BORDER legend Pam Stone, the first woman to be elected as councillor to the Wodonga City Council then later as mayor, has died aged 93.
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Mrs Stone, renowned for her compassion and care for those less fortunate than herself, died at the Mercy Hospital in Albury on Saturday.
Her son Shane, a former chief minister of the Northern Territory, tearfully quoted a nursing sister caring for her as saying, "You die as you have lived". Mr Stone said his mum was "tenacious and determined and never going quietly into the night".
Mrs Stone, born in Swan Hill, was elected deputy mayor of Wodonga in 1981 then mayor in 1985. She achieved much in her life in the region, a standout being instrumental in bringing tertiary education to the Border.
Her dedication was a constant theme of the accolades she received and is recorded at a plaque in Wodonga's Pam Stone Park which reads: "Pam gave compassionate and effective support to underprivileged people of Wodonga".
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She was married to Les Stone, who became Wodonga's first mayor in 1973 when the council was declared the Rural City of Wodonga.
But her life of achievement was also befallen with tragedy; her husband had a long battle with cancer until his death in 1974, and her son Terry was murdered in Timor in 2001.
Wodonga mayor Kev Poulton said Mrs Stone was a trailblazer not just for Wodonga but for the entire region.
"I think it was her maternal side that was such a strength in her leadership," Mr Poulton said.
"She's fondly remembered by her immediate and extended family as being a mother and a grandmother but also as a community sentinel who was always chasing for the betterment of everyone around not just for her immediate family but the broader community.
"From whether it was the way she campaigned to open the first kindergarten in Stanley Street Wodonga or her representation in forming the TAFE and its establishment but attracting university study level studies to the region.
"Here we are decades later thankful for that commitment."
Mrs Stone is survived by Shane and Susan.
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