A Fife councillor is resigning his seat to move to Australia with his family.
The decision by Levenmouth SNP member Alistair Hunter will mean a by-election to find a new councillor for the Kennoway, Leven and Largo ward.
That will take place on December 15, less than five months before the full local authority elections in May.
Mr Hunter, known as Ally, has served the area for nine and a half years and is also a well respected community worker and former chairman of the Tartan Army Children’s Charity.
He said he had mixed feelings about his move to the northern state of Queensland but that he wanted experiences of different cultures for himself, wife Victoria and their four children Emma, 13, Hollie, 11, Fyfe, nine, and seven-year-old Logan.
Dog, Hope, famous in Leven for accompanying Victoria on her ultra-marathon training sessions, will also be making the move Down Under.
Mr Hunter said he had always taken his responsibility as a councillor seriously but revealed it had not been all “inspiration and accomplishment”.
In a Facebook post, he told followers: “In my 113 months I’ve laughed and cried, been overcome with joy and so deeply angry and frustrated.
“I’ve been full of pride and excitement and so desperately heartbroken.
“I’ve seen the best and the worst in others and in myself and I’ve learned that all these things come with the territory in politics.”
He added: “I hope I have done the role justice and left a positive mark on the community I love.”
He said he felt he had come out of the experience a better person but that his biggest passion was learning how to grow a successful community.
“Levenmouth area committee is the best example in Fife of putting party politics aside and showing that when you get together and broker some kind of trust you can achieve more,” he added.
“There are amazing people in Levenmouth doing some incredible things.”
Mr Hunter said he would have loved to have seen out his term of office but his move had been timed to ensure his children started school at the right time.
But would he return to Scotland if his dream of independence were realised?
“Absolutely,” he said. “I’ll be back for the party!”
