Mr Armstrong served in the NSW Parliament as the Member for Lachlan between 1981 and 2007, when the seat was abolished, and was deputy premier under Premier John Fahey from 1993-1995.

Forbes Mayor Phyllis Miller has paid tribute to the long-serving Cowra identity, describing him as the "most amazing MP we could ever have wished for".

"In a room of 100 people he'd know everyone's name," she reflected on Wednesday.

"He was honest and reliable, a great leader of the Nationals in his time."

One of her memories of the former Minister for Agriculture and Rural Affairs pre-dated her time as a councillor, in the brutal drought of the early 1980s.

"There were drovers with cattle everywhere out on the TSRs," Mayor Miller recalled.

Those cattle needed to come in to the Forbes saleyards to be tagged so that they could be sold, "but the rules were that they had to be tagged before they went into the saleyards."

"You can't put tail tags on cattle without a fence around them," she said.

"Kevin and I had to go to him, it was a really big thing for us early in our business."

One of Mr Armstrong's final tasks in Forbes was to open our new ambulance station, at the Forbes health service precinct, in 2006.

His final official visit was to our Australia Day celebrations the following January, 2007.

Mr Armstrong recalled that his political career actually started at Forbes in August, 1980 when he won pre-selection for the then Country Party and went on to win the seat of Lachlan in the 1981 State election.

"As I stood on the dais on Australia Day this year I realised I knew, or knew of, probably two-thirds of the people in the audience," he told the Advocate

"I also realised there was more to politics than just being a Member of Parliament - it's all about friendships and memories."

He said this was clearly spelled out to him on Australia day when a young person made the comment "Ian, I have never voted for anyone else in my life. As a matter of fact, I wasn't even born when you were elected to parliament".

He recalled not only the dramas of floods, droughts and fires, the closure of the abattoirs on at least two occasions and a public demonstration regarding the hospital but also the happy events such as the visits by His Royal Highness Prince Charles, NSW Governors, attending football matches, jazz festivals, shows, opening new infrastructure and sports facilities, some 20 Australia Days and watching Forbes grow into a town with enormous potential.

Mr Armstrong is remembered as a passionate advocate for rural and regional NSW: even after leaving parliament he kept up the fight for better transport links between Sydney and the Central West as the chairman of the Bells Line Expressway Group.

Deputy Prime Minister and Federal Nationals Leader Michael McCormack described Mr Armstrong as "a fearless warrior for the regions".

"He stood firm for what he believed was right and people could see that dating right back to his time in the Cattlemen's Union," Mr McCormack said.

"His word was his bond. Ahead of the 1988 New South Wales election, Ian promised to decentralise the Department of Agriculture and he did just that, successfully moving the headquarters to Orange.

"Today, around 800 state public servants from a number of different departments and agencies are located there in the fittingly-named Ian Armstrong Building.

"As Deputy Premier and Public Works Minister, Ian brought much-needed infrastructure to communities across the regions.

"He delivered permanent improvements to living standards in the bush, and we thank him for it.

"Ian was a great friend and a real gentleman. He remembered everyone.

"Deepest condolences are expressed to Jenny and family."

Ian is survived by his wife Jenny and children Angus and Angela.