GROOM SPLIT MAY BE LIKELY
LNP party members meet for vote that could change politics
GROOM LNP party members were last night making one of the biggest decisions of their lives, with the ramifications of their choice set to echo through the halls of Parliament House in Canberra for years to come.
A push from some within the party to install deputy president Cam O’Neil as former Groom MP John McVeigh’s replacement has led to the local members voting on whether they want to be considered a Liberal seat or a National seat in the federal parliament.
At time of print, candidates were voting on which party better aligns to their local views. Other potential candidates for the seat include Barry O’Sullivan Jnr, Garth Hamilton, Shane Charles and Rebecca Vonhoff.
The vote comes as Dr McVeigh has been appointed to a new role at the University of Southern Queensland.
The appointment comes less than two weeks after he resigned from federal parliament.
TRIBUTES have flowed for the Toowoomba Cobb and Co Museum co-founder Jennifer Cardell, who died after a battle with cancer aged 78.
Mrs Cardell and her husband Adrian’s donation of more than $2.5 million in historical artefacts and pieces in 1982 was the catalyst for the creation of the museum five years later.
Mrs Cardell was the daughter of legendary Toowoomba businessman and Toowoomba arts philanthropist Bill Bolton, and bought his extensive collection of 19th century carriages following his death in 1973.
Her son David Cardell said the donation to the Queensland Museum Network was on the condition that the collection remained in Toowoomba.
“My grandfather established the private museum, but my mother purchased it and then instead of selling it off, they decided they wanted to donate it to the people of Queensland, on the assurance it would be established in Toowoomba,” he said.
“She was big on not just the historical artefacts, but also making it a living museum.
“In some ways, the museum was a frontrunner in the combination of the artisans and artefacts.”
The Cobb and Co Museum is now one of Toowoomba’s most popular tourist attractions, something that delighted Mrs Cardell in her later years.
“It made her happy to see her grandchildren enjoy the activities (at the museum),” Mr Cardell said.
Cobb and Co Museum curator Jeff Powell said the centre owed its existence to the Cardells’ donation.
“The collection was valued in the 1980s at over $1 million — it would be many times that amount in present day value,” he said.
“Cobb and Co Museum opened as a campus of the Queensland Museum Network in 1987, thanks to the generosity of Jenny and Adrian Cardell.
“It is no exaggeration to say that Cobb+Co Museum would not exist but for the enormous generosity of Jenny and Adrian Cardell.”