Thomas John George Gilmore (8 May 1946–14 March 2024) was an Australian politician.

Early life

Gilmore was born in

Mareeba Mareeba is a rural town and locality in the Shire of Mareeba in Far North Queensland, Australia. Between 2008 and 2013, it was within the Tablelands Region. The town's name is derived from an Aboriginal word meaning ''meeting of the water ...

. His father, Tom Gilmore Sr., had been a federal and state Country Party politician.

Politics

Gilmore served on Mareeba Shire Council from 1982 to 1987. In 1986 he was elected as the

National Party National Party or Nationalist Party may refer to: Active parties * National Party of Australia, commonly known as ''The Nationals'' * Bangladesh: ** Bangladesh Nationalist Party ** Jatiya Party (Ershad) a.k.a. ''National Party (Ershad)'' * Californ ...

member for Tablelands in the

Queensland Legislative Assembly The Legislative Assembly of Queensland is the sole chamber of the unicameral Parliament of Queensland established under the Constitution of Queensland. Elections are held every four years and are done by full preferential voting. The Assembly h ...

. In 1992 he moved to the front bench as Shadow Minister for Minerals and Energy, a portfolio he held until the

Coalition A coalition is formed when two or more people or groups temporarily work together to achieve a common goal. The term is most frequently used to denote a formation of power in political, military, or economic spaces. Formation According to ''A G ...

took government in 1996, whereupon he became the Minister. He was defeated in 1998 by One Nation candidate, Shaun Nelson. In 2000, he was elected to the Mareeba Shire Council. From 2008 to 2013, Shire of Mareeba was absorbed into the

Tablelands Region The Tablelands Region is a Local government in Australia, local government area in Far North Queensland, Australia inland from the city of Cairns, Queensland, Cairns. Established in 2008, it was preceded by four previous local government areas ...

. During this period Gilmore was mayor of Tablelands Region from 2008 to 2012. After the deamalgamation of the Shire of Mareeba in 2014, he was elected Mayor of Mareeba and then re-elected in 2016. In October 2019 he announced his retirement as Mayor of Mareeba at the 2020 local government elections.

Later life

Gilmore died at his home on 14 March 2024 in Mareeba aged 77 years. He donated his body to the Human Bequest Program at

James Cook University James Cook University (JCU) is a public university in North Queensland, Australia. The second oldest university in Queensland, JCU is a teaching and research institution. The university's main campuses are located in the tropical cities of Cair ...

Legacy

Gilmore was awarded the

Medal of the Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an Australian honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, on the advice of then ...

on 8 June 2020 for services to the Parliament and people of Queensland.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gilmore, Tom Jr. 1946 births 2024 deaths National Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Queensland Members of the Queensland Legislative Assembly Queensland local councillors People from Mareeba Recipients of the Medal of the Order of Australia