VICTORIA'S longest serving female politician is celebrating 35 years of service in Ararat.
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Councillor Gwenda Allgood was elected to what was then the City of Ararat in 1982 after getting frustrated by the council's lack of action over some netball courts.
"We had an incident at the high school with netball courts and all the councillors kept saying 'we'll come and have a look at all the different lines and see if we need to do something'," she said.
"Well I stood there night after night and nobody came and I got really angry and went to the next council meeting. I said 'if you don't come and have a look at what I'm putting up with I'm going to nominate for council.' They went ha ha ha.
"So then I went up to the netball and was talking to some of the mums about it, and they said yes, we need some younger people. So I went home and told (husband) Morris and he said 'no, you're not doing it'.
"So that night I picked up my pillow and went to (son) Shane's room and Morris said 'what are you doing?' I said 'I'm standing for council and if you don't like it this is where I sleep.' He said 'well, you better come back to bed', so he's been my greatest supporter since."
Other than the period in 1994-96 when Victoria's councils underwent amalgamation, Cr Allgood's service has been continuous, something council chief executive Tim Harrison called an "amazing achievement."
"I think the level of esteem the community holds Gwenda in is pretty obvious," he said.
Cr Peter Beales, who himself has served nearly 30 years, said Cr Allgood has held "every role you can imagine in local government."
"Certainly her longevity is unbelievable - I appreciate it a bit more than most people," he said. "It's very difficult to keep on going and have the enthusiasm she does."
Cr Allgood's community service is extensive, and she said she loves being engaged with community.
She is currently president of the Green Hill Lake Development Board, the Ararat Show Society, the Ararat Ladies Probus, the Ambulance Auxiliary, and the Mechanics Institute.
It is not clear if Cr Allgood will continue her record-breaking service and nominate in the 2020 election.
"I'll give it some thought and do some talking about it," she said.
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