MAURICE (Maurie) Keane, who served as a Sutherland Shire councillor and state MP for a combined period of 26 years, has died at 91.
Mr Keane, who lived in Sutherland, was a Labor member of the council from 1962 to 1974.
In 1973, he was elected to State Parliament as the member for Woronora, and represented the seat until 1988.
Mr Keane served in the Signals Corps during World War II and worked in a variety of jobs before becoming secretary of the Sydney Water Board Union (salaried division) from 1965 to 1973.
A member of the Labor Party's left faction, he was a passionate environmentalist, a member of the peace movement during the Vietnam War and a strong opponent of apartheid.
He was among shire councillors who in 1971 voted to ban a racially-selected South African team from competing at a surf carnival at North Cronulla, a move years ahead of widespread sporting sanctions against the regime's apartheid policy.
Mr Keane was executive director of the NSW Aboriginal Land Council from 1990 to 1993 and director of the Mandela Foundation of Australia from 1994 to 1995.
His community activity included being a founding member and life governor of Sutherland Shire Police Citizens Youth Club.
Mr Keane's son Christopher described his father as a "grassroots politician".
"One of [Mr Keane's contributions] was supporting the establishment of the shire's network of public libraries," he said.
"Dad's mother was a writer and he was an avid reader.
"He was very supportive of allocating funds for libraries at a time when the shire was developing rapidly and there were many competing needs to be met from scarce resources."
Christopher Keane said his father considered local government to be very important because it was "close to the people", and thought it should be compulsory experience for aspiring state MPs.
"In fact, Dad would have liked to have seen local government expanded and state governments abolished," he said.
Maurie Keane was husband to Patricia (deceased) and father of Anthony, Christopher and Lisa. A celebration of his life will be held at noon on Thursday in the South Chapel, Woronora Crematorium.
