Keith Williams, (22 September 1929 – 19 October 2011) was an Australian entrepreneur who developed some of the best known attractions in

Queensland Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...

, including Sea World, Hamilton Island and Port Hinchinbrook. Williams was a self-made multimillionaire who began his career in the 1960s with the creation of a water skiing park in Surfers Paradise. This was followed by a raceway, Sea World, and Hamilton Island, Daydream Island and Port Hinchinbrook in the

Whitsunday Islands The Whitsunday Islands are 74 continental islands of various sizes off the central coast of Queensland, Australia, north of Brisbane. The northernmost of the islands are off the coast by the town of Bowen, while the southernmost islands ar ...

. Williams earned a reputation as both a visionary and a pioneer, and as the bane of environmentalists. He was born in

Brisbane Brisbane ( ; ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and largest city of the States and territories of Australia, state of Queensland and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia, with a ...

on 22 September 1929. He left school aged 13 and by aged 16 had started his first business. By 19, he was making products licensed by Walt Disney in a self-built factory at Bulimba with 50 employees. By age 30 Williams was an Australian water-skiing champion and in 1963 married a former TV star and later Miss Gold Coast, Thea Williams.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Keith 1929 births 2011 deaths Australian businesspeople Businesspeople from Queensland Australian Companions of the Order of St Michael and St George