JOHN DOWSON is back at the helm of the Fremantle Society following a landslide victory on Monday evening.

Mr Dowson had been expected to face stiff competition from Chris Lewis, but the 120 or so members who attended the society’s AGM were shocked into silence as it was revealed he’d romped it in 88 votes to 22.

The committee will also be stacked with Dowson supporters, including former Fremantle council heritage architect Agnieshka Kiera, bootmaker Robert Bodkin and Fremantle residents association chair Claudia Green.

There was a moment of dispute when former premier Peter Dowding claimed the new committee might not be valid because retiring president Henty Farrar had withdrawn, but the latter ruled the vote would stand. Calling the controversy ahead of the night a “pernicious virus”, Mr Farrar used his final email to members to thank former membership secretary Benita Dowding for “drawing the society back from the brink”.