REVELS IN HARD WORK

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 19783, 5 March 1927, Page 11

REVELS IN HARD WORK

QUEENSLAND’S NEW GOVERNOR SIR THOMAS GOODWIN Sir Thomas Goodwin, former Direc-tor-General of the Army Medical Service and King’s Surgeon, has been appointed Governor of Queensland. Sir Thomas, who is 56 years of ago, is the next thing to being an Australian. His mother was born in Australia and he was born in Ceylon. Interviewed in London recently fro was found enjoying a quiet pipe after lunch in the Army and Navy Club. Sir Thomas admitted that he had been informally approached, but actually had had no communication from the Dominion’s office for several days. When he saw other names mentioned in the press he thought one of them would be appointed, indeed, he explained, “I lunched with Sir Matthew Nathan, the former Governor, yesterday. and ho happened to say he had no idea who would bo appointed.” Asked for a message for Queensland, Sir Thomas said:—“Tell the people f look forward to the Governorship w*i»i intense pleasure. I have always been a keen student of the Empire, and have the utmost belief in Australia’s great future.

“I have never had an idle day in my life, and I will revel in hard work.” The new Governor’s mother was a Melbourne woman, Miss Power. Many of her relatives are still in Melbourne. Although he was born in Ceylon, Sir Thomas was in Australia as a child, but he did not visit Queensland. “Perhaps the most novel aspect of the appointment,’’ he said, with a smile, “is that I do not know a single Queenslander. I am an insatiable reader, I know much about Australia from books and have studied Queensland’s history. j ‘‘Mine is a medical family. My father, after having fought in China, went to New Zealand, where he broke '.down. He was invalided from the i Army at the age of 42 years, and was | regarded as a dying man for two years. He returned to England recuperated, and only recently died at tho age of 90 years.”

Sir Thomas, since he relinquished the position as King’s Surgeon, has been associated with charitable bodies, principally as f . organising adviser of the [Empire cancer campaign, of which the :Duke of York is president. He was occupied in that work for five days a week.

He also had many duties in Hertfordshire, where he was asked to become a councillor.

“I was a keen rider to hounds in my younger days,” he explained. “Aly Australian relatives still hunt, but my recreations arc now confined to fishing and shooting.” Sir Thomas Goodwin is a tall, slight man of extreme charm. He reminds • one of Lord Forster. His hair is almost white. A friend summed him up las follows: —“No matter how hard : anyone tried to quarrel with him he |would never succeed. He is scrupulously fair and straightforward.”