Sir Ernest Henry Lee-Steere,

KBE KBE may refer to: * Knight Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, post-nominal letters * Knowledge-based engineering Knowledge-based engineering (KBE) is the application of knowledge-based systems technology to the domain o ...

(22 December 19129 January 2011) was a prominent Australian businessman. He was particularly noted for his involvement in

horse racing Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic p ...

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...

, becoming chairman of the

Western Australian Turf Club The Western Australian Turf Club (WATC), later known as Perth Racing, was established in late nineteenth century as an elite social institution and administrator of the Western Australian horse racing industry. They manage two racecourses in Pe ...

from 1963 to 1984. He was also

Lord Mayor of Perth __TOC__ The history of the City of Perth, a local government area of Western Australia is defined over three distinct periods: *From 1829 to 1838 — controlled by the Governor of Western Australia *From 1838 to 1858 — controlled by the ''Pe ...

from 1972 to 1978.

Biography

Lee-Steere was born on 22 December 1912. He was a Captain in the AIF in the Army/Air Liaison Group, serving with No. 1 Squadron, RAAF Beauforts, 31 Squadron

Beaufighter The Bristol Type 156 Beaufighter (often called the Beau) is a British multi-role aircraft developed during the Second World War by the Bristol Aeroplane Company. It was originally conceived as a heavy fighter variant of the Bristol Beaufort ...

, RAAF, South West Pacific Area, during World War II. Lee-Steere's interest in the sport of horse racing followed his father's; the latter had been Chairman of the Western Australian Turf Club (WATC) from 1919 to 1940. Lee-Steere joined the WATC in 1933 and was elected to the committee in 1948. He became Vice-Chairman in 1959 and was Chairman for 21 years from 1963. The headquarters of the WATC, which is now part of

Racing and Wagering Western Australia Racing and Wagering Western Australia, or RWWA (often pronounced "RaaWaa") is a controlling authority for thoroughbred, harness and greyhound racing in the state of Western Australia. The authority was formed to take principal club functions out ...

, were opened in 1986 and named Lee-Steere House after him, and the

Lee Steere Stakes The Lee Steere Stakes is a Perth Racing Group 2 Australian Thoroughbred horse race held under weight for age conditions, for horses aged three years old and older, over a distance of 1400 metres at Ascot Racecourse, Perth in November. Prize money ...

is a $200,000

Group 2 The term Group 2 may refer to: * Alkaline earth metal, a chemical element classification * Astronaut Group 2, also known as The New Nine, the second group of astronauts selected by NASA in 1962 * Group 2 (racing), an FIA classification for cars in a ...

, three-year-old 1,400-metre Feature race run annually at Ascot Racecourse in

Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...

. Lee-Steere died on 9 January 2011, aged 98.

Family

Lee-Steere was descended from one of the prominent so-called ''

six hungry families ''Six hungry families'' was a phrase used in the 1880s and 1890s to describe six of the most prominent and powerful families in colonial Western Australia, with extensive influence in judicial, political, mercantile and social circles. It was f ...

'' of Perth, which included his great uncle, Sir

James George Lee Steere Sir James George Lee Steere (4 July 18301 December 1903) was a Western Australian politician and a prominent member of the ''six hungry families''. Biography Early life James Steere was born on 4 July 1830 in Ockley, Surrey, England. He was t ...

(1830–1903) and father Sir Ernest Augustus Lee Steere (1866–1957). His mother was

Bridget Yelverton Lee Steere Bridget Yelverton Lee Steere, also Lady Lee Steere OBE (24 February 1884, Wellington, NZ - 23 July 1979, Perth, Western Australia) was State Commissioner for Western Australia Girl Guides from 1931 to 1953. She was a recipient of the Silver Fi ...

(1884-1979); the youngest daughter of O'Connor, she was prominent in her own right, as Commissioner of

Girl Guides Girl Guides (known as Girl Scouts in the United States and some other countries) is a worldwide movement, originally and largely still designed for girls and women only. The movement began in 1909 when girls requested to join the then-grassroot ...

in Western Australia for about 17 years. He was married to Jessica Lee-Steere (née Venn) for 60 years, and was predeceased by his wife in 2001. Lee-Steere's two brothers died in WW2, and he created the sanctuary at

St Stephen's Anglican Church, Toodyay St Stephen's Anglican Church is a heritage-listed Anglican Church in Australia, Anglican Church (building), church on Stirling Terrace, Toodyay, Stirling Terrace, , Western Australia. The church was one of the earliest significant public buildi ...

in their memory. Lee-Steere's daughter Jemma is noted for being partner to Perth businessman

Ric Stowe Robert Fredrick ("Ric") Stowe (born 1944) is a businessman who was once prominent in Western Australia. Stowe acquired Griffin Coal in 1979 and later acquired SkyWest and East-West Airlines during the 1980s. In 1984, Stowe joined the John Curt ...

for 10 years from 1980. After the relationship ended, she sued Stowe for 250 million. Lee-Steere's other daughter, Vynka, was briefly an actress, appearing in the Australian soap-opera '' Certain Women'', before later attaining a

Doctor of Philosophy A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common Academic degree, degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields ...

Psychology Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Psychology includes the study of conscious and unconscious phenomena, including feelings and thoughts. It is an academic discipline of immense scope, crossing the boundaries betwe ...

and operating a private practice in Perth.

Honours

Lee-Steere was made a

Knight Commander Commander ( it, Commendatore; french: Commandeur; german: Komtur; es, Comendador; pt, Comendador), or Knight Commander, is a title of honor prevalent in chivalric orders and fraternal orders. The title of Commander occurred in the medieval mili ...

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 the New Year's Honours of 1988.

Biography

Family

Honours

References

Further reading