Barry Jordan: 49 years with the Paroo Shire

Published on 06 August 2026

Barry Jordan: 49 years with the Paroo Shire

This week we send our congratulations to Barry Jordan, who this week has been with the Paroo Shire Council for 49 years!

Asked if he remembered his first day, he laughed, ‘Oh mate, that was a long time ago, but Ned Roberts was my boss and he said to me “are you ready for work”, and I said, “yes I am.”

During his time with the Council, Barry has been a loader and grader driver and has been driving the council water cart since 2020.

Over the years, Barry has seen many changes at work, with the biggest being advances in machinery that help complete the tasks required across such a large and remote shire.

Barry is not considering retirement any time soon, and as a valued employee of the Council we hope he will be here in another two years and become the longest serving council employee in Queensland!

Outside of council, Barry is a keen angler and president of the Cunnamulla Fishing and Restocking Club, as well as in the past few years taking up lawn bowls. Barry’s fishing top fishing tip: ‘Just bait it up and put in the mighty Warrego River’.

Barry, from all of us here at the Paroo Shire Council we thank you.