Edwin Lee Neil (13 October 1872 – 17 December 1934) was an Australian businessman. He was born in

Chorlton-on-Medlock Chorlton-on-Medlock or Chorlton-upon-Medlock is an inner city area of Manchester, England. Historically in Lancashire, Chorlton-on-Medlock is bordered to the north by the River Medlock, which runs immediately south of Manchester city centre ...

and emigrated with his family to Australia in 1884. He joined his father's drapery firm, Wright & Neil, as an accountant in 1895. The company was taken over by

Sidney Myer Sidney Myer (born Simcha Myer Baevski (); 8 February 18785 September 1934) was a Russian-born Jewish-Australian businessman and philanthropist, best known for founding Myer, Australia's largest chain of department stores. Early life Myer was ...

in 1911, and Neil worked for Myer for the rest of his life. He became managing director of Myer Emporium Ltd when it formed in 1925, and took over as chairman on Myer's death in September 1934. Neil himself, however, died a few months later. Neil married Lucy Hunt in 1900, and they had a son and three daughters. Their son, Alan, served as a medical missionary with the

South Seas Evangelical Mission The South Sea Evangelical Church (SSEC) is an evangelical, Pentecostal church in Solomon Islands. In total, 17% of the population of Solomon Islands adheres to the church, making it the third most common religious affiliation in the country behind ...

and later became co-founder of a group known as the

Fellowship A fellow is a concept whose exact meaning depends on context. In learned or professional societies, it refers to a privileged member who is specially elected in recognition of their work and achievements. Within the context of higher education ...

. The ''

Australian Dictionary of Biography The ''Australian Dictionary of Biography'' (ADB or AuDB) is a national co-operative enterprise founded and maintained by the Australian National University (ANU) to produce authoritative biographical articles on eminent people in Australia's ...

'' describes Neil as a "tall, careful, religious, conservative man" and suggests that his "caution, business connexions and experience" complemented Sidney Myer's "intuitive flair and energy". He played the organ at St Hilary's, Kew and served as

lay canon A canon (from the Latin , itself derived from the Greek , , "relating to a rule", "regular") is a member of certain bodies in subject to an ecclesiastical rule. Originally, a canon was a cleric living with others in a clergy house or, later, i ...

St Paul's Cathedral, Melbourne St Paul's Cathedral is an Anglican cathedral in Melbourne, Australia. It is the cathedral church of the Diocese of Melbourne and the seat of the Archbishop of Melbourne, who is also the metropolitan archbishop of the Province of Victoria. ...

. Wei-Han Kuan notes that Neil was "capable and energetic both in mission societies and in diocesan affairs". He was also instrumental in Myer's conversion to Christianity.Kuan, ''Foundations of Anglican Evangelicalism in Victoria'', p. 219. Neil was a close friend of C. H. Nash, and he was the prime mover in the establishment of the Melbourne Bible Institute (now the

Melbourne School of Theology The Melbourne School of Theology (MST) is an evangelical Christian theological college with its main campus in Wantirna, an eastern suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The school has a Chinese department, known as MST Chinese, in which under ...

) in 1920, with Nash as the founding principal. Kuan suggests that Neil considered MBI "a necessary institution for the training of overseas missionaries and as an appropriate avenue for the deployment of the exiled Nash's gifts," since Nash had been forced to resign from the Anglican church. Neil was appointed

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 o ...

in 1926 for his work as Australian Commissioner at the

British Empire Exhibition The British Empire Exhibition was a colonial exhibition held at Wembley Park, London England from 23 April to 1 November 1924 and from 9 May to 31 October 1925. Background In 1920 the British Government decided to site the British Empire Exhibi ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Neil, Lee 1872 births 1934 deaths People from Chorlton-on-Medlock English emigrants to colonial Australia Australian businesspeople Australian Anglicans Australian Commanders of the Order of the British Empire