Qld town of Winton loses dedicated mayor

Tributes are flowing for the dedicated mayor of Winton, in central Queensland, a man credited with seeing the community through crippling drought and opening up a future in tourism.

Winton Shire Council Mayor Graham "Butch" Lenton died on Sunday after a long battle with cancer, and Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk says central Queensland has lost a great champion.

Mr Lenton was first elected to Winton Shire Council in 1997, served as deputy mayor from 2004 to 2008, and mayor since 2012, with one of his last services pushing to rebuild the town's Waltzing Matilda Centre after fire destroyed it in 2015.