Merv Thackeray

{{Short description|Australian politician}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2021}}

{{Use Australian English|date=August 2021}}

{{Infobox officeholder

| honorific-prefix =

| name = Merv Thackeray

| honorific-suffix =

| image =

| caption =

| constituency_AM1 = Keppel

| assembly1 = Queensland Legislative

| term_start1 = 3 August 1957

| term_end1 = 28 May 1960

| predecessor1 = Viv Cooper

| successor1 = Seat abolished

| constituency_AM2 = Rockhampton North

| assembly2 = Queensland Legislative

| term_start2 = 28 May 1960

| term_end2 = 27 May 1972

| predecessor2 = New seat

| successor2 = Les Yewdale

| birth_date = {{Birth date|1925|10|20|df=y}}

| birth_place = Mackay, Queensland, Australia

| death_date = {{death date and age|2014|6|7|1925|10|20|df=y}}

| death_place =

| restingplace =

| birthname = Mervyn Herbert Thackeray

| nationality = Australian

| party = Labor

| otherparty = Independent

| spouse = Dorothy Scholes

| alma_mater =

| occupation = Engine driver, Fireman, Grazier

| relations =

}}

Mervyn Herbert (Merv) Thackeray (20 October 1925 – 7 June 2014){{cite web|title=Former Members |publisher=Parliament of Queensland |year=2015 |url=http://www.parliament.qld.gov.au/members/former/bio?id=1475511721 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924105148/http://www.parliament.qld.gov.au/members/former/bio?id=1475511721 |url-status=dead |archive-date=24 September 2015 |access-date=25 January 2015 }} was an Australian politician. He was a Labor Party member of the Legislative Assembly of Queensland from 1957 until 1972, representing Keppel (1957–1960) and Rockhampton North (1960–1972). He was disendorsed in January 1972 and ran unsuccessfully as an independent at the 1972 state election.

Thackeray was born in Mackay and educated at Mackay Primary School. He had a career as a grazier and on the railways before entering politics, working variously as engine driver, fireman, engine cleaner and union delegate. He entered politics at the 1957 election immediately following the Labor split of that year, defeating Labor defector and Queensland Labor Party candidate Viv Cooper on behalf of official Labor in the seat of Keppel.{{Citation

| last = Wanna

| first = John

| last2 = Arklay

| first2 = Tracey

| title = The Ayes Have It: A History of the Queensland Parliament, 1957-1989, Chapter 16

| url = http://epress.anu.edu.au/apps/bookworm/view/The+Ayes+Have+It%3A+The+history+of+the+Queensland+Parliament,+1957%E2%80%931989/7001/ch06.xhtml

| access-date=12 June 2012}} His seat of Keppel was abolished in 1960, and he successfully switched to its successor seat of Rockhampton North. He was subsequently re-elected in Rockhampton North a further three times.

Thackeray had a poor relationship with the party administration throughout the later part of his career. Mike Ahern claimed Thackeray had been "on the outer with the ALP, partly because he was a left-wing meat worker and partly because he was useless." Ahern further claimed that Thackeray had been leaking Labor tactics to Government Whip Vince Jones.{{Citation

| last = Reynolds

| first = Paul L.

| title = Lock, Stock & Barrel: A Political Biography of Mike Ahern

| publisher = University of Queensland Press

| year = 2002

| page = 23}}

In January 1972, Thackeray, along with two other dissident MLAs, Col Bennett and Ed Casey, were disendorsed after repeated clashes with the state secretary and state executive. The three MLAs ran for re-election as independents under the banner of the "True Labor Party", but Thackeray and Bennett were both soundly defeated.{{Citation

| last = Wanna

| first = John

| last2 = Arklay

| first2 = Tracey

| title = The Ayes Have It: A History of the Queensland Parliament, 1957-1989, Chapter 9

| url = http://epress.anu.edu.au/apps/bookworm/view/The+Ayes+Have+It%3A+The+history+of+the+Queensland+Parliament%2C+1957%E2%80%931989/7001/ch09.xhtml

| access-date=12 June 2012}}{{cite web

| title = Re-Member: Thackeray, Mervyn

| publisher = Parliament of Queensland

| url = http://www.parliament.qld.gov.au/members/former/bio?id=562

| access-date=12 June 2012}}