Three-time Maribyrnong mayor and rising star of the Australian Labor Party Sarah Carter has been found dead at her home at the age of 45. Victoria Police confirmed they were preparing a report for the coroner after finding a woman at her Village Way address at 3.45pm.
The death is not being treated as suspicious. The cause of her death is not yet known. The Age spoke to many of Carter’s friends and colleagues on Tuesday, all of whom were devastated and shocked by the death of the councillor.
They described her as talented, empathetic energetic and passionate. Her friends spoke of her love of travel. She had recently returned from a trip to Vanuatu with her employer, charity provider Save the Children.
Sarah Carter was elected mayor of Maribyrnong three times. Carter was touted by many as a future Labor MP and was well liked and well known in political circles in both Melbourne and Canberra. The first woman to be elected mayor of Maribyrnong three times, she received multiple awards for her contribution to the council since she was first elected in 2008.
She was in her fourth consecutive term on the council. The councillor, who had recently started a new relationship, had spoken publicly about her struggles with IVF in recent years. Maribyrnong City Council deputy mayor Michael Clarke described Carter as a “fallen hero” and most decorated female councillor in the history of the municipality.
Clarke said he had known Carter for 16 years and introduced her to the Labor party after she was elected to council as an independent. “She wanted for nothing, only the betterment of the community,” he said. “That should be on her headstone.
“I’m in a total state of disbelief [that she is gone]. I’m hearing it but I can’t feel it. She’s still with me.
” Labor MP Tim Watts said he was devastated by Carter’s death. Carter had recently returned from Vanuatu. “Sarah lived a life of values and of service and threw herself into everything she was involved in with total commitment,” he said.
“Her energy was limitless and was exhausting for those of us trying to keep up. I had the privilege of seeing first hand the impact that Sarah had as a councillor and Mayor in Melbourne’s West, as an international aid and development advocate and as a friend. She had an impact on so many people’s lives.
“She gave so much of herself and wanted to give so much more. She’s been taken from us far too soon. It’s a terrible loss to our community and our country.
” Minister for the NDIS and Melbourne MP Bill Shorten described Carter as a “remarkable, irreplaceable, dedicated, passionate advocate. Federal MP Tim Watts said he was devastated by Carter’s death. “Children’s champion , community leader, Labor through and through.
The best of us.” “My thoughts are with her family and loved ones in this difficult time.” Shadow Minister for Local Government Darren Chester, a personal friend of Carter’s, said she was intelligent, talented and kind.
Carter pictured with Labor frontbencher and Melbourne MP Bill Shorten. “Sarah was a beautiful and thoughtful soul who brought people together across the political divide with her infectious enthusiasm and determination to focus on the values that unite us,” he said. “She had an extraordinary capacity to make a difference in her local community while also striving to make the world a better place through her involvement with Save the Children.
“The world is a darker place tonight.” Former Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack, who had travelled to three countries with Carter, described her as a “beautiful human” and a “force of nature”. He had returned from a trip to Vanuatu with Carter and a delegation of MPs on the weekend.
“She made such a difference and the world is a lesser place for her passing,” he told The Age on Tuesday night. “She was smart, funny, intelligent. I am gutted” Maribyrnong City Council released a statement late Tuesday from Mayor Cuc Lam and CEO,] Celia Haddock.
“Councillor Carter was a trusted and valued colleague and her passing is an enormous loss to our community who she has worked tirelessly to support over her 16 years on Council,” it read. “We extend our deepest condolences to Cr Carter’s partner, family, friends, and all who knew and worked alongside her. “She will be greatly missed.
More to come...
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