Clive Berghofer

Clive Berghofer
AO
Member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly
for Toowoomba South
In office
1 November 1986 – 23 March 1991
Preceded byJohn Warner
Succeeded byMike Horan
Personal details
Born
Clive John Berghofer

(1935-05-04) 4 May 1935
Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia
Political partyLiberal National
OccupationManaging Director, Land developer

Clive John Berghofer (born 4 May 1935) is an Australian property developer, politician and philanthropist. He has served as a member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly and mayor of Toowoomba.

Early life

Clive Berghofer was born on 4 May 1935 in Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia.[1][2] He grew up on a farm at Wellcamp during World War II, attending Wellcamp State School until leaving at age 13 to work at a sawmill.[3]

Career

In 1964, Berghofer purchased his first block of land in Toowoomba. He then built the Wilsonton Hotel in 1972 and the Wilsonton Shopping Centre in 1976, which he then subsequently sold to Multiplex in 2006.[4]

He served as an alderman on Toowoomba City Council from 1973 to 1982, serving as Toowoomba's 61st Mayor from 1982 to 1992. He was the National Party MLA for Toowoomba South from 1986 to 1991. On 23 March 1991, he was forced to vacate his seat in the Queensland Legislative Assembly, in order to retain his position as mayor after changes to the relevant legislation.[5] National Party candidate Mike Horan won the resulting by-election on 18 May.

He now works as a real estate developer in his hometown of Toowoomba.[2] Additionally, he owns apartments in Brisbane and the Gold Coast.[2][6]

Philanthropy

Berghofer has made donations to CareFlight (now LifeFlight), a Queensland aero-medical rescue charity.[2][7] As a result, some of their rescue aircraft garnish his name.[2]

He has also donated to the Queensland Institute of Medical Research multiple times, including a 1997 donation of $20 million to fund a new cancer research centre, and a 2013 donation of $50.1 million. The institute was renamed in 2013 to QIMR Berghofer in his honour.[2]

In 2015, Berghofer said that he 'gave away $50,000 a week'.[8] Several other buildings and venues are named after him, including Clive Berghofer Stadium, the Clive Berghofer Arena at St Mary's College,[8] and the Clive Berghofer Maintenance Centre, a hangar for the LifeFlight helicopter fleet.[9] The Monthly contributor Lech Blaine dubbed him the "Donald Trump of the Darling Downs".[10]

Honours

  • Medal of the Order of Australia, 26 January 1994, "in recognition of service to local government and to the community."[11]
  • Australian Sports Medal, 30 August 2000, "does not play sport but supports many clubs. Acts as guarantor for clubs seeking to build facilities."[11]
  • Centenary Medal, 1 January 2001, "for distinguished service to the community through funding research."[11]
  • Member of the Order of Australia, 12 June 2006, "for service to the community through philanthropic support for medical research, health, sporting and educational organisations in Queensland."[11]
  • Queensland Business Leaders Hall of Fame Award 2022, "in recognition of ground-breaking contributions to the Toowoomba region through pioneering property development and construction, civic leadership, and nationally significant and diverse philanthropy."[12]
  • Officer of the Order of Australia, 9 June 2025, "for distinguished service to the community of Queensland through philanthropic support of health and emergency services, sporting and educational organisations."[3][13]

Personal life

Berghofer currently resides in his hometown of Toowoomba.[2] His net worth was estimated to be $344 million in 2023.[14]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Biography at Toowoomba City Council website". Retrieved 12 January 2008.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Katrina Strickland, 'Giving It Away: Clive Berghofer', The Australian Financial Review Magazine: The Wealth Issue, July 2014, p. 30
  3. ^ a b McEachern, Peta (8 June 2025). "'Head down, arse up': How Toowoomba's Clive Berghofer went from rags to Officer of the order of Australia". The Toowoomba Chronicle. Retrieved 9 June 2025.
  4. ^ Wilson, David (9 May 2016). "Clive Berghofer: an early bird who gets the worm – but he gives a lot away as well". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 9 June 2025.
  5. ^ "Queensland Local Government Act" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 30 August 2007. Retrieved 12 January 2008.
  6. ^ Tilley, Elizabeth. "Live in Peter Dutton's luxurious Brisbane rental for $2000/wk". The Courier-Mail. Retrieved 9 June 2025.
  7. ^ "Clive Berghofer honoured by CareFlight". LifeFlight (Queensland). 15 April 2014. Archived from the original on 8 November 2017. Retrieved 9 November 2017.
  8. ^ a b "Philanthropist businessman Clive Berghofer, Toowoomba's richest man, 'gives away $50,000 a week'". ABC News. 29 October 2015. Retrieved 9 June 2025.
  9. ^ Nelson, Jake (8 August 2024). "LifeFlight cuts ribbon on $26m Archerfield maintenance hangar". Australian Aviation. Retrieved 9 June 2025.
  10. ^ Blaine, Lech. "The parable of Lyle Shelton and Dianne Thorley". The Monthly. Retrieved 9 June 2025.
  11. ^ a b c d "It's an Honour - Honours - Search Australian Honours". Archived from the original on 16 February 2011. Retrieved 6 January 2008.
  12. ^ "Queensland Business Leaders Hall of Fame 2022: Clive Berghofer AM". Queensland Business Leaders Hall of Fame | State Library Of Queensland. Retrieved 21 May 2023.
  13. ^ "The King's Birthday 2025 Honours List" (PDF). Governor-General of Australia. 9 June 2025. Retrieved 9 June 2025.
  14. ^ Schindler, Christine; Dwyer, Jordyn (9 February 2023). "From farmers to heritage restorers, meet the high flyers living in regional and rural Queensland". The Courier-Mail. Retrieved 9 June 2025.

Further reading

  • Talbot, Don. (2002). Clive / as told to Don Talbot. Toowoomba, Qld.: C. Berghofer. ISBN 0-9750183-0-2
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