Nelson John Meers
AO
Meers wearing mayoral robes
77th Lord Mayor of Sydney
In office
1978–1980
Preceded byLeo Port
Succeeded byDoug Sutherland
Personal details
Born1938 (age 85–86)
Australia

Nelson John Meers AO (born 1938) was Lord Mayor of Sydney between 1978 and 1980.[1] He holds a degree in law from the University of Sydney.[2]

Elected in 1974 as an Alderman of the City of Sydney, Meers served in successive years as Chairman of Properties, Chairman of Works and Deputy Lord Mayor. Prior to his own term as Lord Mayor (which began upon the sudden death of incumbent Leo Port), Meers established an extensive commercial and defamation practice as a partner of two leading international law firms. Meers is also a past President of the Civic Reform Association.[3] He stepped down from the mayoralty in 1980; Doug Sutherland succeeded him.

In 2001 Meers, to formalise his personal tradition of philanthropic giving, founded the Nelson Meers Foundation.[4] The Nelson Meers Foundation was the first ‘Prescribed Private Fund’ to commence operation in Australia.[4] Four years later, the Foundation won the Goldman Sachs JBWere Artsupport Australia Philanthropy Leadership Award.[5]

Meers is married with four children and eight grandchildren, and still lives in Sydney. His daughter Samantha Meers is the chief executive officer of the Nelson Meers Foundation.[6]

Nelson Meers Group is a large hotel group based in Sydney with a portfolio of some of Sydney’s largest hotels including the second most profitable hotel for pokies, the Ambulance Station Hotel in Auburn. Family patriarch Nelson Meers bought his first hotel in 1987 after card machines were allowed into pubs and told the Daily Telegraph in 2004 he would have bought more if he had known poker machines were on the horizon.[7]

References

  1. ↑ "Mayors of Sydney". Archived from the original on 23 February 2010.
  2. ↑ "Queen's Birthday Honours List 2005" (PDF). The Sydney Law School Reports. October 2005. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 July 2008.
  3. ↑ "Queen's Birthday Honours List 2005". The Weekly Times Online. Archived from the original on 7 October 2009.
  4. 1 2 "About the Nelson Meers Foundation". 2006. Archived from the original on 6 January 2010. Retrieved 8 February 2010.
  5. ↑ "National Winners - AbaF Awards 2008". Australia Business Arts Foundation. Archived from the original on 2 June 2008. Retrieved 8 February 2010.
  6. ↑ "The Nelson Meers Foundation" (PDF). Australian Philanthropy. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 October 2009.
  7. ↑ "The publicans with the most to lose from gambling reform". smh.com.au. 1 January 2023.
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