Harold Sternbeck AM
Inducted 2023
Harold Sternbeck (AM) became a local identity in the community through his business activities and his active involvement in many community, district and state organisations. A gifted diplomat and persuasive public speaker, Harold represented his community in many endeavours while conducting his real estate business (Sternbeck's Real Estate).
Burdened by a physical impairment due to polio as a child, Harold's diminutive recognisable physique belied the compassionate yet steely resolve that lay within him. It was not his stature, but his keen intellect which was his source of strength, this he employed in an affable, gentlemanly & diplomatic manner.
From humble beginnings working as a local bus conductor, Harold advanced his career through account keeping roles before commencing in business, firstly as a livestock agent, then ultimately as a real estate agent. Along the way he developed and refined an articulate and business savvy mindset.
Harold was always looking for ways to help his community and specialised in the challenging tasks of protecting the environment; advancing the works and services of natural resource conservation, catchment management and floodplain mitigation in the Hunter Valley.
Harold held positions on various boards and organisations and led many delegations to state and federal ministers in pursuit of funding and support for flood mitigation - work that has subsequently served to protect many towns, people and livelihoods throughout the lower Hunter Valley.
As a person, Harold donated his time freely to many organisations and charities as auctioneer and MC. He was Cessnock Lions Club’s longest serving member and recognised for his charitable nature through the awarding of the Melvyn Jones Fellowship from Lions International. Harold also contributed to many community organisations and events that have shaped the area. He was an inaugural member of the steering committee for the Lower Hunter Business Enterprise Centre, a long-time member of the Cessnock Chamber of Commerce, a key collaborator in bringing Alcan to Kurri Kurri, a member of the local Hospital Board, a driving force in the establishment of ‘Vineyard Grove’ housing estate and a strong advocate for the local racing industry along with the Cessnock District Agricultural Association.
Harold’s natural charm and ability to capture the essence of any issue, often saw him as the spokesperson for the cause. His best work was done on the phone and in front of those who needed to see and hear, in person, how a particular matter needed to be identified, appreciated and addressed.
Never one to sit idle, Harold also ran a beef cattle enterprise on properties at Wollombi and Mount View. He conducted monthly livestock auctions at Wollombi and Mangrove Mountain delivering a local service for primary producers in the area. Many in the lower Hunter would readily recognise Harold Sternbeck ‘the bookmaker’. A lover of mathematics and numbers, fielding race events at Cessnock, Singleton and Muswellbrook were regular outlets for his passion.
Harold undertook all his community focussed and civic activities with a ready understanding that his efforts could help many people, through better protection and better facilities. In essence, that was his driving force - the greater good.
In the simplest of descriptors, Harold Sternbeck is the absolute epitome of a local civic minded resident and an absolute standout candidate to be endorsed in the Cessnock Hall of Fame.
Some of the committees and acknowledgements Harold Sternbeck is connected to include:
- Executive and later Chairman of the NSW Floodplain Management Authority
- First Life Member of the FMA and honoured by an annual award issued in his name being the Harold Sternbeck Medal presented at the annual conference
- Chairman of the Hunter Conservation Trust which later became the Hunter Catchment Management Trust
- Alderman on Cessnock City Council (1962-1987)
- Chairman of the NSW Real Estate Institute (Hunter Branch)
- Member Hunter Water Corporation's Consultative Committee
- Councillor on Northumberland County Council (Planning)
- Councillor on Hunter Valley County Council (Electricity)
- Member of Cessnock Lions Club (1954-2010)
- Freeman of the City of Cessnock (2009)
- Cessnock Senior Citizen of the Year (2009)
- Order of Australia (1996) for services to conservation and Local Government.
Plaque location
Garden adjacent to 52-56 Vincent Street, Cessnock