The Shire of Winton is a local government area in Central West Queensland, Australia. It covers an area of , and has existed as a local government entity since 1887. Its administrative centre is located in the town of Winton. It is named after Winton, Dorset, England, the birthplace of Robert Allen, the first white settler in the Winton (Queensland) area.
The major industry in the shire is beef production and some opal mining. There has been some development of the known oil and gas reserves in the region.
In the , the Shire of Winton had a population of 1,129 people.
History
The Winton Division was created on 23 September 1886 under the Divisional Boards Act 1879.
With the passage of the Local Authorities Act 1902, Winton Division became the Shire of Winton on 31 March 1903.
It subsequently lost an area in its northwest to the Shire of McKinlay on 24 July 1930.
Towns and localities The Shire of Winton includes the following settlements:
Winton Collingwood (ghost town) Corfield Middleton Opalton
Amenities Winton Shire Council operates a public library at Winton.
Chairmen and mayors Initially, the chairman/mayor was chosen by the elected councillors from among themselves. Later, it became a separate role elected by the public. The chairmen and mayors of the Winton Divisional Board and the Winton Shire Council include: 1887–1889 J. B. Riley 1889–1890 Robert Christian Ramsay 1890–1891 M. F. Ramsay 1891–1898 A. G. Fraser 1898–1901 Robert Christian Ramsay (2nd term) 1901–1901 William Henry Corfield 1901–1903 Robert Logan Chirnside 1903–1907 Robert Christian Ramsay (3rd term) 1907–1910 Arthur Douglas Ramsay 1910–1912 W. H. Cameron 1913–1920 Andrew John Baxter McMaster 1920–1921 Robert Edward Jackson 1921–1924 Andrew John Baxter McMaster (2nd term) 1924–1927 Leonard Irving 1927–1930 Percy Neil Grieve 1930–1934 John Rupert Wilfred Kennedy 1934–1946 Thomas Joseph Shanahan 1946–1955 Edward Charles Pender Phillott 1955–1958 Walter de Levante Booty 1958–1964 Edward Charles Pender Phillott (2nd term) 1964–1976 Charles Kempson Maxwell 1976–1981 William Joseph Harold Holmes 1981–1987 Eric Barton Bryce 1987–1995 Erice Muir Lenton 1995–2007 S. B. (Bruce) Collins 2008–2012 Edward Lawrence (Ed) Warren 2012–2017 Graham Thomas (Butch) Lenton (died in office) 2017–2024 Gavin John Baskett 2024–Present Cathy White
In the 2008 election, the two candidates Ed Lawrence and Butch Lenton received the same number of votes. The winner, Ed Lawrence, was decided by drawing a name from a hat.
In the 2016 election Butch Lenton was elected unopposed. He died in office on 1 October 2017 in Winton, which resulted in a by-election. He was posthumously named as one of the Queensland Greats by Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk in a ceremony at the Queensland Art Gallery on 8 June 2018.
Demographics Year Population Notes 1933 2,807 1947 2,509 1954 2,532 1961 3,043 1966 2,688 1971 2,095 1976 1,938 1981 1,995 1986 1,986 1991 1,877 1996 1,731 2001 1,939 2006 1,380 2011 1,336 2016 1,134 2021 1,129
References
Further reading
External links