immense charity work together, and that’s how we formed our friendship, through community and charity involvement. We just trusted each other 100 per cent.
“He was just so passionate about the community and we were lucky to have him as our own.
“He had a really huge impact on my life personally. When I was a young businessman, no one really gave me the time of day, but he always said to me ‘I see something special in you, Adam’.”
Hume chief executive Sheena Frost said everyone at council was saddened by Jack’s death, labelling him a true pillar of the Sunbury community
“Mr Ogilvie’s community-minded vision and passion for Sunbury led to many lasting improvements for our residents, particularly in the sporting space where he passionately advocated for better and upgraded facilities for local clubs.
“The community action taken after Mr Ogilvie suffered a stroke in 2015 is testament to the impact he had on the people he served, who rallied to modify his home to help him stay active. Jack loved his community and the feeling was mutual.”
