Antony Deakin could be honoured and given keys to city of Armidale in proposal before council

His prospective award will be voted on by councillors during the Armidale Regional Council meeting on February 22, with a near lifetime of service to the regional NSW city also being recognised.

Mr Deakin moved to Armidale in 1972, after seven years flying up by DC-3 aircraft from Sydney two days every week to work with his then-business partner Reg Magoffin at Magoffin and Deakin architecture firm.

He was elected to the local council a couple of years later, becoming the mayor in 1987, and was awarded an Order of Australia Medal (OAM) in 2000 in the General Division for Services to the Community particularly in the field of architecture.

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But throughout Armidale, his touch and creative flair can be seen in the many buildings that comprise schools, retirement villages, the hospital and health care buildings, shops, cinemas, theatres, commercial and public buildings and more.

The keys to the city honour is a mediaeval tradition that stems from a time when cities and towns were walled in with gates guarded by day and locked at night.

A person of high-standing and trust among the population would be handed a key, allowing him or her to pass through at any time.

Today, it is symbolic of the highest esteem a city can confer upon an individual, rising above that of an Australia Day Award and recognising a high level of long-term service and contribution to the community.

An official ceremony is expected to be announced at a later date, with Mayor Sam Coupland handing the symbolic key to Mr Deakin, if the proposal gets the nod by councillors at Wednesday's council meeting.

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