Local publican's wife, Clr. Mrs. Christine Brown was officially sworn in as Tenby's 612th Mayor on Friday.
Clr. Mrs. Brown, who was deputy mayor, was unanimously elected to serve as the resort's First Citizen earlier this year and donned the scarlet robes of office at the traditional Mayor-making ceremony at the De Valence Pavilion.
Ending her term as Mayor, Clr. Mrs. Maureen Ward said that she had been honoured to hold the post for the last 12 months, her fourth time in the chair.
"I have been very lucky to have been mayor on four occasions and this term has been just as fantastic as the last," she said.
She thanked all her fellow councillors for their support over the last 12 months and paid special tribute to Clr. Mickey Folland who was celebrating the 30th anniversary of his election to the council that evening.
"He, like we all, have the town and its future at heart," she said. "We must now go forward into that future with a hands on approach to ensure the best for the town."
Clr. Mrs. Ward paid tribute to everyone who had supported her over the year including her family, town council staff, fellow councillors, the Mayor's chaplain, Canon David Jenkins; town crier John Thomas and mace bearers John Morgan and Eric Dorling. She also thanked Clr. Trevor Hallett for assuming the role of mace bearer when Mr. Morgan and Mr. Dorling had been busy.
In time honoured tradition Clr. Mrs. Ward then asked each councillor in turn if then wished to stand for election as Mayor.
Only Clr. Mrs. Brown expressed such a desire and Clr. Mrs. Ward had no hesitation in proposing that her nomination be accepted.
"Clr. Mrs. Brown has been a very reliable deputy and I'm sure she will do a brilliant job," she said.
She was seconded by Clr. Miss Lis James.
"Clr. Mrs. Brown is someone who will not undertake a project unless she can fulfil it to the standard she thinks it deserves," she said. "She has proved this countless times as chairman of gardens, even mucking in to help out with weeding if necessary and I'm sure she will do a wonderful job as mayor."
After being unanimously elected, Clr. Mrs. Brown thanked her fellow councillors for their faith in her.
"I hope I can do the job justice," she said.
Her first duty was to nominate Clr. Miss Lis James to serve as her deputy.
"She is a very good friend and an excellent councillor and I know she will give me all her support throughout the coming year."
The proposal was seconded by Clr. Mrs. Marilyn Cray.
"I'm sure she will make a good job of it," she opined.
Clr. Mrs. Brown then appointed her husband, Peter, landlord of the Prince of Wales public house, as her consort and re-appointed Canon Jenkins as Mayor's chaplain.
She also re-appointed Messrs Thomas, Morgan and Dorling as town crier, Sergeant at Arms and Sergeant at Mace respectively.
A vote of thanks to Clr. Mrs. Ward was proposed by Clr. Folland.
"As Mayor she has exercised a generous degree of fairness to all councillors," he said. "Even difficult issues have been dealt with expertly, efficiently and effectively.
"She has set the standard," he continued. " She has carried out the office to such a high degree of excellence that the town has, for the last 12 months been in very safe and capable hands.
"It was a job well done!"
The vote of thanks was seconded by Clr. Mrs. Tish Rossiter.
Clr. Mrs. Brown then announced that this year's Civic Service would be held on Sunday, July 1.
The Mayor-making was followed by the customary buffet reception where the Loyal Toast was proposed by Clr. Stuart Fecci.
Guest speaker was chief reporter on the Tenby Observer Andrew Davies who said that, while he was not from Tenby originally, he had been fortunate to be employed in a job that brought contact with the people of the town, because that was how one could truly understand it.
He said that Tenby had a "big heritage, a big reputation and most of all a big heart".
"Tenby is a remarkable place," he said. " It only has a resident population of around 5000 but there are so many organisations, like the town council, all working to create a better future through enhancing its status as one of the premier tourist resorts in the world, through the cultural, spiritual and social development of its youth and through supporting so many local and national charities.
"The big hearted people of Tenby readily offer the hand of friendship," he continued. "It is this warmth and generosity of spirit that has earned the town it's big reputation while it is the tenacity and camaraderie of the town's people that has preserved it's big heritage.
"Of course, as with any family, there are disagreements, but it is only because everyone cares so much about Tenby and its future."
Mr. Davies said he had been doubly honoured to be asked by Clr. Mrs. Brown to speak.
"Christine and I have acted together on stage and served on committees long before she joined the town council," he said. "She has become like a surrogate Mum to me because she is always there to listen, she's always there to talk to.
"I know that since becoming a town councillor she has treated this role the same. She no longer has five children but over 5000 because she is a prime example of the big heart of this town.
"Next year Tenby celebrates the 600th anniversary of the granting of it's charter conferring on it the right to elect a mayor.
"In that time it has faced many battles, encountered many obstacles, but the town has overcome them all because its people are united in adversity, reasoned in debate, welcoming, adaptable and above all 'big hearted'," he said.
Responding Clr. Mrs. Brown also noted next year's 600th anniversary.
"I hope I can live up to the high standard of chairmanship that has gone before me over the last 600 years," she said.
She said that she hoped her year would see a successful outcome in the fight to retain hospital and associated medical services in Tenby and praised Clr. Michael Williams, Mrs. Pat Wright and all the CATCH Campaign for Action on Tenby Cottage Hospital) for not shirking in this fight.
She also looked forward to the continued support of Pembrokeshire County Council.
"Tenby's business rates are very high but we sometimes feel that the money is being put back into the town at a slower rate than is due," she said. "I hope the county council will bear this in mind and continue to do its best for us.
"There are very exciting times ahead," she said. "Organisations like Tenby 2020, in partnership with others, are looking to re-establish Tenby as an all year round busy town.
"There are opposing views on this, but I for one do not want to see Tenby remain as it is at present. "I want to see Tenby as a vibrant, bustling town where our children can find good, well paid jobs to enable them to work and stay here. Let us hope that by 2020 we can achieve it!"
Clr. Mrs. Brown also thanked the Farrow family for presenting the town with a chain of office for the deputy mayor in memory of the late Mrs. Elsie Farrow.
Clr. Andrew Rees, proposing the toast to the guests, opened by adding his praise to Clr. Folland for his years of service to the town.
"He is our last link to the old Borough council days before local government reorganisation in 1974," he said.
"He has served on the Borough Council, the town council, county - both Dyfed and now Pembrokeshire - and on the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority.
"He is a man of, and for the people. His life has been given in service of the people and long may it continue," he said.
"Clr. Folland, like myself - who first joined the council as its clerk 26 years ago - have seen councillors come and go, but somehow things still stay the same," Clr. Rees continued.
"It was interesting to see earlier this week that the RNLI's preferred option for lifeboat launching is to have a boat permanently afloat in an all water harbour.
"If over 30 years ago, when it was first talked about, the old borough council had spent the projected £1 million we would have had our low water landing stage and maybe the proposed new lifeboat could have been kept on the water.
"Now the same scheme will cost over £12 million.
"Tenby Town Council does not have the clout to put forward schemes like this anymore, but perhaps a beneficent County Council would consider it a worthy project in the very near future," he said.
Vice-chairman of the county council Clr. Leslie Raymond, responded on behalf of the guests.
The evening concluded with the Civic Ball and dancing to new local band Eightball.