A beloved character of the East Coast community will return on Thursday.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Au Revoir to Bertrand Cadart will celebrate the former mayor of Glamorgan Spring Bay at Swansea’s East Coast Heritage Museum.
Mr Cadart was diagnosed with Leukemia in 2017 and is being treated on the Sunshine Coast.
His infamous scooter will be donated to the heritage museum at the event, which will also display a number of artefacts from the 1979 film Mad Max.
Mr Cadart built all the motorbikes for the film and played a small part.
He said that while he was “on the wire”, his chemotherapy treatment had shown some positive results over the past few months.
His return to the East Coast came at the urging of many people in the community.
“It was the staff, including the general manager [David Metcalf], and quite a large proportion of ratepayers [who wanted me to come back],” he said.
“I would like to say my goodbye properly and walk out of my position as councillor and mayor with my head up high.
“You’ve got to do your proper goodbye.”
Mr Cadart, commonly known as Le Frog at his adopted home of Bicheno, was the mayor of Glamorgan Spring Bay from 2007 to 2014.
He served as a councillor between 2015 and 2017.
The Frenchman was forced to resign from the council in 2017 after he was not granted a leave of absence to seek treatment on the Sunshine Coast with his family.
The council tried to vote on a leave of absence on two occasions, however in both circumstances councillors walked out to prevent the vote.
I have spent in Bicheno on the East Coast the best years of my life.
- Betrand Cadart
“It was strange to see people’s reaction [to the request] but I guess that’s democracy,” Glamorgan Spring Bay mayor Michael Kent said.
“I’ve got nothing but praise for the man – he did a great job as mayor of the municipality.
“I’m looking forward to seeing him.”
Mr Cadart said he sorely missed Tasmania.
“They don’t understand really how good they’ve got it there,” he said. “I have spent in Bicheno on the East Coast the best years of my life.
“I got so much fulfillment.”