Our much-loved Forbes Shire Council Chief Financial Officer Ian Prior has closed the books on his career, finishing today.

It marks the end of 40 years service with the council, and Mayor Phyllis Miller paid tribute to him at the December meeting of Council.

"Ian's knowledge of council, the shire, and his commitment to his job and staff are going to be sorely missed," she said.

"I can't thank you enough. From all of us at council, thank you so much, we're going to miss you terribly."

Mr Prior commenced his local government career with Jemalong Shire in 1980.

It wasn't long before Jemalong and Forbes shires amalgamated and he was appointed the engineering administration clerk, taking on and overseeing all the facets of administration for the department.

"I know this personally, Ian was Peter Duff's trusted right hand man and worked tirelessly under his control for all emergency events, particularly floods, working round the clock shifts and at times bunking down in the engineers department which was always a hive of activity in those days with Peter Duff," Mayor Miller said.

From there, he studied to become an accountant and joined the finance team.

As Chief Financial Officer, he has

Mr Prior said he had enjoyed his 40 years with the council, and it was a fitting milestone to call it a day.

"I'm not leaving it because I'm not enjoying it," he assured councillors.

"The hardest thing I will face is not working with the people I work with every day. I'll see you around the traps."

As he prepared to finish work on Friday, he reflected on the many things that had changed in his time with the council, from cultural to legislative and technological.

"When I first started we had an electric adding machine," Mr Prior explained.

"Everything was done in books that were foolscap to A3 size and then they were in triplicate or duplicate."

Computers arrived in the 1980s and spreadsheets not until the 1990s.

Mr Prior has had a few weeks to work alongside new CFO Michael Chalmers and show him the ropes.

"I wish him well, I think he'll go well," he said.