Sir Edgar Stephen Tanner,

CBE 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 o ...

(10 August 1904 - 21 November 1979) was an Australian sports administrator and Victorian politician. He was a former secretary-general and president of the

Australian Olympic Federation Australian(s) may refer to: Australia * Australia, a country * Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia ** European Australians ** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists ** Aboriginal Au ...

and Chairman of the

Australian Commonwealth Games Association Commonwealth Games Australia (CGA) is the Commonwealth Games Association for Australia, and is responsible for representing and promoting the Commonwealth Sport movement in the country, and organises the participation of Australia at the Commonwe ...

Personal

Tanner was born on 10 August 1904 at

Albany, Western Australia Albany ( ; nys, Kinjarling) is a port city in the Great Southern region in the Australian state of Western Australia, southeast of Perth, the state capital. The city centre is at the northern edge of Princess Royal Harbour, which is a ...

. He was the eldest of four children. He attended All Saints Grammar School, St Kilda and studied commerce at the

University of Melbourne The University of Melbourne is a public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in Victoria. Its main campus is located in Parkville, an inner suburb nor ...

. He joined the advertising staff of the

Herald and Weekly Times The Herald and Weekly Times Pty Ltd (HWT) is a newspaper publishing company based in Melbourne, Australia. It is owned and operated by News Pty Ltd, which as News Ltd, purchased the HWT in 1987. Newspapers The HWT's newspaper interests date b ...

. On 11 June 1938, he married Edna May Ponsonby. He died on 21 November 1979 at North Caulfield and was survived by his wife Edna, daughter Anne and son

Ted TED may refer to: Economics and finance * TED spread between U.S. Treasuries and Eurodollar Education * ''Türk Eğitim Derneği'', the Turkish Education Association ** TED Ankara College Foundation Schools, Turkey ** Transvaal Education Depa ...

, a former member of the

Victorian Parliament The Parliament of Victoria is the bicameral legislature of the Australian state of Victoria that follows a Westminster-derived parliamentary system. It consists of the King, represented by the Governor of Victoria, the Legislative Assembly and ...

and boxing administrator.

Military career

In 1929, Tanner had been commissioned in the

Militia A militia () is generally an army or some other fighting organization of non-professional soldiers, citizens of a country, or subjects of a state, who may perform military service during a time of need, as opposed to a professional force of r ...

. In November 1941, Tanner was appointed temporary captain in the 2nd Australian Imperial Force. He was a member of the

Gull Force Gulls, or colloquially seagulls, are seabirds of the family Laridae in the suborder Lari. They are most closely related to the terns and skimmers and only distantly related to auks, and even more distantly to waders. Until the 21st century, mo ...

. In January 1942, he became prisoner of war after Gull Force was overpowered by the Japanese in

Ambon Ambon may refer to: Places * Ambon Island, an island in Indonesia ** Ambon, Maluku, a city on Ambon Island, the capital of Maluku province ** Governorate of Ambon, a colony of the Dutch East India Company from 1605 to 1796 * Ambon, Morbihan, a c ...

. Whilst a prisoner of war at

Hainan Hainan (, ; ) is the smallest and southernmost province of the People's Republic of China (PRC), consisting of various islands in the South China Sea. , the largest and most populous island in China,The island of Taiwan, which is slightly l ...

, he organised sports events including a running race between Australian and Dutch prisoners.

Political career

In May 1955, Tanner representing the Liberal and Country Party, won the seat of

Ripponlea Ripponlea is an inner suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 7 km south-east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Port Phillip local government area. Ripponlea recorded a population of 1,532 at the 202 ...

in the

Victorian Legislative Assembly The Victorian Legislative Assembly is the lower house of the bicameral Parliament of Victoria in Australia; the upper house being the Victorian Legislative Council. Both houses sit at Parliament House in Spring Street, Melbourne. The presiding ...

. After Tanner was elected a member of parliament, the media questioned his ability to concurrently serve in important Olympic positions including secretary of the Organising Committee of the

1956 Melbourne Olympics The 1956 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVI Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, from 22 November to 8 December 1956, with the exception of the equestrian events, whi ...

as well as a member of Parliament. When Ripponlea was abolished in 1967, he was elected to Caulfield which he held until in retirement in February 1976. Whilst in the parliament, he was chairman of several committees and deputy-speaker from 1970 to 1973. His son Ted was the member for Caulfield from 1979 to 1996.

Sports administration career

Boxing

Tanner won a University of Melbourne blue for boxing and fought in 150

featherweight Featherweight is a weight class in the combat sports of boxing, kickboxing, mixed martial arts, and Greco-Roman wrestling. Boxing Professional boxing History A featherweight boxer weighs in at a limit of . In the early days of the division, this ...

bouts and lost seven. He was appointed secretary of the Victorian Amateur Boxing and Wrestling Association in the 1930s. He managed Australia's boxing and wrestling team at the 1938 Sydney British Empire Games, Sydney. In 1979, he stepped down as president of the Amateur Boxing Union of Australia, a position that he held for over 20 years.

Olympic Games

In June 1946, Tanner was elected secretary-treasurer Victorian Olympic Council (VOC) This election led to his campaign with Bill Uren, VOC Chairman, for Melbourne to host the

1956 Summer Olympics The 1956 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVI Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, from 22 November to 8 December 1956, with the exception of the equestrian events, whi ...

. Tanner and Uren gained the support of the then Lord Mayor of Melbourne, Sir James Connelly, and Sir Frank Beaurepaire, a former Lord Mayor. Beaurepaire's standing in the Olympic movement is stated as a major factor for the successful Melbourne Olympic bid. Tanner served as the secretary of the Organising Committee of 1956 Melbourne Olympic Games. In May 1947, at the Australian Olympic Federation's first meeting since World War II, Tanner was elected secretary-general., a position that he held until 1974. He was General Manager of the Australian team at the

1948 London Olympics The 1948 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XIV Olympiad and also known as London 1948) were an international multi-sport event held from 29 July to 14 August 1948 in London, England, United Kingdom. Following a twelve-year hiatus ca ...

. He was president of the Australian Olympic Federation from 1974 to 1977. His presidency came to an end when defeated by Sydney Grange in a ballot in 1977.

Commonwealth Games

He held various positions including Chairman with the

from 1974 to 1977.

Honours

*1957 - The Order of the British Empire - Commander (Civil) for Secretary of the Olympic Games Committee *1968 - Knight Bachelor for Secretary of the Australian Olympic Federation *Life Member

Australian Olympic Committee Australian(s) may refer to: Australia * Australia, a country * Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia ** European Australians ** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists ** Aboriginal Aus ...

*Life Member

Commonwealth Games Australia Commonwealth Games Australia (CGA) is the Commonwealth Games Association for Australia, and is responsible for representing and promoting the Commonwealth Sport movement in the country, and organises the participation of athletes at the Commonwe ...

*Sir Edgar Tanner Trophy is for the best performed team at the Australian Boxing Championships

References

External links

Sir Edgar Stephen Tanner, Australian Dictionary of Biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tanner, Edgar 1904 births 1979 deaths Australian Knights Bachelor Australian sports executives and administrators Australian Olympic Committee administrators Commonwealth Games Australia officials Liberal Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Victoria Members of the Victorian Legislative Assembly World War II prisoners of war held by Japan University of Melbourne alumni People from Albany, Western Australia