Irvin Rockman
Irvin Peter Rockman | |
|---|---|
| 85th Lord Mayor of Melbourne | |
| In office 1977–1979 | |
| Preceded by | Donald Osborne |
| Succeeded by | Ralph Angelo Bernardi |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 6 April 1938 Melbourne, Victoria, Australia |
| Died | 30 August 2010 (aged 72) |
Irvin Peter "Rocky" Rockman CBE (6 April 1938 – 30 August 2010) was an Australian politician, businessman, and hotelier who served as Lord Mayor of Melbourne from 1977 to 1979.
Biography
[edit]Irvin Rockman was born on 6 April 1938, the son of Polish father Norman Rockman (1910–2001) and Ukrainian mother Susie Rockman (1916–2007). Both settled in Melbourne in 1924 to escape anti-Jewish persecution in their home countries.
where Norman Rockman established a chain of clothing stores, which operated under the family name. Rockman attended high school at Wesley College, where he excelled at sports.[1][2]
He then attended the University of Melbourne, where he undertook a commerce degree. Rockman was also a well-known underwater diver.[3][4] Irvin Rockman was married three times and had six children.
Business career
[edit]Irvin entered the hotel indsutry throug and his father developed the upmarket Motel Parkroyal at Parkville. Opened in November 1961, the highly-modern building comprised 90 luxury suites and proved an instant success, garnering praise from Victorian Premier Henry Bolte.[5][6]
It was the designed by Theodore Bertram, the distinct building featured a large parabolic arch at the entrance.[7]
In anticipation of the Commonwealth Government’s construction of Melbourne Airport at Tullamarine, Rockman partnered with several private interests to bid for the airport’s food and beverage concession.[8][9] The bid was successful, and the syndicate, known as Aerojet Caterers, operated as a joint venture between Petersville Corporation and investors Paul Fayman, Leon Velik, and Joseph Emanuel.[10] The company ran the notable Top Air restaurant, which overlooked the airport and its operations.[11] Rockman maintained his interest in Aerojet until 1992.[12]
Rockman was alleged to have been involved in a 1988 drug smuggling scandal, but no charges were ever filed and Rockman maintained his innocence.[13]
References
[edit]- ^ "Rockman sets new record at Wesley". The Argus. 9 October 1954. p. 42.
- ^ "Australians at Jewish Games". The Age. 2 September 1961. p. 12.
- ^ CARMAN, GERRY (3 September 2010). "Go-getting civic and business leader". The Age ( Fairfax Media). Retrieved 27 August 2013.
- ^ "Fathom Guest Photographer – Irvin Rockman". Fathom Vol.1 No. 8. John Harding and Roy Bisson. c. 1972. pp. 8–11. Retrieved 27 August 2013.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ^ "Opening today! Motel Parkroyal". The Age. 4 November 1961. p. 4.
- ^ "Award to Motel of Year". The Age. 29 May 1963. p. 3.
- ^ Reeves, Simon, "A Tale of Two City Motels," The Australian Motel Owners' Journal, Vol. 11, No. 2, pp. 9-11
- ^ Harris, Steve (30 August 1977). "Lord mayor with a low profile". The Age. p. 9.
- ^ "$750000 new airport restaurant". The Age. 3 September 1966. p. 9.
- ^ Harris, Steve (30 August 1977). "Lord mayor with a low profile". The Age. p. 9.
- ^ Alan, Nicholls (12 August 1968). "Airport planning raises problems". The Age. p. 8.
- ^ "Irvin Rockman has finally severed links with Melbourne Airport". The Sun. 20 December 1992. p. 18.
- ^ Russell, Mark (15 April 2015). "Win for third wife, but Yoda the dog gets $50k in lord mayor's will". The Age.