Clive Berghofer

Clive John Berghofer (born 4 May 1935) is an Australian property developer, politician and philanthropist. He has served as a member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly and mayor of Toowoomba.

Early life Clive Berghofer was born on 4 May 1935 in Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia. He grew up on a farm at Wellcamp during World War II, attending Wellcamp State School until leaving at age 13 to work at a sawmill.

Career In 1964, Berghofer purchased his first block of land in Toowoomba. He then built the Wilsonton Hotel in 1972 and the Wilsonton Shopping Centre in 1976, which he then subsequently sold to Multiplex in 2006.

He served as an alderman on Toowoomba City Council from 1973 to 1982, serving as Toowoomba's 61st Mayor from 1982 to 1992. He was the National Party MLA for Toowoomba South from 1986 to 1991. On 23 March 1991, he was forced to vacate his seat in the Queensland Legislative Assembly, in order to retain his position as mayor after changes to the relevant legislation. National Party candidate Mike Horan won the resulting by-election on 18 May.

He now works as a real estate developer in his hometown of Toowoomba.

Philanthropy Berghofer has made donations to CareFlight (now LifeFlight), a Queensland aero-medical rescue charity. As a result, some of their rescue aircraft garnish his name. Several other buildings and venues are named after him, including Clive Berghofer Stadium, the Clive Berghofer Arena at St Mary's College, The Monthly contributor Lech Blaine dubbed him the "Donald Trump of the Darling Downs".

Honours Medal of the Order of Australia, 26 January 1994, "in recognition of service to local government and to the community." Australian Sports Medal, 30 August 2000, "does not play sport but supports many clubs. Acts as guarantor for clubs seeking to build facilities." Officer of the Order of Australia, 9 June 2025, "for distinguished service to the community of Queensland through philanthropic support of health and emergency services, sporting and educational organisations."

Personal life Berghofer currently resides in his hometown of Toowoomba.