List of mayors of Townsville

Mayor of Townsville
Incumbent Troy Thompson since 16 March 2024
Term length	4 years
Inaugural holder	John Melton Black
Formation	1866

This is a list of mayors of the City of Townsville, a local government area of Queensland, Australia.^[1][2][3]

The current mayor is Troy Thompson. Elected in 2024, he beat previous mayor Jenny Hill, who was elected in 2012 and re-elected in 2016 and 2020.^[4][5][6]

Elections for mayor are held every 4 years as part of the statewide local elections.

History

The first mayor was John Melton Black, a pioneer who is said to have built the first house in Townsville.^[7]

In 1976, the Labor Party won control of the council, with Perc Tucker elected mayor. He served until his death in August 1980, being replaced by Mike Reynolds, who was himself succeeded by Tony Mooney in 1989.

Mooney served as mayor until the 2008 election, which was the first the original City of Townsville merged with the City of Thuringowa. Former Thuringowa mayor Les Tyrell defeated Mooney in a landslide, but only served for a single term and retired in 2012.^[8]

Mayors

1866−present

No.	Portrait	Mayor	Party	Term start	Term end	Notes	Council control (term)
1		John Melton Black (1830−1919)	Independent	1866	1867
2		William Alfred Ross	Independent	1868	1868
3		William Aplin (1840−1901)	Independent	1869	1869
4		Frederick Coleman	Independent	1870	1870
5		Patrick Hanran (1831−1916)	Independent	1871	1872
6		S. F. Walker	Independent	1873	1873
7		Joseph Fletcher	Independent	1874	1874
(6)		S. F. Walker	Independent	1875	1875
8		Henry Knapp	Independent	1876	1876	Noted as a "brief" term
(5)		Patrick Hanran (1831−1916)	Independent	1876	1877
9		E. A. Head	Independent	1878	1878
(5)		Patrick Hanran (1831−1916)	Independent	1879	1879
10		Thankful Percy Willmett	Independent	1880	1881
(5)		Patrick Hanran (1831−1916)	Independent	1882	1882
11		W.V. Brown	Independent	1883	1883
(10)		Thankful Percy Willmett	Independent	1883	1884
12		Eugene J. Forrest	Independent	1885	1885
13		Henry Barbenson Le Touzel Hubert	Independent	1885	1885
14		W.P. Walker	Independent	1886	1886
15		Arthur Glennie Bundock	Independent	1887	1888	[9]
16		John Newport Parkes	Independent	1889	1889
17		William Clayton	Independent	1890	1890
18		Lionel Fairley	Independent	1891	1891
(5)		Patrick Hanran (1831−1916)	Independent	1892	1892
19		C.F.A. Sparre	Independent	1892	1892
(5)		Patrick Hanran (1831−1916)	Independent	1893	1893
20		Murdo Cameron	Independent	1894	1894
(12)		Eugene J. Forrest	Independent	1895	1895
(5)		Patrick Hanran (1831−1916)	Independent	1896	1896
21		Michael McKiernan	Independent	1897	1897
22		A.E. McCreedy	Independent	1898	1898
23		Thomas Enright	Independent	1899	1899
(22)		A.E. McCreedy	Independent	1900	1900
(20)		Murdo Cameron	Independent	1901	1901
(10)		Thankful Percy Willmett	Independent	1902	1902
24		William Archer Ackers	Independent	1903	1903
25		Thomas Smyth	Independent	1904	1904
(20)		Murdo Cameron	Independent	1905	1905
26		J. Thompson	Independent	1906	1906
27		Peter Minehan	Independent	1907	1907
28		George Murray	Independent	1908	1908
(25)		Thomas Smyth	Independent	1909	1909
29		Joseph Hodel (1850−1943)	Independent	1910	1910	[10]
(28)		George Murray	Independent	1911	1911
30		John Henry Tyack	Independent	1912	1912	[11]
31		Robert Wilson McClelland	Independent	1913	1913
32		William Henry Swales	Independent	1914	1915
(31)		Robert Wilson McClelland	Independent	1916	1916
33		John Edward Clegg	Independent	1917	1918
34		Thomas George Melrose	Independent	1919	1919
35		William Green (1878−1968)	Northern Country	1920	1923
36		Anthony Ogden (1866−1943)	Labor	1924	1926
37		William John Heatley (1890/91−1944)	Independent	1927	8 April 1933	[12]
38		John Stewart Mitchell	Independent	8 April 1933	1952
39		Angus J. Smith	Independent	1952	1967
40		Harold Phillips	Independent	1967	1972
41		Max Hooper (1926−2000)	Independent National	1972	1976
42		Perc Tucker (1919−1980)	Labor	1976	20 August 1980	Died in office
43		Mike Reynolds (1946−)	Labor	20 August 1980	1989
44		Tony Mooney	Labor	1989	15 March 2008	Lost re-election
45		Les Tyrell	Team Tyrell	15 March 2008	28 April 2012	Mayor of Thuringowa from 1991−2008. Retired		Team Tyrell majority (2008–2012)
								Townsville First majority (2012–2015)
46		Jenny Hill	Team Jenny Hill	28 April 2012	16 March 2024	Also a Labor Party member. Lost re-election
								No overall control (2015–2016)
								Team Jenny Hill majority (2016–2024)
47		Troy Thompson	Independent	16 March 2024	present	Incumbent		No overall control (2024–present)

