’Regular bloke’ who loves to disrupt
IT’S been five years since Darryn Lyons was swept in as Geelong’s mayor.
As he gears up for a state election tilt, it’s easy to draw similarities between the highprofile campaign he ran in his march to City Hall, and the approach he is now taking in his bid to unseat Christine Couzens.
But, by his own admission, a lot can change in five years.
While his term as mayor started well — being elected with a whopping 30 per cent primary vote — it ended badly.
Mr Lyons and the council were sacked in 2016 amid allegations of bullying and dysfunction.
It signalled the end of a rollercoaster 2½ years in mayoral robes, with opinions divided on whether Mr Lyons’ term had left Geelong in a better place on the state and national agenda.
With the passing of several years since the sacking, Mr Lyons is candid about the tumultuous period, which coincided with personal grief.
In February 2016, the mother of his fiancee, Elissa, died from brain cancer.
“I overworked myself … I pushed myself probably to the extent of illness,” Mr Lyons said.
“Certainly at the end (of the council period), there’s no question that, psychologically, I should have seen someone.
“I was in a bad way. I was exhausted.”
Despite the toll it took on him — combined with a frustration for local government “bureaucracy” — he said he enjoyed working for the community and “getting things done”.
“Call me a disrupter. I disrupted the place completely,” Mr Lyons said.
“The disruption was good for Geelong. I’m extremely proud. I think the legacy for Darryn Lyons as mayor will be a bit like (former premier) Jeff Kennett.
“In 10 years’ time, I think people will think, bloody hell, that was the turning point in our history which needed to happen.”
The 53-year-old’s road to Geelong mayor — and now state election candidate — has been unlike anyone before him.
Raised in Geelong, Mr Lyons went on to become a paparazzi king in the UK during the 1990s and 2000s.
He worked for major newspapers including the Daily Mail, before starting his own photography business, Big Pictures, which soon became the world’s biggest celebrity picture agency.
There have also been a series of television appearances, including as a housemate on the UK version of Celebrity Big Brother.
During his time as a press photographer, he was on the ground for several military conflicts, including the Bosnian War of the 1990s where more than 100,000 people lost their lives.
But among the business successes, Mr Lyons admits there have also been failures.
In 2012, on the back of the global financial crisis, Big Pictures went bust.
Mr Lyons described the GFC as the “biggest low in my life”, arguing Australians did not realise the scale of the problem in the UK.
“It really destroyed me as a person,” he said.
“A lot of it was out of my control. I still think about it a lot, which is not good for you mentally.”
Behind the glitz and glamour that has surrounded his life for three decades, Mr Lyons claims he is a “regular bloke” who is often misunderstood by the masses.
“I think I’m one of the most mistaken people around,” he said.
“Most people are very surprised when they meet me. People are completely thrown about the image compared to the man.
“There’s more to the man behind the hair.”
As the November 24 election draws closer, Mr Lyons is becoming increasingly confident about his chances.
He said Geelong needed a high-profile voice that could get the federal and state governments to take more notice of the city.
“Bugger the political correct bulls---, I just say it how it is,” he said.
“Love me or hate me, I don’t care, but you can’t accuse me of not getting things done.”