(Back L-R) Peter Brien, Rick Lovell, Greg Fahey, Bill Spurr AO, (Front L-R) Ian Ravenscroft and Peter Hurley AO.
Remembering Bill Spurr AO FORMER AHA | SA PRESIDENT, PETER HURLEY AO, DELIVERED THE FOLLOWING TRIBUTE TO THE LATE BILL SPURR AO AT A MEMORIAL SERVICE AT THE ADELAIDE CONVENTION CENTRE ON JULY 13. One of the few issues my best mate of 40 years and I used to argue about was, who was going to do who’s eulogy. I would have insisted he pre-record mine if I had any notion that he was likely to jump the queue. Bill came into our lives, indeed into the hotel industry family, exactly 40 years ago. I was on the AHA|SA Council. The great and long serving Bill Connolly was retiring. By way of background, President Peter Whallin AM was a daily communicant at St Francis Cathedral. The staffing of the AHA|SA office was largely a Protestant-free zone. So it was a surprise that a young Anglican-raised academic got the job. And on big bucks. $25k plus Super. A youth policy had not previously been on the AHA|SA agenda. I was the youngest person on Council. Bill and I were the only under 40s at the table in the smoke-filled Council meetings. So its unsurprising that the Spurrs and Hurley families quickly became close friends. Such is the human
magnetism of the man that our children, and their significant ones to this day always refer to him as Uncle Bill. His impact at the AHA|SA was instant. He, along with President Peter Whallin and VP Fred Basheer, quickly established a trusting relationship with the new John Bannon-led government. Sunday trading was an early success, albeit initially 2 x 2 hour sessions for tourism hotels only. Bill was an advocate of upskilling the industry and established what rapidly became the largest Group Training scheme in the state. He recruited a young and bearded Ian Horne to head up Hospitality Group Training. Bill also employed Mike Shelley, which was the start of the Sip n Save march to dominance of retail liquor marketing under the AHA|SA banner. It was an exciting era in South Australia. During Bill’s relatively short time at the AHA|SA much happened. • The Adelaide Hilton opened. • The Convention Centre opened.
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• Hyatt commenced building to enter the local market. • The Casino opened in October 85. • And biggest of all, 1985, Adelaide came alive with the first F1 Grand Prix. Bill Spurr carried the AHA|SA flag to the table for the logistics management and IR coverage that made all those things happen. For the first time, the AHA|SA was front and centre for all tourism and event initiatives both metro and in the regions. Bill laid the foundation for the AHA|SA to become the most respected and influential hospitality and tourism industry advocacy Association in the State. He remained a close industry ally for the rest of his life. In his own words, the AHA|SA role sowed the seed for a life in hospitality and tourism. His first gig after the AHA|SA was to head up and establish the TAFESA school of tourism and hospitality city campus. During that chapter he coerced the Liquor Trades union and the AHA|SA to fund the nation’s first dedicated Back to Contents
