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Sir Thomas Reginald Groom (1906–1987) was Lord Mayor of Brisbane in Australia from 1955 to 1961.
Early life
Groom was born atTeneriffe, Queensland
Teneriffe is an inner suburb of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, north-east of the CBD. In the , Teneriffe had a population of 5,335 people.
Teneriffe was once an important wool trading hub and was the location of Australia's largest submari ...
on 30 December 1906, and educated at Brisbane Grammar School
, motto_translation = Nothing Without Labour
, established = 1868
, type = Independent, day & boarding
, gender = Boys
, denomination = Non-denominational
, slogan =
, key_people =
, ci ...
and the University of Queensland
, mottoeng = By means of knowledge and hard work
, established =
, endowment = A$224.3 million
, budget = A$2.1 billion
, type = Public research university
, chancellor = Peter Varghese
, vice_chancellor = Deborah Terry
, city = B ...
, where he was President of the University of Queensland Union. 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. 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, was more successful in these endeavours.
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 of Mount Isa Mines, P&O Australia and theCommonwealth Bank
The Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA), or CommBank, is an Australian multinational bank with businesses across New Zealand, Asia, the United States and the United Kingdom. It provides a variety of financial services including retail, busines ...
, amongst others.
Reg Groom died on 28 June 1987 at Guyra, New South Wales
Guyra is a town situated midway between Armidale, New South Wales, Armidale and Glen Innes, New South Wales, Glen Innes on the Northern Tablelands, New South Wales, Northern Tablelands in the New England (Australia), New England region of New So ...
.
See also
* University of Queensland Union 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