Pioneering leader loved his Far North
PETER Cominos is being remembered as the unofficial mayor of Cairns and a pioneering business leader who “loved the Far North until the day he died”.
Mr Cominos died peacefully in a Brisbane aged care facility on Friday, aged 91.
Born and bred in Cairns to parents from the Greek Island of Kythera, his father worked in the cafe industry after arriving in Australia in 1901 and managed to buy up Lake St property.
Cominos Arcade in Cairns still bears the family name.
Former Mulgrave Shire councillor Ross Parisi remembered a man gentle in spirit who was dedicated, loyal and honest.
“Peter had a reputation as being a gentle man and his heart was in Cairns,” he said.
A chemist by trade, Mr Cominos played a key role in getting Cairns on the map through the Cairns Airport upgrade to international status in 1975.
“He would have been a father of the tourism industry in the 1970s and definitely in the ’80s,” Mr Parisi said.
Forming the City Heart association in the wake of the crippling pilots’ strike, Mr Cominos played a key role in securing a State Government grant of $10 million used in the upgrade of Cairns CBD.
Mr Cominos was very proud of his achievements developing the Cairns waterfront, he loved a hit of tennis, was a pillar of the Cairns Greek Orthodox Church and was a lifetime member of the Cairns Chamber of Commerce.
But daughter Diane Cominos remembered a passionate family man who was always there for his children.
“He was really smart, really helpful, really patient and I never heard a raised voice in our house,” she said.
Mr Cominos is survived by his wife Cecilia and three daughters Belle, Diane and Maria. A funeral service will be held on November 25 at the Greek Orthodox Church of St George in Brisbane.