Mr STEPHEN JONES (Throsby) (13:52): I want to draw the attention of the House to the sad passing of Joyce Elise Wheatley. Joyce died on Tuesday last week at age 74 after a long illness.

Joyce was a Labor legend, a lifetime member of the party who moved to Kiama from her birthplace in Yass in 1965. She was a schoolteacher at Warilla High School for many years and bore the title 'mistress in charge of girls'.

She was asked in 1980, along with her husband, to run for local council. Unfortunately, her husband Frank became ill and was unable to compete in that campaign. He hung on long enough to see Joyce selected and described her election to council as the happiest day of his life.

In 1992 Joyce became the mayor of Kiama and held that position until she was succeeded by the current mayor, Sandra McCarthy in 2000.

Joyce moved on to more community activities after retiring as mayor, including in the St John's Ambulance and Red Cross and acted as a marriage celebrant.

In 2008 Joyce was selected as one of five women in New South Wales to receive the Women in Local Government award as a role model for other female councillors.

She was the mother of Ian, Alan and Kathy and the grandmother of Joel, Christine, Daniel and Nicole and the wife of the late Frank and partner of Lionel.

Celebrations of her life are being held todayand I regret that I cannot be therein the chapel of Stan Crapp Funerals in Kiama.