Most people would know Darlene Cook as a Lismore City Councillor for the last eight years. Darlene has declared she will not be a candidate in the September local council elections. As you will read, Darlene has experienced a long and diverse life and has overcome life's hurdles and prejudices by taking it in her stride and looking to help make meaningful societal changes. Maive McKenzie sat down with Darlene to get her life story.

I was born in Sydney in February 1956 at the Crown Street Women’s Hospital. Due to the social norms of the era, my unmarried mother made the difficult decision to give me up for adoption. Fortunately, I was then adopted by a family who, despite their own medical condition that prevented them from having children naturally, welcomed me as their fourth child out of a total of five. 

(Me at 3 – 1959 with brothers Keith and Graham)

In recent years, I have become the family historian, researching the backgrounds of our birth families. This endeavour allowed me to reconnect my eldest sister and brother with their respective birth families, which I am just so glad I could do that for them. I was even able to locate my own birth mother, though I was legally prohibited from contacting her due to a contact veto; while I wish I could’ve connected with her, I have no hard feelings about her decision.

My adopted dad worked at a woollen mill in Sydney, which had originally been started by my great-grandfather but was sold during World War II.

Tragically, my dad passed away at a relatively young age, in his 50s. Given the social norms of the time, my adopted mum did not have a job, though she was an active member of the NSW Liberal Ladies Council. Ironically, her children ended up aligning with either the Labor or Greens political parties, showcasing the diverse perspectives that can emerge within a single family.

(Me at 6 – family home 1962 Chatswood)

I had never envisioned myself becoming a local councillor, but my initial interest in this role stemmed from an opportunity presented by my school on the North Shore of Sydney. In 1971, the Ku-ring-gai council established a youth council, and I was selected as one of the two representatives from my school. 

This experience proved to be both exciting and eye-opening, as it allowed me to gain a perspective on the workings of a local council. Prior to this, my understanding of councils was rather limited, typically associating them with roads, rates and rubbish. However, my involvement in the youth council revealed a much broader and more complex scope of responsibilities and decision-making processes.

When I was young, I had a whole different plan in mind for my career. I really wanted to be a vet, but things didn't quite work out because I didn't hit the grades needed to go down that path and back then, there weren't any career advisors, and things like that, so I didn't even know I could start the medical degree I was accepted for and then switch later on.

So, I ended up going for Arts Law at the University of Sydney instead. It was a pretty cool time because I was part of the first group to get free education thanks to Gough Whitlam's policy.

That move really opened up doors for a lot of us. It was such an incredible era; Lionel Murphy rewrote the Family Law Act, and Gough Whitlam created a paid welfare allowance for single-parent families. These shifts really shaped the whole scene back then, making it a super exciting and impactful time. 

After realising that Arts Law wasn't the right fit for me, I made the bold decision to drop out and pursue a different path in rural NSW. I found myself working on beef cattle and vegetable growing farms, immersing myself in a world dominated by men.

(Me at about 20 ish - property I worked on at Nymboida so around 1976 – dog’s name was Cherie.)

Despite the initial scepticism from my male coworkers, I embraced the physical demands of the jobs and honed my strength. The challenges were tough (it seemed I always got the horse that liked to buck you off or the tractor with no brakes), but I persevered, always picking myself up after each setback.

During my years in the agricultural sector, I took on various roles, including stripping bark off timber pit props at the Nymboida coal mine. This particular mine had a unique history - it was on the verge of closure due to lack of profitability, but the miners, refusing to accept layoffs, kept returning to work. Eventually, the union stepped in and the workers took ownership of the mine, making it the first union-owned and operated coal mine in Australia.

I ultimately decided to leave those positions due to a significant life change - I had met someone special. In 1982, I fell in love with an amazing woman, and I made the decision to move to Dorroughby to be with her. At that time, coming out as a member of the LGBTQIA+ community was incredibly difficult and my former colleagues chose to ignore or avoid the topic altogether.

However, taking this leap of faith and moving in with Vera proved to be an exhilarating and fulfilling experience. With her being a fair bit older and having three teenage children, it was an entirely different world. During this time, I found employment at a macadamia plantation where I dedicated ten years to working in their nursery, specialising in growing and grafting the young trees. 

Vera and I and a friend of ours, Mike Bray, started Gay Waves on 2NCR-FM in 1984. A campaign was launched by the media, some churches, and a number of other individuals with the intention of throwing us off the air; however, the radio station protected us.

It turned out to be a lifeline for a great number of people because it allowed us to dispel false information, disseminate factual information, inform people about important events that were taking place, and also expose them to poetry and music from the LGBTQIA+ community. 

