Most locals now would only know the name Les Ford from the bridge spanning the Macquarie River named in his honour, but he was one of that generation of Australians for whom public service was second nature,

Yet this lifelong Central West farmer, businessman, mayor, and member of parliament, had ties going back to the very beginning of the century-old Astley Cup, local historian Patrick Bourke recently revealed to Dubbo Photo News.

With this year’s competition kicking off with Dubbo taking on Orange in Dubbo on Thursday and Friday, June 18–19, Patrick passed on to us a couple of fascinating stories of Ford’s links to regional Australia’s oldest sports trophy.

Surprisingly, however, the first article was when the 'Youthful Tennis Star' was playing for Orange High in the “triangular competition” as it was described in the-then 'Orange Advocate'.

“The star performer was undoubtedly Les Ford, a 14-year-old Molong boy and one of the most popular students at the local school.

“Les cheerfully smiled his way through victory after victory and, if he takes up tennis seriously in the years ahead, great achievement should be awaiting him,” the paper enthused.

"If ever a schoolboy received the just encomiums of his confreres (praise from colleagues) it was Les Ford, the champion midget of OHS. I saw him battling away in three doubles events, two of which were won, and the results were largely due to the magnificent display put up by the local idol, whose dexterity, coolness, and sportsmanship were worthy of a Davis Cup competitor.”

Yet the storm clouds building in Europe, like so many of Ford’s contemporaries, led him not down the path of sporting celebrity, but in serving his country in World War II.

After initially being rejected for aircrew due to medical reasons, he enlisted again in July 1941 and served as a mechanical transport fitter for the RAAF until war’s end.

With the family property at Amaroo, between Borenore and Molong, it seems that it was business that brought him to the Orana, via purchase of the-then Skerman Motors, followed by butcher shops, and extensive pastoral properties including Hazeldene' 30km east of Dubbo.

He was then elected "alderman” (councillor) for Dubbo from 1947–1964 and long-running mayor from 1950 until 1964. It was during this time that Patrick Bourke’s second news item takes-up the Astley Cup theme again, with a Dubbo Liberal and Macquarie Advocate article from 1954.

The story reports on the tradition of the time in which the mayor or deputy mayor would welcome visiting teams upon their arrival for the annual sports celebration.

Entitled 'Astley, Mulvey Cup teams are welcomed to Dubbo' the report states:

“Dubbo's Mayor (Ald L Ford), who was a member of the 1930 Orange Astley Cup team, welcomed the students and teachers of his former school to Dubbo last night and said that local residents looked upon them as ambassadors of Orange,” the article said.

“Ald Ford said it embarrassed him a little welcoming his old school to Dubbo, which, he smoothly told the Orange visitors, would be the ‘Western city of the future’.

“The spirit of the Astley Cup competition was praised by Ald Ford, who said that everybody looked to the children of today to be trained to take over not only the national, but world administration of tomorrow.

“The headmaster of Orange High School (Mr D.R. Blakemore), in reply to the welcome, said that Dubbo had a fine mayor and ambassador in Ald Ford and his treatment to visitors was excellent.

“'Must be from the training received at Orange High School’, he quipped,” the article ended.

He had been awarded an Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1956 for his service to local government.

With a passion for service and a love of flying from his RAAF days, Ford also piloted his own planes and was president of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots' Association for the South Pacific; a Rotarian; honorary member of Lions International; president of the Western District Tennis Association; and member of Dubbo Methodist church trust. He had married Rhoda May Hawke on January 11, 1941, and had four sons. He was also state member for Dubbo from 1959, dying suddenly from a heart attack on December 17, 1964, while on his way to Sydney.