[1] In 1941, aged 11, he was tasked with welcoming Prime Minister Arthur Fadden to his school and promised to succeed him in the seat of Darling Downs.

In May 1982, he was moved to the portfolio of Minister for Home Affairs and the Environment and held that position to the defeat of the government at the 1983 election.

In 1984, with the abolition of the seat of Darling Downs, McVeigh followed most of his constituents into the new Division of Groom, which he held until his resignation in February 1988.

[4] McVeigh nonetheless remained a Nationals frontbencher during this time, serving as the party's spokesman on Aboriginal affairs.

[7] His son, John, served in the Queensland Legislative Assembly for Toowoomba South from 2012 to 2016 before winning Tom's old federal seat of Groom in 2016.