Thomas E. Redmond

(1866 – 1921)

Thomas E. Redmond operated an ironmongery/hardware store at 480 High Street Northcote from 1897 to 1963, replacing an earlier ironmongery started by D. J. Chandler in 1895. In 1911 Redmond advertised in the Northcote Leader that he was an ironmonger, crockery, oil and colour merchant. In that year Mayor Archbold decided to retire from local business. Redmond, a supporter, announced his plan to contest the seat, the North Ward in the August council elections of that year. Redmond was described as a “prominent figure in the business circle for twenty years.”

Redmond’s chief rivals for the post were A. A. Miller, a local real estate agent, and Angus McDonell, a member of the Socialist Party. The primary campaign issues centred around drainage, lighting and roads. On Thursday 24th August 1911, Redmond was elected Councillor with 266 votes, ahead of McDonell with 209 and Miller with 159. McDonell was later to become a long time Councillor and Mayor in 1921/22. Redmond was to remain in Council until 1917, leaving in August of that year, after being beaten by William Hayes, an ex-Mayor of Northcote. Redmond left claiming his main achievement was the improvement of Northcote’s street lighting. In 1963 Redmond’s store was demolished and a service station built on the site.

Death index Victoria 1921-1985 : index to deaths in Victoria [CD-ROM]. (1998). Melbourne, Australia: Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages.

Sands and McDougall’s Melbourne and Suburban Directory 1864- 1974. [Microfiche]. (1974). Melbourne, Australia: Sands & McDougall.