The mayor at the time, Ald. J.C. Matthews, welcomed those present. He said he was deeply honoured to be mayor of such a fine city as Bathurst and following in the footsteps of such a man as the late Mr P.J. Moodie. Tributes to the part played by the late Mr Moodie in the development of Bathurst were mentioned.

Mr Moodie was an alderman of Bathurst City Council for 40 years, during which time he served as mayor on several occasions. He was awarded the OBE for his service to local government.

Turon Shire Council was represented by its president Cr M.H. Locke. Mrs Locke and wives of aldermen were also present.

Alderman Matthews said it was a beautiful garden court to dedicate in honour of the late P.J. Moodie. It was noted that his daughter and grandchildren in Bathurst were still contributing to the welfare of Bathurst.

The mayor also complimented the parks curator, Lloyd Went, on the exceptionally fine job he had done in designing and supervising the establishment of the garden court. The curator also had plans to further beautify the area.

Guest speaker was Fred Fish, a former mayor, who referred to the long and strong association he had with Mr Moodie. The two men had sat on the Bathurst Building Society 32 years ago. Mr Moodie's son-in-law, A.L. Morse, was secretary, with the only desire to give homes to citizens of Bathurst.

Mr Fish had sat for 15 years on council and it was to be commended that Mr Moodie had reached 40 years.

Mr Fish felt that more citizens should emulate the service given by Mr Moodie to Bathurst. Mr Moodie had been a good man, a good friend and a good type of citizen for Bathurst.

Mrs A. Morse then unveiled the plaque by removing the Australian flag that had covered it. The plaque read: "P.J. MOODIE - GARDEN COURT - P. J. MOODIE O.B.E. Was an Alderman of The Bathurst City Council 1922 - 1962."

Replying on behalf of the Moodie family, Alan Morse, son-in-law, said he was deeply moved by the remarks of the various speakers. He said the remarks brought back happy memories of his long association with Mr Moodie on Bathurst City Council.

Mr Moodie came to Bathurst as a young man and set up in the chemist business. He had two great loves - flying and the Bathurst City Council - and he was recognised for his efforts in both spheres.

The Bathurst Aero Club Rooms at the airport at Raglan had been dedicated in Mr Moodie's honour.

On behalf of the family, Mr Morse thanked Bathurst City Council for dedicating the garden court in Mr Moodie's honour. He also complimented Mr Went on the design of the garden court. Mr Morse went on to congratulate Bathurst City Council on its excellent selection of an old friend, Fred Fish, as guest speaker at the ceremony.

Mr A.S. Luchetti, MHR for Macquarie, and Mr C.A. Kelly, MLA for Bathurst, sent the mayor apologies, saying they were unable to attend.

Mr Moodie began a campaign in 1937 to establish an aerodrome for Bathurst residents. He was one of the prime movers.

The Second World War stimulated the Australian Government into establishing the Raglan aerodrome during the war. In 1945, Ben Chifley was approached to ensure that commercial air services commenced with passenger flights to Sydney, as well as carrying mail.

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