The Mayor of Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council, Councillor Kurtis Dickson, today paid tribute to Reverend William John Beattie, former councillor of Lisburn District Council and Lisburn Borough Council.
“William grew up in Ballymena but moved to the Lisburn area as a young man to serve as a minister at the Dunmurry Free Presbyterian Church. William began to represent his area at the Northern Ireland Assembly for a few years from 1973.
“The residents of Lisburn North voted him onto the council in 1977 where he remained as a representative until mid-2001. Throughout his time on the council, William served on various committees including Planning, Corporate Services, Economic Development & Marketing, Health and Police Liaison Committees.
“William served alongside some of our Freemen of Lisburn during his time including Jim Dillon MBE and the late Ivan Davis OBE, Seamus Close OBE and Charlie Poots. Faith was very important to William and he fulfilled his role as a minister to our community until the end of 2005.
“On behalf of the council, I would like to convey our deepest sympathies to William’s friends, family and colleagues at this time.”