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Sir Thomas Reginald Groom (1906–1987) was
Lord Mayor of Brisbane
The Lord Mayor of Brisbane is the chief executive of the City of Brisbane, the capital of the Australian state of Queensland, and the head of the Brisbane City Council. Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner of the Liberal National Party was sworn in o ...
in Queensland
Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...
, Australia from 1955 to 1961.
Early life
Groom was born atTeneriffe, Queensland
Teneriffe is an inner suburbs and localities (Australia), suburb of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, north-east of the Brisbane central business district, CBD. In the , Teneriffe had a population of 5,520 people.
Teneriffe was once an importan ...
, on 30 December 1906, and educated at Brisbane Grammar School
Brisbane Grammar School (BGS) is an Independent school, independent, fee charging, non-denominational, day school, day and boarding school for boys, located in Spring Hill, Queensland, Spring Hill, an inner suburb of Brisbane, Queensland, Austra ...
and the University of Queensland
The University of Queensland is a Public university, public research university located primarily in Brisbane, the capital city of the Australian state of Queensland. Founded in 1909 by the Queensland parliament, UQ is one of the six sandstone ...
, where he was President of the University of Queensland Union
The University of Queensland Union (UQ Union) is a student organisation established to provide service, support and representation to the students of The University of Queensland. The Union oversees approximately $15 million in revenue each ...
. He graduated in 1932 and joined his father's accountancy firm.
Politics
In 1943, he entered local politics as aCitizens' Municipal Organisation
The Citizens' Municipal Organisation (CMO), known before its expansion as the Citizens' Municipal Party (CMP), was an Australian political organisation that ran in local elections in the City of Brisbane.
History
The CMO was formed in 1936 afte ...
councillor in the Brisbane City Council
Brisbane City Council (BCC, also known as Council) is the local government of the City of Brisbane, the capital city of the Australian state of Queensland. The largest local government in Australia by population, BCC's jurisdiction includes 2 ...
. He served two terms as Lord Mayor from 1955. Despite severe budget restrictions he attempted to improve the city's infrastructure, particularly the water, electricity, and sewer networks. His successor, the Labor Party's Clem Jones
Clem Jones Order of Australia, AO (16 January 191815 December 2007), a surveyor by profession, was the longest serving Lord Mayor of Brisbane, Queensland, representing the Australian Labor Party (Queensland Branch), Labor Party from 1961 to 1975 ...
, was more successful in these endeavours.
Affiliations
Groom served on several community boards and committees. He was a member of Brisbane'sJohnsonian Club
Samuel Johnson ( – 13 December 1784), often called Dr Johnson, was an English writer who made lasting contributions as a poet, playwright, essayist, moralist, literary critic, sermonist, biographer, editor, and lexicographer. The ''Oxford Di ...
, Melbourne's Athenaeum Club, and Sydney's Union Club and President (1943) of the local Rostrum club.
Later life
Following electoral defeat, Groom was knighted in 1961 and returned to a career in accountancy and business. As well as running his own accountancy firm, during the 1960s and 1970s he served as chairman ofMount Isa Mines
Mount Isa Mines Limited ("MIM") operates the Mount Isa copper, lead, zinc and silver mines near Mount Isa, Queensland, Australia as part of the Glencore group of companies. For a brief period in 1980, MIM was Australia's largest company. It has ...
, P&O Australia and the Commonwealth Bank
The Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA), also known as Commonwealth Bank or simply CommBank, is an Australian multinational bank with businesses across New Zealand, Asia, the United States, and the United Kingdom. It provides a variety of fi ...
, amongst others.
Reg Groom died on 28 June 1987 at Guyra, New South Wales
Guyra is a town situated midway between Armidale and Glen Innes on the Northern Tablelands in the New England region of New South Wales, Australia. It is within Armidale Regional Council and at the 2021 census, it had a population of 2,077. ...
.
See also
*University of Queensland Union
The University of Queensland Union (UQ Union) is a student organisation established to provide service, support and representation to the students of The University of Queensland. The Union oversees approximately $15 million in revenue each ...
ReferencesAustralian Dictionary of Biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Groom, Reg
1906 births
1987 deaths
Mayors and lord mayors of Brisbane
University of Queensland alumni
20th-century Australian politicians
People educated at Brisbane Grammar School