Shire of Winton
The Shire of Winton is a local government area in Central West Queensland, Australia. It covers an area of , and has existed as a local government entity since 1887. Its administrative centre is located in the town of Winton. It is named after Winton, Dorset, England, the birthplace of Robert Allen, the first white settler in the Winton (Queensland) area. The major industry in the shire is beef production and some opal mining. There has been some development of the known oil and gas reserves in the region. History. The Winton Division was created on 23 September  1886 under the "Divisional Boards Act 1879". With the passage of the "Local Authorities Act 1902", Winton Division became the Shire of Winton on 31 March 1903. It subsequently lost an area in its northwest to the Shire of McKinlay on 24 July 1930. Towns and localities. The Shire of Winton includes the following settlements: Amenities. Winton Shire Council operates a public library at Winton. Chairmen and mayors. Initially, the chairman/mayor was chosen by the elected councillors from among themselves. Later, it became a separate role elected by the public. The chairmen and mayors of the Winton Divisional Board  and the Winton Shire Council include: In the 2008 election, the two candidates Ed Lawrence and Butch Lenton received the same number of votes. The winner, Ed Lawrence, was decided by drawing a name from a hat. In the 2016 election Butch Lenton was elected unopposed. He died in office on 1 October 2017 in Winton, which resulted in a by-election. He was posthumously named as one of the Queensland Greats by Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk in a ceremony at the Queensland Art Gallery on 8 June 2018.