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
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
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
- ^ "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.