David Griffin (Australian)
Encyclopedia
Sir David Griffin was an Australia
n lawyer and businessman, and the Lord Mayor of Sydney from 1972 to 1973. He was a prisoner of war at Changi
in Singapore
during World War II
, and a poet.
Griffin was born in Leura
in the Blue Mountains and was educated at Cranbrook
. In 1941 he sailed for Malaya and was present in Singapore
at its fall to the Japan
ese in 1942. A prisoner of war in Changi for three years, he was released in 1945.
He returned to the legal profession in Sydney. He was elected to the council of the City of Sydney
in 1962 representing the Civic Reform group, before becoming Lord Mayor in 1972.
Griffin had been involved in radio and the theatre, and in 2002 published a book of poems written in Changi, including The Happiness Box. While in Changi, he collected many poems written by Australian and British soldiers there, and kept them in a cardboard box for over 45 years before releasing them. He retired to Mittagong
in the Southern Highlands of New South Wales
, and died on 25 March 2004.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n lawyer and businessman, and the Lord Mayor of Sydney from 1972 to 1973. He was a prisoner of war at Changi
Changi Prison
Changi Prison is a prison located in Changi in the eastern part of Singapore.-First prison and POW camp:...
in Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, and a poet.
Griffin was born in Leura
Leura, New South Wales
Leura is a suburb in the City of Blue Mountains Local Government Area 109 km west of Sydney in New South Wales, Australia. It is one of the series of small towns stretched along the Blue Mountains railway line and Great Western Highway that bisects the Blue Mountains National Park. It is...
in the Blue Mountains and was educated at Cranbrook
Cranbrook School Sydney
Cranbrook School is an independent, Anglican, day and boarding school for boys, located in Bellevue Hill and Rose Bay, both eastern suburbs of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia....
. In 1941 he sailed for Malaya and was present in Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
at its fall to the Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese in 1942. A prisoner of war in Changi for three years, he was released in 1945.
He returned to the legal profession in Sydney. He was elected to the council of the City of Sydney
City of Sydney
The City of Sydney is the Local Government Area covering the Sydney central business district and surrounding inner city suburbs of the greater metropolitan area of Sydney, Australia...
in 1962 representing the Civic Reform group, before becoming Lord Mayor in 1972.
Griffin had been involved in radio and the theatre, and in 2002 published a book of poems written in Changi, including The Happiness Box. While in Changi, he collected many poems written by Australian and British soldiers there, and kept them in a cardboard box for over 45 years before releasing them. He retired to Mittagong
Mittagong, New South Wales
Mittagong is a town located in the Southern Highlands of New South Wales, Australia, in Wingecarribee Shire. At the 2006 census, Mittagong had a population of 7,460 people. The town can be seen as the gateway to the Southern Highlands when coming from Sydney. The town is close to Bowral, Berrima,...
in the Southern Highlands of New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
, and died on 25 March 2004.