The longest-serving councillor in Inverclyde and former Provost has told of his three decades of public service during a time of tumultuous change in the world.

Ciano Rebecchi, 83, has said it was a privilege to represent Inverclyde on the world stage.

He served as a liberal councillor for 34 years, and three of them as Provost, between 2004 and 2007.

(Image: Lorraine Tinney)

Ciano said: "I want to give everything 100 per cent, you have to work at it, it's not just for me but other folk.

"As a councillor I felt, all of a sudden, I was in a position to make a difference and you feel a big responsibility on your shoulders."

He strengthened links between Inverclyde and New York, attended the St Andrew's Society Tartan Day Parade in the City with Inverclyde Juvenile Pipe Band in 2006.

(Image: Lorraine Tinney)

Ciano, who is married to Diane, 66, was also involved with Glasgow the Caring City through his friend Greenock minister Reverend Neil Galbraith.

During his time as Provost he learned that the charity was inviting children who lost a parent in the 9/11 terrorist attack for a holiday in Scotland and brought them to Inverclyde. Other children who lost families in the Chernobyl Nuclear disaster in 1996 were also welcomed to Inverclyde via the charity.

(Image: Lorraine Tinney)

Ciano also visited China with one the directors of Inverclyde Council Gerry Malone to strengthen links with the the Chinese Government and James Watt College(now West College Scotland) back in 2007 and also visited Malawi.

But as well as his public life there is Ciano, the proud Italian, husband, father and grandfather.

Ciano was the youngest of five, the only son of Italian parents Angelo and Rosa Maria his dad came over to Greenock first followed by his mother in the early 1920s and married at St Laurence's Church in Greenock.

Ciano said: "They came from Veppo, La Spezia, it's in the north, most Italians who come here are from the north.

"My grandfather died three months before my dad was born and his mother died when he was 17.

"He came over to Greenock because his two older brothers had opened a chip shop, in 'Wee Dublin' where Arnold Clark is at East Hamilton Street."

Although they ran a business life was hard for Italian immigrants during the Second World War.

Former police officer Diane said: "People thought they were well off because they had a business but they weren't really and during the war a lot of Italian businesses were looted, there was a lot of discrimination - it was really hard.

"Ciano's dad was sent to an internment camp in the north of Scotland and Harrogate and his mum was left on her own with the family. Ciano didn't see his dad for the first time until he was seven at Glasgow Central Station."

Their only son was born in Salmon Lane, above where the Old Greenock Oak Bar was and then lived in Old Inverkip Road and now lives on the Esplanade with Diane.

He has three grown up daughters Karen and Jacqueline, from his first marriage and Angela, 31, with Diane. He has four granddaughters Julie, Jennifer Rachel, and little Lucia and three great-grandchildren.

Ciano has been with Diane for more than 40 years and married for 20 of them.

Diane said: "I was only 20 when I started going out with Ciano and he was always giving to charity, people will never know because he doesn't tell you what he gives. He loves children."

His journey to becoming a councillor was a long one and came through his involvement in the licensed trade.

Ciano had a variety of jobs he was a TV engineer and jiggled jobs between a bookies and corner shop in Port Glasgow.

Then almost 50 years ago he bought a former burnout chippy in Braeside and transformed it into the Burns Lounge and ran it with Diane, who is now the licensee.

Ciano was president of Strathclyde Licensed Trade Association and vice-president of the Scottish Licensing Trade.

It was through this role he was asked to join the council by liberal councillors, the late Jim Mitchell, Alan Blair and MSP Ross Finnie.

He was so committed to his new calling he gave up his first two-week holiday with Diane to canvass, only telling her the night before.

She quipped: "We were going to Tenerife and he told me to take my mother. She didn't even have a passport.

"At that time you could go down to the Post Office and get a temporary one for a year, so I had to do that first thing the next morning."

He says the hospital campaign loomed large in his time as councillor and he campaigned over the country to retain services in Inverclyde.

He said: "It started with the maternity unit, it was stressful getting calls at 3am in the morning.

"You couldn't trust the health board and I had the health minister Andy Kerr's personal phone number and he thanked me for telling him what was really going on."

Ciano still get calls from constituents who have become friends and is a volunteer driver with Port Glasgow Voluntary Transport taking kids with additional support needs to school.

He said: "The kids are wonderful and always writing notes to say thank you.

"Everybody runs Inverclyde but there is a hell of a lot of folk who help people who are very little themselves we have a very caring community and I am proud to be part of it."