Francis de Groot

Who was Francis de Groot?

Colonel Francis Edward de Groot holds a notorious place in Australian history for his high-profile upstaging of New South Wales Premier Jack Lang at the official opening of the Sydney Harbour Bridge in 1932.

Francis de Groot was born in Dublin, Ireland on 24 October 1888. He served in the 15th Hussars on the western front in World War I, where he was awarded a ceremonial sword. Moving to Australia, he was an antique dealer and furniture manufacturer in Sydney. One of his clients was the Governor-General Sir Isaac Isaacs, for whom he made a ceremonial chair. He joined a right-wing paramilitary organisation called the New Guard, which was politically opposed to the more left-wing government and the socialist views of the Premier, Jack Lang. Many of the members of the New Guard were men who had served in World War 1.

He became famous when on Saturday 19 March 1932, he upstaged Lang at the opening of the Sydney Harbour Bridge, before a crowd of 300,000 people. He was not a member of the official party but, on horseback and dressed in his military uniform, he was able to blend in with the escort party of NSW Lancers. Lang was about to cut the ribbon to formally open the bridge, when de Groot rode forward and drew his ceremonial sword, making to cut the ribbon and declare the bridge open "in the name of the decent and respectable people of New South Wales". While many accounts say de Groot succeeded in slashing the ribbon, at least one eyewitness has disputed the claim and suggested it was probably broken by the hooves of his rearing horse.