Bertie Edward Barden

Bertie Edward Barden was born in Charleville in 1911 and moved to the Hannaford district in 1934. Together with his brother Lyle, the boys pioneered a totally unimproved brigalow block called 'Burenda'. They, in conjunction with brothers Frank & Alf of the neighbouring block 'Golden Arrow', were the first settlers to run sheep in the Hannaford area and to successfully clear brigalow suckers using sheep.

Bertie Barden first became a member of the Tara Shire Council in 1946 and was elected Chairman in 1949. With the exception of one term (1952-1955), he held the position continuously until 1982. During his three years as Councillor and thirty years as Chairman, Bertie Barden attended every meeting of Council. He was awarded an OBE in the 1977 Silver Jubilee and Birthday Honours, for services to local government and the community. In 1984, a monumental clock was erected on the corner of Fry & Day streets by Tara Shire Council, in recognition of the dedicated service given to the Shire by Bertie Barden OBE.

Major achievements of the Shire during Bertie Barden's tenure as Chairman included the Tara electricity & water supplies, Tara Civic Centre & aerodrome, Meandarra electricity & water supplies, Tara & Meandarra sewage schemes, Tara & Meandarra saleyards, Tara squash courts & swimming pool, Glenmorgan electricity supply, and the commencement of the rural electricity supply. In addition, almost 570km of council and main roads were bitumen sealed, and over 1300km of council and main roads were formed or gravelled.