OBITUARY - MR. H. J. DIDDAMS - The Week (Brisbane, Qld. : 1876 - 1934) - 15 Mar 1929 (original) (raw)

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Fri 15 Mar 1929 - The Week (Brisbane, Qld. : 1876 - 1934)
Page 15 - OBITUARY

The death occurred in a private hospi

tal In Sydney Monday night of Mr. H. J.

Diddams. C.M.G.. a former Mayor of

Brisbane, His passing means to Bris

bane the loss of a prominent citizen,

who gave much of his time to public

service; in local government he had

LATE MR. H. J. DIDDAMS, C.M.G. Help

LATE MR. H. J. DIDDAMS, C.M.G.

i taken a conspicuous part, and

; patriotic efforts, especially in respect

to the preparation of Anzac Square, his

work was inspiring. He was Mayor

of the city when the Prince of Wales

was in Brisbane, and received the Com

Born in Auckland, New Zealand. Mr.

Diddams migrated to Queensland, and

in Brisbane he built up a successful

1 business as a printer. His spare time

was devoted to local government, and

when the. cares of office permitted it

; he was to be found on the bowling

: green. He was president of the Too

wong Bowling Club, and he had visited

the other States with representative

teams. His health failed about a year

ago, and later be was advised to visit

New Zealand. When returning from

that Dominion he broke down com

pletely, and death followed in a private

Possessed of keen business and de

bating ability, with natural courtesy

and dignity, Mr. Diddams was a leader

in municipal politics. Not long after

he entered the Brisbane City Council

he was chosen by his colleagues as

Mayor. That was in 1911. Ten years i

later, under the franchise, the citizens '

also selected him as their civic head.;

and he filled the office with rare1

ability and tact. When war swept the,

young manhood of tho State into its

maelstrom, Mr. Diddams entered with

zeal'to all patriotic movements, and

later h? was one of the first to move

towards the permanent memorial in

Anzac Square. One could almost say

that he neglected his own business to

further this movement, and as it wore,

he carried the plan under his arm.

He interviewed civic. State, and Com

monwealth officials, ever with the

memorial before his eyes, and ne was

restless in publicity and other work

vith the aim of collecting funds to;

erect a tribute to Queensland's hou- i

oured dead. On the bowling greens [

there was no more popular player,

Mr. Diddams would have completed

hs 65th year had he lived until next

month. He was a widower, and he

also lost his daughter Aileen less than

a year ago. His only son is Mr. Robert;