Sir Andrew Bruce Small OStJ (11 December 1895 –1 May 1980) [1] was an Australian businessman and politician. In Melbourne,he developed Malvern Star bicycles into a household name in Australia,then retired to the Gold Coast,Queensland,where he developed property,and as Mayor of the Gold Coast,promoted the area to Australia and the world as a family-friendly holiday destination through the bikini-clad meter maids in Surfers Paradise. [2]
Bruce Small was born in Ryde,New South Wales,in 1895. At the age of 24 in 1920 he bought [3] an interest in the Malvern Star shop at 185 Glenferrie Rd,in the Melbourne suburb of Malvern,from Austral Wheel Race winner,Tom Finnigan. His brothers,Frank,and Ralph Small,joined Bruce in his sales,building cycles at the rate of 5 per week.
The small cycle shop offered prizes in cycle races,resulting in Hubert Opperman winning a prize in 1921,and impressing Small so much that a job was offered to the young cyclist. Thus started a long relationship,as both friend and sponsor of Hubert Opperman.
With the Second World War affecting parts supply,Malvern Star bicycles started manufacturing many of its own parts for bicycles. Defence contracts help the growth of the business. At its peak after the Second World War,Malvern Star had 115 stores with 1,000 dealers.
After the war,Small's Malvern Star bicycles were ridden by Sid Patterson,who won the World Championship Sprint in Copenhagen in 1949,and several other races including amateur World Championship Pursuit in Liège (1950),professional World Championship Pursuit in Paris (1952),and professional World Championship Pursuit in Zürich (1953). At the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne,Ian Browne and Tony Marchant won the gold medal in Tandem on a Malvern Star.
From 1945 Bruce Small owned land at Gowanbrae and promoted property development in Strathmore Heights,in Melbourne. In 1956 he bought 40 hectares of flood-prone mangrove land on the Nerang River,on the Gold Coast. He retired from his Malvern Star business in 1958. From 1958 to the mid-1960s,he pioneered canal developments based on 'proven U.S. methods' from the U.S. state of Florida. Bruce Small was also the brainchild behind the development of 100 private "own your own" flats Edgewater Towers,St Kilda,Victoria which at 13 storeys was the tallest residential apartment building in Victoria at the time it opened 4 March 1961. Bruce Small's long-term friend Sir Hubert Opperman lived in the building from the time it opened until his move to a retirement village in 1985.
In 1967,with the slogan "Think Big,Vote Small",he was elected Mayor of the Gold Coast,holding office till 1973. He was re-elected from 1976 to 1978. Like many politicians during this period,a time prior to the existence of conflict of interest laws,he saw no conflict between his duties as Mayor and his opportunities as a property developer.
After a season of cyclonic storms which battered the Gold Coast in 1967,Small was instrumental in promoting this area as a family holiday destination through widespread appearances and promotions of the Surfers Paradise Meter Maids,established in 1965,to attract tourists back to the area.
From 1972 to 1977 he was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Queensland representing the seat of Surfers Paradise for the Country Party (later renamed the National Party of Australia). He was knighted in 1974 for his services to the Gold Coast and Queensland.
Gold Coast City Council named the Sir Bruce Small Park in Benowa,and Sir Bruce Small Boulevard after him.[ citation needed ]
Small was posthumously named as a Queensland Great in 2024. [4]
Surfers Paradise is a town and the suburban capital of the City of Gold Coast,Queensland,Australia. In the 2021 census,the suburb of Surfers Paradise had a population of 26,412 people.
Malvern ( ) is a suburb of Melbourne,Victoria,Australia,8 km south-east of Melbourne's Central Business District,located within the City of Stonnington local government area. Malvern recorded a population of 9,929 at the 2021 census.
Rochester is a town in the Shire of Campaspe,Victoria,Australia. It is located 180 km (110 mi) north of Melbourne with a mixture of rural and semi-rural communities on the northern Campaspe River,between Bendigo and the Murray River port of Echuca. At the 2021 census,Rochester had a population of 3,154.
Sir Hubert Ferdinand Opperman,OBE,referred to as Oppy by Australian and French crowds,was an Australian cyclist and politician,whose endurance cycling feats in the 1920s and 1930s earned him international acclaim.
Strathmore Heights is a suburb in Melbourne,Victoria,Australia,12 km (7.5 mi) north-west of Melbourne's Central Business District,located within the City of Moonee Valley local government area. Strathmore Heights recorded a population of 1,047 at the 2021 census.
Sydney Patterson was a world champion amateur and professional track cyclist from Melbourne,Victoria,Australia. While a teenager,Patterson won every Victorian and Australian title between 1,000 metres and ten miles (16.1 km). He represented Australia in cycling at the 1948 Summer Olympics in London.
Steele Bishop is an Australian former track and road racing cyclist and 5,000 m individual pursuit world champion in 1983.
Malvern Star is a manufacturer of bicycles based in Melbourne,Australia. The company was established in 1902,and went on to become a known brand in Australia.
Sir Bruce Small Park is a sporting facility located in Benowa,a suburb of the Gold Coast,Queensland in Australia. Its baseball facilities are home to the Surfers Paradise Baseball Club,current premiers of the Greater Brisbane League. It has hosted many high-profile Australian baseball events such as the Masters Games and University Games.
Surfers Paradise Australian Football Club is a Gold Coast based club competing in the AFL Queensland QAFL Australian rules football competition.
Nino Borsari was an Italian cyclist who won a gold medal in the 4000 metres team pursuit event at the 1932 Summer Olympics.
Surfers Paradise Meter Maids are bikini-clad women who operate in Surfers Paradise —a surfing,entertainment and tourism centre on the Gold Coast of Queensland,Australia. Unlike other meter maids,who issue parking tickets to motorists when they overstay,Gold Coast meter maids put money into parking meters which might otherwise expire,preventing vehicle owners from incurring a fine. After the introduction of pay-and-display parking meters they took on the task of explaining to motorists how the machines work.
Richard William "Fatty" Lamb was an Australian racing cyclist who competed on both road and track,as was typical of Australian cyclists of the era such as Hubert Opperman. Throughout his career,Lamb was associated with Malvern Star Bicycles and Bruce Small.
The following is a timeline of history of the city of Gold Coast,Queensland,Australia.
Oserick Bernard "Ossie" Nicholson was an Australian cyclist who twice held the World Endurance record for distance in a calendar year.
Frankie Thomas was an Australian racing cyclist who competed on both road and track,as was typical of Australian cyclists of the era such as Hubert Opperman.
Maurice "Jack" Fitzgerald was an Australian Track racing cyclist,particularly in sprint and Six-day racing.
Ernest Milliken was an Australian Road racing cyclist who performed strongly in distance races and individual time trials.
Surfers Paradise Apollo Soccer Club is a semi-professional soccer club based in Surfers Paradise,Queensland,Australia. The club currently plays in the FQPL 3 South Coast competition,the fourth flight of men's soccer in Queensland and the fifth flight of Australian soccer.
Valda Emily Unthank was an Australian cyclist who held numerous records for long distance cycling,mostly set during 1938-39,most notably the women's seven day record.