Ted Harris , (born Albert Edward Harris; 1927) is an Australian businessman, director of companies, tennis commentator and sport administrator.

Personal

Harris was born in 1927. He married Vicky, Lithuanian-born at the age of 40 and they have two daughters. He attended

The Scots College , motto_translation = O that we may be worthy of our forefathers , location = Bellevue Hill, Eastern Suburbs, Sydney , country = Australia , type = Independent single-sex primary a ...

in Sydney where he was actively involved in sports and debating. While at Scots College, he won the Royal Empire Society Medal, a New South Wales competition for public speaking.

Business

In 1946, he started work with the

Macquarie Broadcasting network Nine Radio (formerly Macquarie Media Limited) is an Australian media company, owned by parent company Nine Entertainment Co. and headquartered in North Sydney, New South Wales, the company operates radio stations nationally in the capital citi ...

as a trainee. He swiftly moved to become a sport broadcaster and then the sporting editor for the network . In 1952, he was appointed assistant to managing director, Clive Ogilvy at the Network. In 1954, he joined

Ampol Ampol Limited is an Australian petroleum company headquartered in Sydney, New South Wales. Ampol is the largest transport energy distributor and retailer in Australia, with more than 1,900 Ampol-branded stations across the country . It also ope ...

and quickly moved up the ranks –

NSW ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

Manager in 1956, Assistant general manager in 1958, general manager in 1963, Chief general manager in 1965, managing director of Ampol Petroleum in 1970 and managing director of Ampol Exploration in 1971. He retired from Ampol in 1987 at the age of 60 as he wanted "a change of diet". After departing from Ampol, he was appointed to several boards. Boards that he was chairman included

Australian Airlines Australian Airlines was a full-service airline based in Australia, servicing Australian and Asian destinations between 2002 and 2006. It was an all-economy, full-service international leisure carrier, and was a wholly owned subsidiary of Qan ...

(1987–1992),

Australian National Industries Australian National Industries was an Australian heavy engineering company with diverse range of holdings. History In 1911 John McGrath began to sell motor vehicles. It operated the first public garage in New South Wales. The company held motor ...

(1992–1997),

Australian Radio Network ARN is a group of commercial radio stations around Australia. It includes the Pure Gold, KIIS Network, CADA, ARN Regional and iHeartRadio brands. The company operates the ARN News service in Australia, which uses international correspondents ...

(1995–),

Gazal Corporation Gazal Corporation Limited (Gazal, ) was a leading Australian branded clothing company and was a listed public company of the Australian Stock Exchange. The company was based in Banksmeadow in the Australian state of New South Wales. Its main busin ...

(1989–2004),

Australian Sports Commission The Australian Sports Commission (ASC) is the Australian Government commission responsible for supporting and investing in sport in Australia. The Commission incorporates the Australian Institute of Sport. From 2018 to 2022, it was known as Sp ...

(1984–1994), Zoological Board of New South Wales (1973–1990 including Director) and St Vincent's Clinic Foundation (2000–). Other boards that he has held directorships with include

Australian Broadcasting Commission The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) is the national broadcaster of Australia. It is principally funded by direct grants from the Australian Government and is administered by a government-appointed board. The ABC is a publicly-owned ...

(1974–1977),

Australian Institute of Petroleum The Australian Institute of Petroleum (AIP) is a representative body for Australia's petroleum industry. Its headquarters a located in Canberra and it was established in 1976. The body is managed by a board composed of chief executives, senior re ...

(1977–1987) and Trustee Walkley Awards (1976–1987).

Sport

Harris has a long involvement in sport. At Scots College, he was a member of the first X (cricket team), first XVI (rugby team) and tennis teams. At Macquarie Broadcasting, he was a sports commentator and editor. In 1946, the Dunlop Rubber Company selected him to cover the

Davis Cup The Davis Cup is the premier international team event in men's tennis. It is run by the International Tennis Federation (ITF) and is contested annually between teams from competing countries in a knock-out format. It is described by the organis ...

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 ...

. After joining Ampol, Harris continued to commentate on international tennis tournaments. During his time at Ampol, it used sport to sell its image as "The Australian Company" by sponsoring many sporting events. His high level of interest and commitment in sport led to him chairing 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 ...

1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeast A ...

and

1988 File:1988 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The oil platform Piper Alpha explodes and collapses in the North Sea, killing 165 workers; The USS Vincennes (CG-49) mistakenly shoots down Iran Air Flight 655; Australia celebrates its Australian ...

Fundraising programs. In 1983, he was appointed the interim Chairman of the Australian Sports Commission and appointed chairman in 1984 when the Commission was established. Major developments whilst he was at the Commission from 1984 to 1994 included the successful Aussie Sports Program (modified sport for children), the amalgamation the

Australian Institute of Sport The Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) is a high performance sports training institution in Australia. The Institute's headquarters were opened in 1981 and are situated in the northern suburb of Bruce, Canberra. The AIS is a division of the ...

and the

and three major

Australian Government The Australian Government, also known as the Commonwealth Government, is the national government of Australia, a federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy. Like other Westminster-style systems of government, the Australian Government i ...

funding injections into sport – Australian Sports Kit (1988), Maintain the Momentum (1992) and Olympic Athlete Program (1994). From 1991 to 1994, he was a member of the successful Sydney Olympics 2000 Bid Committee.

Awards and honours

*1977– Queen's Silver Jubilee Medal *1979 – Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) for service to the community *1989 – Companion of the Order of Australia (AC) for service to the community *2013 – Sport Australia Hall of Fame General Member

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Harris, Ted 1927 births Australian businesspeople Living people Australian sports executives and administrators Officers of the Order of Australia Companions of the Order of Australia Sport Australia Hall of Fame inductees People educated at Scots College (Sydney)