Matthew Keefe was a hotel manager, policeman and farmer who was elected mayor of Toowoomba, Queensland

Queensland

Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...

 in 1900. Born in Ireland, he emigrated to Queensland during the 1870s and joined the Queensland Police

Queensland Police

The Queensland Police Service is the law enforcement agency responsible for policing the Australian state of Queensland. In 1990, the Queensland Police Force was officially renamed the Queensland Police Service and the old motto of "Firmness with Courtesy" was changed to "With Honour We Serve"...

 in 1879, becoming a sergeant before retiring in 1889 in Toowoomba. He then entered the hotel business, and was elected as an alderman

Alderman

An alderman is a member of a municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council member chosen by the elected members themselves rather than by popular vote, or a council...

 for the Toowoomba City Council from 1896–1901, serving as mayor in 1900. He died on 22 March 1924 at Maryvale, Queensland

Maryvale, Queensland

Maryvale is a town in the Darling Downs region of Queensland, Australia. The town is located in the Southern Downs Region local government area and on the Cunningham Highway, south west of the state capital, Brisbane. At the 2006 census, Maryvale and the surrounding area had a population of 567....

, where he had taken up agriculture.