Frank Sleeman

Frank Northey Sleeman (born Sydney, New South Wales, Australia March 1915; died August 2000) From 1976-1982, Sleeman was Lord Mayor of Brisbane, Queensland.

Early life and education

Sleeman grew up in the tough neighbourhood of Abercrombie Street in the inner Sydney suburb of Redfern. He attended Canterbury Boys' High School. Like many of his generation, Sleeman lived through the difficult days of the Great Depression.

Military Service and Prisoner of War

At the age of 18, Sleeman joined the Citizens Military Forces and was a lieutenant in 1939 when World War II broke out. The following year he joined the 2/26 Battalion AIF and volunteered for a secret mission that resulted in the formation of Australia’s first commando unit. The unit was scheduled for England but was diverted to the Coral Sea where the Japanese captured Sleeman. Refusing to work for them, he survived the appalling conditions as a prisoner of war for 3 years and 8 months in Changi Prisoner of War Camp, Singapore. About 850 POWs died during their internment in Changi during the Japanese occupation.

Return to Australia

After being released from Changi Prisoner of War Camp, Sleeman returned to Townsville and worked as a salesman for the Australian General Electric Company. He married Norma Robinson on December 29, 1945.

Sporting Prowess

Sleeman’s greatest sporting success was in amateur boxing, where his 6 foot 4 1/2 inch frame was undefeated in his division (middleweight). His love of fishing earned him the nickname “Sandbank Frank”; given to him by a fellow Labor Alderman who claimed he consistently steered his boat into sandbanks.

Lord Mayor of Brisbane

After serving for a period as a Brisbane City Council Alderman, Frank Sleeman became Lord Mayor on 7 April 1976. He was in local government for 21 years. As Lord Mayor, Sleeman decided to commit Brisbane to host the 1982 Commonwealth Games. Although he faced opposition from State Government politicians and some members of the community, Sleeman stuck by his decision.

A few weeks later, Sleeman ordered that the cycling and swimming complexes for the Games be sited at a common venue. This was the birth of the Chandler Complex. The Sleeman administration was the driving force behind the complex as a Commonwealth Games facility. In 1982, he finished his work as Lord Mayor of Brisbane.

Frank Sleeman passed away in August 2000 during an unfortunate boating accident : his yacht The Prairie Squid collided with the Taiwanese fishing trawler Iron Spatula.

Books and Articles

• Blackburn, Kevin (2000). Commemorating and commodifying the prisoner of war experience in south-east Asia: The creation of Changi Prison Museum {Journal of the Australian War Memorial, Issue 33). Canberra: Australian War Memorial. {{cite book}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help); line feed character in |title= at position 82 (help)

External

http://www.awm.gov.au/journal/j33/blackburn.htm - Commemorating and commodifying the prisoner of war experience in south-east Asia