Electoral results

2024

This section is an excerpt from 2024 Queensland mayoral elections § Townsville.[edit]

2024 Queensland mayoral elections: Townsville

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Independent	Troy Thompson	50,167	46.60	+46.60
	Team Jenny Hill	Jenny Hill	47,415	43.86	−6.78
	Independent	Harry Patel	10,529	9.74	+9.74
Turnout			112,020	79.21	+4.94
Two-candidate-preferred result
	Independent	Troy Thompson	53,956	52.62	+52.62
	Team Jenny Hill	Jenny Hill	48,575	47.38	−14.15
	Independent gain from Team Jenny Hill		Swing	N/A

2020

This section is an excerpt from 2020 Queensland mayoral elections § Townsville.[edit]

2020 Queensland mayoral elections: Townsville

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Team Jenny Hill	Jenny Hill	46,911	50.64	−8.87
	Independent	Sam Cox	25,076	27.07	+27.07
	It's Time for Townsville	Greg Dowling	16,155	17.44	+17.44
	NQ State Alliance	Chris Eastaughffe	4,498	4.86	+4.86
Turnout			95,509	74.27	−5.78
Two-candidate-preferred result
	Team Jenny Hill	Jenny Hill	49,255	61.53	−1.16
	Independent	Sam Cox	30,791	38.47	+38.47
	Team Jenny Hill hold		Swing	−1.16

2016

This section is an excerpt from 2016 Queensland mayoral elections § Townsville.[edit]

2016 Queensland mayoral elections: Townsville^[13]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Team Jenny Hill	Jenny Hill	58,862	59.51	+25.77
	Jayne Arlett's Team	Jayne Arlett	34,849	35.23	+35.23
	Independent	William Hankin	3,237	3.27	+3.27
	Independent	Harry Patel	1,970	1.99	+0.20
Total formal votes			98,918	97.01	+0.67
Informal votes			3,207	2.99	−0.67
Turnout			101,965	80.05
Two-candidate-preferred result
	Team Jenny Hill	Jenny Hill	59,881	62.69	+11.11
	Jayne Arlett's Team	Jayne Arlett	35,639	37.31	+37.31
	Team Jenny Hill hold		Swing	+11.11

2012

This section is an excerpt from 2012 Queensland mayoral elections § Townsville.[edit]

