He’s been a Tamworth councillor and a mayor. He’s been on the parochial council of three Tamworth churches. He’s won awards for his garden. His car business is a local icon. He has been a national agitator for greater control of drugs and pornography.
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The Woodley dynasty has been part of the Tamworth/Nundle community for five generations.
Now, as Warren Woodley looks back on almost 80 years, two things dominate the picture. His love for Jesus and his love for his wife, Lorraine.
“I wasn’t terribly good at school,” he confesses, recalling his years at Tamworth High School. “But I was interested in business and how it worked.
“I began at age 15 as an apprentice car upholsterer and trimmer at my father’s car business. We started selling Volvos in 1970. I had always been concerned about road safety and Volvo seemed to be breaking new ground in that area.”
Warren has always been a church-goer. He clearly recalls the night at a youth group dance, when he spotted Lorraine Bine.
“That is one beautiful girl,” he said to himself.
He must have been right because in 1960, she was crowned the Festival of Light queen.
The couple were married in 1961.
For 55 years, they have supported each other in business, council and church work. They taught Sunday school with Granny Munro at the Aboriginal camp on Forest Road, where they made many friends and were able to help families find work and loans.
In the 1980s, Warren became concerned with the prevalence of rape and the link to pornography. He formed a local group, called ROSE – Raising of Standards Everywhere. There were mass meetings and lobbying to protect women.
That same fervour later led him to weigh in on the national drug problem. He wrote letters, held meetings, speaking in schools and towns, and even in Sweden about the dangers of drugs.
As always, it wasn’t just about policy. Warren got to know many addicts and ex-addicts and helped them reshape their lives. But there was significant cost, financial sacrifice and attacks from people who didn’t like his message.
Warren was just 26 when he was first elected to Tamworth City Council. Apart from a break in the ‘70s when his three children were born, he has served for 40 years.
In 2002, he was awarded the Order of Australia medal for services to local government and Australian Cities Against Drugs.
“It’s been fantastic,” he reflects. “A wonderful God and a wonderful wife. I couldn’t have done it without them.”
