Ron Brown didn't live to see a pathway completed alongside Lake Macquarie Airport, but his widow Marilyn knows he'd be proud to have achieved his "ultimate goal".
The first stage of the $2.6 million Ron Brown Way shared path extension was officially opened on Friday at Pelican.
The extension is 480 metres long, stretching from Naru Street to Lake Macquarie Airport, enabling pedestrians and cyclists to move at a safe distance from the Pacific Highway.
Stage two is in the design phase and will include 300 metres of pathway from the airport to Soldiers Road.
Mr Brown, who was a proud Labor member, died in October 2023 from melanoma and was a lifelong advocate for improving community infrastructure around eastern Lake Macquarie.
Marilyn Brown and her daughter Melinda Aylett were ecstatic that Ron's name would live on through the shared pathway.
"The dream that he had, the idea, was to keep people safe," Mrs Brown said. "That was his ultimate goal to get people to utilise the paths and go from Belmont to Swansea and to Caves Beach. It's now achievable.
"He was just so humble. He knew the pathway was going to be named after him and said, 'I didn't do anything for that.'
"He was not one for accolades, but he was chuffed."
Mrs Brown said her husband spent years advocating for a pathway.
"He would just see people when it was all gravel and it was just not safe for mobility scooters, mothers with prams, or little kids on bikes, and that's what spurred him on," she said.
The Ron Brown Way extension received $1.3 million from the Australian government, while the NSW government and Lake Macquarie City Council contributed the remaining $1.3 million.
Member of Shortland Pat Conroy said Mr Brown was "so passionate about this region" and improving it.
"I remember when I went to community meetings, including branch meetings, where he'd insist on taking people for a walk down the other end of the runway to show you what people had to progress to walk around the lake," Mr Conroy said.
"We did guided tours to show why we needed this infrastructure."
Lake Macquarie mayor Adam Shultz and former councillor John Gilbert moved a notice of motion to the council in 2019, calling for a shared pathway to be installed.
"This area used to be a quagmire, a real mud pit," Cr Shultz said.
"People would have to go out onto the highway to get through here, and with the airport and people coming from far and wide to use all of the facilities here, it was really an embarrassment.
"This is really important for safety, but also for showcasing Lake Macquarie and the regional airport."