2012 Queensland mayoral elections: Townsville^[14]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Team Jenny Hill	Jenny Hill	28,508	33.74	+33.74
	Townsville First	Dale Last	26,898	31.83	+31.83
	Independent	Jeff Jimmieson	15,301	18.11	+18.11
	Independent	Brendan Porter	12,277	14.53	+14.53
	Independent	Harry Patel	1,516	1.79	+1.79
Total formal votes			84,500	96.34	−2.37
Informal votes			3,207	3.66	+2.37
Turnout			87,707	80.05
Two-candidate-preferred result
	Team Jenny Hill	Jenny Hill	32,946	51.58	+51.58
	Townsville First	Dale Last	30,928	48.42	+48.42
	Team Jenny Hill gain from Team Tyrell		Swing

• Incumbent mayor Les Tyrell (Team Tyrell) did not recontest

2008

This section is an excerpt from 2008 Queensland mayoral elections § Townsville.[edit]

2008 Queensland mayoral elections: Townsville^[15]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Team Tyrell	Les Tyrell	47,956	54.64	+54.64
	Labor	Tony Mooney	31,524	35.91	−37.65
	Community Voices	Jenny Stirling	6,343	7.23
	Independent	Rolando Taviani	1,292	1.47
	Independent	Francis Pauler	660	0.75
Total formal votes			87,775	98.71
Informal votes			1,145	1.29
Turnout			88,920
	Team Tyrell gain from Labor		Swing

1933

This section is an excerpt from 1933 Queensland mayoral elections § Townsville.[edit]

1933 Queensland mayoral elections: Townsville

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Independent	John Stewart Gill		<50.0
	Labor	Anthony Ogden
	Progressive	John Edward Clegg
	Independent hold		Swing

• Incumbent mayor William John Heatley (Independent) did not recontest

References

1. "Mayors of Townsville" (PDF). Townsville City Council. Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 May 2014. Retrieved 28 May 2014.
2. "Chronological history of Townsville, 1770 to 1900". Townsville City Council. Archived from the original on 28 May 2014. Retrieved 28 May 2014.
3. Mathew, John (2008), Highways and byways : the origin of Townsville street names (PDF) (Rev. ed.), Townsville Library Service, ISBN 0-9578987-54, archived from the original (PDF) on 28 May 2014
4. "2012 Townsville City Council – Mayoral Election – Election Summary". Electoral Commission Queensland. Archived from the original on 27 February 2014. Retrieved 21 December 2013.
5. "2016 Townsville City Council - Mayoral Election - Election Summary". Electoral Commission of Queensland. 20 April 2016. Archived from the original on 14 June 2016. Retrieved 18 June 2016.
6. "2020 Local Government Elections: Saturday, 28 March 2020". Electoral Commission of Queensland. 2020. Archived from the original on 23 December 2020. Retrieved 16 June 2020.
7. "JOHN MELTON BLACK". Townsville Daily Bulletin. Qld. 10 July 1934. p. 7. Retrieved 17 January 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
8. "2008 Townsville City Council - Mayoral Election - Election Summary". Electoral Commission of Queensland.
9. "Local Government Elections". The Western Star and Roma Advertiser. Toowoomba, Qld.: National Library of Australia. 15 February 1888. p. 3. Archived from the original on 11 January 2021. Retrieved 4 October 2013.
10. Manion, Jim (1983). "Joseph Hodel (1850–1943)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Vol. 9. Canberra: National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. ISBN 978-0-522-84459-7. ISSN 1833-7538. OCLC 70677943. Archived from the original on 24 December 2013. Retrieved 26 December 2013.
11. Consolidated Index to Queensland Government Gazette 1859–1919. Queensland Family History Society. 2004. ISBN 1-876613-79-3.
12. "DEATH OF MR. W. J. HEATLEY". Townsville Daily Bulletin. 15 June 1944.
13. "2016 Townsville City Council - Mayoral Election - Election Summary". Electoral Commission of Queensland.
14. "2012 Townsville City Council - Mayoral Election - Election Summary". Electoral Commission of Queensland.
15. "2008 Townsville City Council - Mayoral Election - Election Summary". Electoral Commission of Queensland.