Inverell Shire mayor Paul Harmon said the council was saddened by her loss.

“We’d like to say we offer our condolences to Mavis’ family in this sad time, and she was a great, community minded person who gave of her time in the office, not only as a councillor but also as a mayor,” he said.

The council’s general manager, Paul Henry, described Mavis as gracious woman of class, and felt she contributed dedication to her role on the council.

“I had the privilege of working with her over a number of years,” he said. 

“She was totally dedicated to this community and she carried out her activities with great dignity and also dedication to achieving good outcomes.”

A child of the Second World War, Mavis was one of 11 children and recalled an early life devoid of any modern conveniences, with a mother working hard to give them all a quality life with her father fighting overseas.

In an October interview with The Inverell Times, Mavis spoke about her 18 years with local government. She was the second woman to join Inverell Municipal Council and weathered the difficult time of amalgamation and many challenges as president.

“Things were different then, they were quite learning years,” Mavis said.

“It’s a very busy life, but I got a lot out of it, too. It’s a wonderful way of serving your town, You feel that you’re doing something.”

The funeral for Mavis Tozer will be held at Inverell’s St Augustine’s Anglican Church on Monday, December 22 at 10.30am.

UPDATE: The time for Mavis Tozer's funeral has been moved forward to 10am.