Permanent tributes to honour former Mayor and Cr Sarah Carter
Published on 19 March 2025
Council has identified three opportunities to publicly acknowledge the outstanding contribution of former Mayor and Councillor, Sarah Carter, to the City of Maribyrnong and the community.
Sarah Carter passed away unexpectedly in August 2024 at the age of 45. Her loss was felt by many in the municipality who she worked tirelessly to support over her 16 years on Council.
Council will be: creating a new ‘Sarah Carter’ Gender Equity category in the annual Civic Awards recognising her advocacy in this space; displaying her mayoral robes within the Council Chamber in the renovated Town Hall; and naming a ‘contemplative seat’ at Footscray Wharf in her honour.
Mayor, Cr Pradeep Tiwari, said the decision follows calls from the community for a permanent tribute to honour the life of a woman who cared deeply and worked passionately for her community.
“Sarah was not just a public servant but a dear friend and a humble human being who touched our lives with her dedication and compassion. Our community called for Council to honour her memory in a way that represented the significant contribution she made to the City of Maribyrnong, and I look forward to being able to make this a reality,” Mayor Tiwari said.
Council also requested a report on opportunities to also potentially name a space or facility in the municipality after her. Further details regarding the creation and installation of these memorials will be shared as they are developed.
Maribyrnong’s first three-time female Mayor, Cr Carter was only the second Mayor in our municipality’s 163 year history to achieve Emeritus status – the highest recognition for distinguished service in local government leadership.
At the March Council meeting, Mayor Cr Tiwari and Cr Cuc Lam, who served with Sarah Carter, presented a tribute book capturing the hundreds of messages received by Council from colleagues, staff, politicians, and residents on a memorial page established in the days after her untimely death, to her family.
Sarah’s mother, Gaynor, thanked Council for their support in bringing together a beautiful service, presentation of the tribute book, and for the permanent memorials agreed on at the meeting that will deliver “a lasting memory and legacy of Sarah, my daughter.”
“It is a great relief to myself and family,” she added, “that Sarah will not be forgotten for the many long hours she spent representing Council as three times Mayor and equity ambassador, and for the work she contributed to the City of Maribyrnong.”
Maribyrnong News
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