Kingston Conservative Councillors

Cllr Geoff Austin: Deputy Mayor, May 2011

On the evening of Wednesday 11th May 2011, Councillor Patrick Codd, Mayor for the 2011/2012 municipal year, chose Councillor Geoff Austin to be his Deputy Mayor and his wife, Mrs Sheila Austin, as the Deputy Mayoress.

Born in Carshalton in 1948, Councillor Austin was educated at Whitgift School, Croydon, and has been involved with local government for much of his life. His father was an Independent Councillor on the old Beddington and Wallington Borough Council, and on leaving school Geoff decided to pursue a career in local government. He was employed by Croydon, Westminster and Lambeth Councils in their Social Services Departments before taking early retirement in 2005. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Public Sector Management.

Geoff and his wife Sheila have a son and two grandchildren, and have lived in Clifton Road, Kingston for 21 years. He was elected a Councillor for Canbury Ward in May 2006, and has a number of interests outside local government, in particular sport. He enjoyed a long rugby playing career, and is now an active referee, and a Vice-President of the Surrey R.F.U. He also enjoys watching football, and is a Patron of our local team Kingstonian F.C. He likes listening to country & western and folk music, and presents a regular show on Kingston Hospital Radio. He is also a reader on the Kingston Talking Newspaper for the Blind, and Vice-Chairman of the Friends of Kingston Hospital.

Given his involvement with volunteering and fundraising at Kingston Hospital, the Deputy Mayor is delighted to be supporting this year’s Mayor’s charities, ‘Born Too Soon’ and ‘Macmillan Cancer’ both of which give tremendous support to patients at Kingston Hospital.

Wednesday 11th May: Cllr Geoff Austin, newly inaugurated Deputy Mayor

with his wife Sheila Austin, Deputy Mayoress

May 2011: Cllr Geoff Austin Deputy Mayor with his wife Sheila Austin Deputy Mayoress opening the Kingston CAMRA, Real Ale and Cider Festival at Kingston Working Mens Club.

May 2011: Cllr Geoff Austin, Deputy Mayor with his wife Sheila Austin Deputy Mayoress presenting certificates at the 'Achievements in Adult Education' awards ceremony sponsored by Kingston Rotary Club.

May 2011: Cllr Geoff Austin Deputy Mayor with match officials and captains before the Frank Walsh Memorial Charity Rugby match at Kingston R.F.C. in aid of 'Born Too Soon'.

Saturday 28th May: Cllr Geoff Austin, Deputy Mayor and his wife Sheila Austin, Deputy Mayoress at the Alpha Road Fun Day where they met PCSO Steve and where they also enjoyed watching the Chinese Lion Dance.

Tuesday 31st May: Cllr Geoff Austin, Deputy Mayor with his wife Sheila Austin, Deputy Mayoress with actors from the London Mandarin school who were perfroming 'The Monkey King' as part of the Chinesewise variety show at the Rose Theatre.

Tuesday 31st May: Cllr Geoff Austin, Deputy Mayor about to the draw the winning ticket in the H. Mart Supermarket Prize draw in New Malden.

Sunday 29thh May: Deputy Mayor Cllr Geoff Austin with the Mayor and Mayoress of the London Borough of Sutton, about to lay wreaths at the Royal British Legion Annual Service and Parade at Bonner Hill Cemetery.

Saturday 11th June: Deputy Mayor Cllr Geoff Austin and Deputy Mayoress Shiela Austin at Kingston Rowing Club, celebrating the refurbishment of the Clubhouse.

Sunday 12th June: Deputy Mayor Cllr Geoff Austin with his Wife Deputy Mayoress Shiela Austin with the prize they won in the Tombola at the Old Malden Scouts Fete.

Friday 10th June: Deputy Mayor Cllr Geoff Austin with Edward Davey MP for Kingston and Surbiton, Gary Fitzgerald Chief Executive for Action on Elder Abuse, Fran O'brien, member of the 'People at Risk' Group and Anne Macfarlane OBE, Member of Kingston's Safeguarding Adults Partnership Board at the launch of the new Safeguarding Adults Policy.

Wednesday 22nd June: Mayor Cllr Patrick Codd, Deputy Mayor Cllr Geoff Austin and Deputy Mayoress Sheila Austin visit Kingston Hospital Neo-Natal Unit.

Saturday 24^th June: Deputy Mayor Cllr Geoff Austin & Deputy Mayoress Sheila Austin with Cllr David Marlow, former Mayor of Richmond, starting the 'Bike Across Cultures' event in Richmond Park.