Vera and I split up after ten years; I was then thirty-six years old, and at that time I was experiencing knee and back problems, and I considered myself to be in need of a new direction in my life.  

So, I went to TAFE “O” Week, and a woman approached me and suggested that I come and look into obtaining a certificate in bookkeeping. I loved the course so much that I decided to convert it into an advanced diploma in accounting. I went on the dole and quit my job in order to focus on my studies until I began working in the community sector.

(Lismore TAFE 1996 with Andrea Hughes – head of business services. I got the Highest Graded Pass award in Adv Dip Accounting)

I began my bookkeeping career by working for SCU Student Representative Council, and later went on to work for the Casino Family Support and local disability organisations. Eventually, I became a founding finance officer for the Northern Rivers Community Legal Centre.

Trying to juggle grants and the increasing demands for services and to keep on top of where all the money goes was a challenge that I enjoyed. I also worked for some time with local financial auditors, and that made me feel almost like a money detective! 

In April of 1994, I met my current partner Angela, who was employed on the same macadamia farm as I was. Angela also became a founding member of the Northern Rivers Community Legal Centre and went on to be their general manager for twenty years. Our life together has involved many social justice campaigns - for equal pay; stopping domestic violence; ending live export of cattle and sheep; stopping coal seam gas fracking in our area; advocating for tenants’ rights, and marriage equality among them.

Angela and I recently celebrated being together for thirty years. 

After working in the financial industry for twenty years, I realised that I wanted to make another change in my career.

I was able to attend a forum that Jenny Dowell hosted in 2016 on the role of women in local government. The purpose of the forum was to encourage women to diversify local government with people who had expertise and knowledge in a variety of fields. Consequently, I put my name forward for that, and since I was already a member of the Labor Party, I was placed on Isaac Smith's ticket, and I was elected in September 2016.



I have served on the council for a total of eight years, two terms, and I have also served on a variety of committees and advisory groups, including as Lismore’s representative on Rous County Council. I also championed the creation of Lismore Council’s Audit Risk and Improvement Committee, which deals with risk management and financial accountability. I am currently the chairperson of the Richmond Tweed Regional Library, which is a consortium consisting of four councils coming together to provide library services across our region.  

One of the most significant events that occurred during my time on council was the marriage equality campaign in 2017. It was a very emotional experience speaking in Council of my life as an out gay person in Lismore and the changes that have taken place in our society over forty years; from the era in which gay people were vilified and jailed for the crime of homosexuality through to the more enlightened and accepting world we live in today. Over time, the world has undergone significant transformations in attitudes to gay people, and the last big hurdle was the establishment of marriage equality. 

I proposed a motion to have the rainbow flag fly at Council Chambers until the law was changed. It was massive for so many of us to have the rainbow flag flying over Lismore and for Lismore Council to support this campaign. 

I did get my first death threat from that, they threatened to kill me, to pull down the flag, and to attack staff at the council. Amazing how something as simple as a flag can upset some people.

The world has changed so much in my lifetime for women; when I was young, women lost their jobs when they announced they were getting married. I discovered in 1975 that a woman couldn’t get her own car loan or mortgage or credit cards without a man signing his permission. Women and children were seen as being owned by their fathers, husbands, and brothers. My mum couldn't go overseas or get a passport without my father’s permission. It’s incredible to see what has changed for some of us here in Australia; but I am aware that nothing has changed for women in many parts of the world. 

Some of the most rewarding aspects of being a councillor is actually achieving outcomes for people. People email us and telephone us and say they have this problem and can I help? I get to advocate a solution for them and sometimes it’s just getting the pothole fixed or the garbage collected; but for others it could be major neighbourhood disputes about developments around them. 

We’ve had the flood in 2017, fires in 2019, another flood in 2022, our community has gone through so much in the past few years. People are very stressed and as councillors we’ve seen the changes in requests for help from our community; people are asking for help with damaged homes, having nowhere to live, demanding affordable land releases, help in relocating. They are stressed and angry that help for the recovery of the city is so slow.



Listening to them, talking with them, and trying to find people and service organisations to help our community; talking with recovery and reconstruction organisations is now a big part of the role of Councillor, and while I too feel frustrated about the lack of communication from the reconstruction body, I am so glad I have been able to be there at this time, and to make even a small difference in some people’s lives.

I’m not running in the council elections in September. It’s time for yet another change in direction and a new chapter in my life. Not sure what that next venture will look like, but Angela and I are looking forward to doing some travelling in the next few years, both here in Australia and some overseas trips too. Keep an eye on this spot!