Mr Macintosh passed away yesterday in the city he loved after suffering a heart attack on Saturday. He was to celebrate his 80th birthday on December 7.

It was a stunned chamber at last night’s Bathurst Regional Council meeting as the tragic and sudden news of Mr Macintosh’s death filtered through.

Mayor of Bathurst from 1995 until 2004, Mr Macintosh had been lauded in past years for his service and dedication to the community and education.

He was made a Member of the Order of Australia in 2006 and last year was made a Companion of Charles Sturt University, one of its highest honours.

Mr Macintosh was also a former deputy chancellor of the university and held the ceremonial office of pro chancellor.

Describing him as a visionary mayor who helped shape Bathurst as the thriving regional centre it is today, Bathurst MP Paul Toole yesterday said Mr Macintosh always had the city’s best interests at stake. 

“Ian Macintosh’s legacy will be that Bathurst is a better place today,” he said.

“He was instrumental as a driving force to finally raise the Ben Chifley Dam wall at a cost of $30 million in 2000 and that set the region up for water security for now and into the future.

“His role as a big player in helping secure the $20 million for the pit upgrade at Mount Panorama is another example of his ability to get the job done.

“He will be remembered fondly and Bathurst Regional Council and the wider community will be saddened at the loss of this man. The region has lost one of its best. I send my condolences to his wife Jenny and the Macintosh family.”

Mr Macintosh, a former Nuffield Scholarship winner, came from a rural and regional background, having worked in farming and rural businesses until 1973, when he moved into public and government relations consulting in Canberra.

He relocated to Bathurst in 1991.

Bathurst Regional Council general manager David Sherley said Mr Macintosh had made an extraordinary contribution to CSU and Bathurst, while environmental, planning and building services director David Shaw said Mr Macintosh was always looking ahead.

“He was a long-term mayor and really did love Bathurst. He made it his home,” Mr Shaw said.

“He helped give Mount Panorama a new lease of life with the $20 million for the pit upgrade which ensured the circuit remained one of the best in the world. There was also the raising of the dam wall which he helped bring to fruition on the eve of the worst drought in living memory.

“These are big ticket items which history will show were crucial in helping Bathurst be the place it is today.”