Sunday 25th June: Deputy Mayor & Deputy Mayoress visit Kings Oak School Centenary Fair, with Cathy Clarke the Head Teacher

Friday 1st July: Deputy Mayor Cllr Geoff Austin and his wife Sheila Austin with Robin Hutchinson, Chairman of 'Creative Youth' at the opening night of the International Youth Arts Festival.

Saturday 2nd July: Deputy Mayor Geoff Austin and his wife Sheila Austin at the London Youth Games with the Kingston Girls Archery Team.

Thursday 9th July: Deputy Mayor Cllr Geoff Austin with his wife Deputy Mayoress Sheila Austin enjoying the New Malden Korean Festival.

July: Deputy Mayor Cllr Geoff Austin (top right) presented the awards to the winners at the Canbury Gardens Open Tennis Tournament.

At this year's annual cricket match between The Mayor's Council XI and the K.R.E.C. XI The Mayor's XI won by ten runs.

E.S.O.L. Awards at Kingston College. The Deputy Mayor awards a prize to successful student Gabrielle Ventura.

16th July: Deputy Mayor and Cllr Richard Hudson address the inaugural meeting of the Sunray & Egmont Residents Association

11^th July: The Deputy Mayor (left) visits the Kingston Parliament for people with learning disabilities

28th July: The Deputy Mayor and Mayoress, along with a group of Kingston senior citizens, enjoy a performance at Hampton Court by the Connaught Opera - an organisation that specialises in putting on musical shows for the elderly

29th July: Civic Reception in the Mayor's Parlour for AFC Wimbledon, in honour of their promotion to the Football League. The Deputy Mayor presents a framed print of football in Kingston in the 1800s to AFC's Chief Executive Erik Samuelson

28th July: The Deputy Mayor formally opens the new Relate offices in Eden Street, Kingston

July 2011: Deputy Mayor and Mayoress with the cast of 'The Secret Garden Project' - a production by the Kingston Junior Drama Company

August: Deputy Mayor & Mayoress with some of the local artists whose work was on show at the 'Creative Minds Art Exhibition' in the Market House

Deputy Mayor addressing the Kingston Peace Council Ceremony in Canbury Gardens at which small candle-lit boats are released onto the river at sunset in memory of those who died at Hiroshima and Nagasaki

Deputy Mayor & Mayoress with staff and workers at the Stud Nursery Open day. This project is a partnership between RBK, MENCAP and Historic Royal Palaces which gives adults with learning difficulties valuable work experience in horticulture

August: Deputy Mayor Geoff Austin and his wife Sheila at the Anglo-Korean Festival on the Fairfield on Saturday. Also pictured are Stephen Alambritis - Leader of Merton Council, and Major-General Mike Swindells - President of the British Korean Veterans Association, along with the Korean Deputy Ambassador to the UK and his Naval and Air Force attaches.

20th August: Deputy Mayor Cllr Austin supporting CRED (Cambridge Road Estate Diggers) at Cambridge Road Estate Fun Day with his wife Sheila Austin, Anna Kwilecka, John Fellowes and Hilary Gander

August: Deputy Mayor Cllr Austin attending the British Legion 90th Anniversary service in New Malden .(left to right) Tom Mackenzie, Major Ron Morris (Branch President), Deputy Mayoress, Deputy Mayor, Canon Peter Bruinvel, & Roy Hurd

.

Sunday 4th September: Mayor Patrick Codd and Deputy Geoff Austin with his wife attending a performance for the Kingston Carnival.

Thursday 8th September: Deputy Mayor Cllr Austin making scones while blindfolded at the Blind Awareness Event in the Bentall Centre.

Friday 30th September: Deputy Mayor Cllr Austin with his wife Shelia at the MacMillan charity day at Kingston Barclays

Friday 30th September: At Kingsmeadow for the King Athelstan & St John's Schools 'Junior Olympics'

Tuesday 4th October: With two of the winners of the 'Kingston In Bloom' awards.

Tuesday 4th October: 'The Chain Gang' - Cllr Geoff & Mrs Sheila Austin join a group of Mayors, Deputy Mayors and their consorts from various London Boroughs for a charity lunch hosted by the Mayor of Croydon.

Saturday 5th November: With Guy Fawkes and a local resident at the Canbury Community Bonfire in aid of the Mayor's charities.