Francis de Groot
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Colonel Francis Edward De Groot was born in Dublin, Ireland on 24 October 1888, and died there on 1 April 1969. 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 para-military organisation called the New Guard, which was politically opposed to the rather more left-wing government of the New South Wales Premier Jack Lang.
He came to fame when on 19 March 1932, he upstaged Lang at the opening of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. He was not a member of the official party, but dressed in his military uniform he was able to blend in with other soldiers on horseback who were guarding the dignitaries. Lang was about to cut the ribbon to formally open the bridge, when de Groot rode forward, drew his ceremonial sword and, reaching down from his mount, flamboyantly slashed the ribbon, declaring the bridge open "in the name of the decent and respectable people of New South Wales."
He said this was in protest that Governor-General Isaacs was not invited to perform the ceremony. The Mayor of North Sydney, Alderman Primrose, an official participant at the opening ceremony, was also a member of the New Guard, but whether he was involved in planning de Groot's act is unknown.
De Groot was arrested, and his ceremonial sword confiscated. Having being found sane, he was fined about $20 for offensive behaviour. He sued for wrongful arrest on the grounds that a police officer had no right to arrest an officer of the Hussars. An out-of-court settlement was reached, and de Groot's ceremonial sword was returned to him. He later returned to Ireland.
Before his death, de Groot indicated he would like to see the sword returned to Australia. In 2004, the sword was located on a farm in County Wicklow, in the possession of de Groot's nephew. Plans were announced to have it valued and returned to Australia, possibly as a display at the National Museum of Australia.