Sir Donald Henry Trescowthick, AC, KBE (born 4 December 1930) is an Australian businessman.

Business activities

Trescowthick was involved in several Australian business enterprises.

Swann Insurance

With Norman Swann, Trescowthick founded Swann Insurance, which grew to be a major general insurer. Prior to being sold to

CGU Insurance CGU Insurance Limited is an Australian intermediary-based insurance company and forms part of Insurance Australia Group (IAG). CGU Insurance was formed through the global merger of Commercial Union Commercial Union plc was a large insurance ...

, Swann Insurance was Australia's largest privately owned general insurer.

Charles Davis Limited

Trescowthick acquired

Charles Davis Limited Charles Davis Limited was a department store company established in Hobart, Tasmania in 1847 and is one of Australia's oldest companies. It had several businesses across the surrounding states in industries such as manufacturing, boating includ ...

, a major

Tasmania ) , nickname = , image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdi ...

n company which had been established in 1847. Charles Davis grew under Trescowthick's leadership to become at one time Australia's fourth largest retailer, and third largest department store operator. The company was renamed

Harris Scarfe Harris Scarfe is an Australian retailer that sells bed linen, kitchenware, homewares, electrical appliances and apparel. It has a e-commerce retail presence in Australia and is considered a multi-channel lifestyle and homewares store. Founded in ...

Holdings Limited in 1995.

Private business activities

In addition to his involvement in Charles Davis Limited, Trescowthick has been involved in several private ventures, including ownership of the Place Arcade in

Toorak Village Toorak () is a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, south-east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Stonnington local government area, on Boonwurrung Land. Toorak recorded a population of 12,817 at the 2021 ...

shopping centre in

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

Australia.

Community, sporting and charitable activities

Trescowthick has been involved in community, sporting and charitable activities during his business career. In particular: * He has supported the

Geelong Football Club The Geelong Football Club, nicknamed the Cats, is a professional Australian rules football club based in Geelong, Victoria, Australia. The club competes in the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's premier competition, and are the 2022 ...

, and at one time was their No. 1 ticketholder. * He has chaired Australian Olympic fundraising appeals. * He supported the establishment of the Melbourne–Hobart yacht race. * His support led to the establishment of the Sir Donald and Lady Trescowthick Centre for aged care in

Prahran Prahran (), also pronounced colloquially as Pran, is an inner suburb in Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia, 5 km south-east of Melbourne's Melbourne central business district, Central Business District, located within the City ...

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

. * He supported fundraising for construction of the tower for St Francis Xavier's Cathedral in

Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...

South Australia. (

conducted fundraisers in its Rundle Mall department store).

Honours

Trescowthick was made a Knight Commander of the

Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...

in 1979 and a Companion of the

Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, on the advice of the Australian Gove ...

in 1991. He was inducted into the

Sport Australia Hall of Fame The Sport Australia Hall of Fame was established on 10 December 1985 to recognise the achievements of Australian sportsmen and sportswomen. The inaugural induction included 120 members with Sir Don Bradman as the first inductee and Dawn Fraser th ...

in 1991 and received an

Australian Sports Medal The Australian Sports Medal is an award given to recognise achievements in Australian sport to commemorate Australian participation in major sporting events. Original recipients of the award included competitors, coaches, sports scientists, offi ...

in 2000.

References

* Harris Scarfe Holdings Limited 1995 Annual Report * Harris Scarfe Holdings Limited 2000 Annual Report

External links

Sir Donald and Lady Trescowthick Centre website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Trescowthick, Donald 1930 births Living people Australian businesspeople in retailing Companions of the Order of Australia Australian Knights Commander of the Order of the British Empire Businesspeople awarded knighthoods Recipients of the Australian Sports Medal Sport Australia Hall of Fame inductees