Although Young had taken on the form of a permanent town, quite different from the old gold rush days, in 1889 when Mr Krebs became council's leading hand, it was still in a backward state as judged by modern standards.

Roads and footpaths were formed, there were still remnants of diggers' holes in the thoroughfares, culverts and gutter bridges were almost unheard of in many parts of town, floodings were frequent through the absencecence of proper drainage, and Burrowa Street was a quagmire in winter and a dustheap in summer.

This is not to say that in that in the previous 30 years progress had not been rapid, and that fine old man, Mr Joe Dibbs, still alive, but blind, and living at Bellingen, had already left his mark on the municipality in the shape of improvements.

Mr Dibbs' work in the bringing order and form out of the chaos left by the gold diggers was magnificent.

Mr Krebs was proud to follow in Mr Dibbs' footsteps. Today, after nearly half-a-century, there is not a corner of the municipality to which Mr Krebs cannot point as showing evidence of his industry and skill.

These works are not always evident to the casual eye, we today accept these things as a matter of course, never realising that once they were different.

But if the people of the 90s could revisit us, with their memories of past, discomfort unimpaired, they would tell us of the remarkable progress that has been made under Mr Krebs' guidance.

Mr Krebs, throughout the years has been, and is today, typical of the old school of municipal servants - careful, thorough and conscientious. He has the ability to handle unforeseen situations for himself. He is as reliable as they were.