Kevin Byrne

Kevin Byrne was a Mayor of City of Cairns for the former Cairns City Council from 1992 to 1995, and then from 2000 to 2008. Tom Pyne, father of Cairns Regional Councillor Robert Pyne, was the Mayor of Mulgrave Shire from 1979 to 1995, then was re-elected to the first term of when the Shire amalgatmated with Cairns from 1995 to 2000.

With the formation of Cairns Regional Council, he was defeated by Val Schier for the position of Mayor of the new council.

Early life

Born Lae, Papua New Guinea 1949. His family had first arrived in Papua New Guinea in 1906 when his grandfather was appointed Chief Collector of Customs in Port Moresby. His primary education was on Manus Island, Papua New Guinea. Attended Nudgee College, Brisbane 1963-67.

Military career

Graduated 1969 from Officer Cadet School, Portsea, Victoria (OCS Portsea) with Australian Army commission. Awarded the Sword of Honour for Leadership in that year. Seventeen year military career included Australian and overseas postings to Malaysia, Singapore, Papua New Guinea, Rhodesia and South Vietnam. As a young Infantry Platoon Commander in South Vietnam, Mentioned in Despatches for gallantry, 1971. Final military assignment as a Senior Instructor at the Royal Military College, Duntroon, 1987.

Working life

Regional Manager Office of Northern and Regional Development, Cairns 1987-90: fast tracking regional development projects; identifying development and employment opportunities in Far North Queensland; interfacing between the private sector and the government. In 1990 became regional manager of the Queensland Confederation of Industry, the State's largest employer organisation.

Elected Mayor of Cairns 1992; re-elected 1994. Defeated by Tom Pyne 1995 following the amalgamation of City of Cairns and Mulgrave Shire. Recruited to administer a giant oil spill cleanup operation, funded by the World Bank and European Bank of Reconstruction and Development, in the Kolva Basin, in the Komi Republic, part of the Russian Federation. The Pechora River tributaries were remediated and 146,000 tonnes of oil were recovered in the biggest oil spill clean up on record.

Chief Executive of the Papua New Guinea Tourism Promotion Authority December 1995. Member of the national negotiating team for bilateral air service agreements; Acting Chairman of the National Airline Commission for two years; Deputy Chairman of AIR NIUGINI for eighteen months; National Delegate to the APEC Working Groups on Tourism and Trade.

Returned to Cairns December 1999 ; re-elected as Mayor of Cairns on 25 March 2000 and again in March 2004.

Higher Education

Master of Arts (Business Administration) with first class honours, 1993.

Awards

The Papua New Guinea Independence Medal (25th Anniversary) for services to Aviation and Tourism, 2000; the Australian Centenary Medal for services to Local Government and the City of Cairns, 2003.

Personal life

Married to Amanda. One daughter, Isabel.

Memberships of organisations

* Member - Liberal Party of Australia
* Member - ULGAQ Executive
* Member - Australian Institute of Company Directors
* Member - Cairns Unity Team

External links