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.

(Back L-R) Peter Brien, Rick Lovell, Greg Fahey, Bill Spurr AO, (Front L-R) Ian Ravenscroft and Peter Hurley AO.

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.

• 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 training hotel, The College Arms.

Bill Spurr speaking at an AHA|SA event.

It may have dented the AHA|SA cash reserves but it established us as a serious player in industry skills training.

Literally thousands of graduates of the courses Bill created in tourism, event management and food and beverage spread their wings around the world and remained in the Bill Spurr fan club forever.

Many of them have confirmed that in social media over the last week. This is in addition to calls and messages from the Premier, ex Premiers and ministers - and from the immediate past Prime Minister.

Next it was Australian Major Events under the Chairmanship of the recently deceased John Heard.

They were a powerful combo.

Andrew McEvoy commented to me this week- and I quote: “Bill created an era...the best in SA's tourism history. Look at the legacy - just the events calendar on its own. Name an event he has not had an involvement in bringing, winning or creating...”

He worked with others to make these happen of course. Premier Dean Brown, Premier John Olsen, Roger Cook, Minister Joan Hall, Minister Kevin Foley and Andrew Daniels to name a few.

• Police & Fire Games

• Tasting Australia.

• Tour Down Under. Which Dean Brown reminded me yesterday was propped to his government by Bill, as Australia’s version of Tour de France.

• Ring Cycles.

• The biggest accommodation seller of all, the Adelaide 500. A John Olsen idea.

• The two Great Australian Outback Cattle Drives and many more.

The Cattle Drives even garnered appearances on prime time US talk shows. Boy, did he get into the spirit of the Cattle Drives. He started appearing in the suburbs in elastic sided RMs, moleskins, checked western shirts, even the wide rimmed Akubra. He was knocking about the Flinders Ranges with his bushy mate Keith Rasheed, getting the feel of life in the Outback preparing for long days in the saddle.

On occasions the perfect Bill took it a bit far.

Breaking bread one evening (it would have been damper if he was hosting) he announced to me that he was booking in for laser eye surgery.

“That’s madness,” I counselled. “It’s too risky. You have perfect vision with your glasses. “

This was his reply. No lie. “Yes, but John Wayne didn’t wear glasses”

From Major Events on to SATC The pinnacle of his career, and Carlo (D’Ortenzio, COO of the Adelaide Festival Centre Trust) will expand on the magnificent successes of that era.

All the while, he was serving on multiple boards, committees and advisory boards. He was the go-to “Mr. Fixit “for successive governments.

• Festival Centre

• Education Adelaide.

• Study Adelaide.

• Convention Centre

• Entertainment Centre

• Convention Bureau.

• History Trust

• Museum Board

• Zoo Board

• Premier Marshalls’ Economic Advisory Board

• And then Chair of the AVMC from its inception. Bill and Anthony Kirchner have done a stellar job of managing the unlikely merger of the Entertainment Centre, Coopers Stadium and the Convention Centre.

His Chairmanship of Study Adelaide, managed initially by Denise von Wald, then Karyn Kent, was an extraordinary success.

They grew South Australia’s international student numbers from 6,000 to in excess of 30,000.

Not only did they make education the state’s biggest export earner but also massively bolstered our pool of hospitality and tourism workers. Both the universities and the hospitality sector need that 30,000 number restored urgently.

Another less well known semiretirement role was his appointment as a Director to the Board of then unlisted public company, ferry operator Sealink.

At a AHA|SA public event I satirically questioned the wisdom of appointing a bloke who couldn’t swim, didn’t know port from starboard, didn’t know the bow from the stern, onto the Board of a ferry operator

He and Jeff Ellison were a formidable team. A small example of how his obsession with detail added so much value for the shareholders.

He called one day and said that Jeff was preparing a tender document for the operation of a ferry between Darwin and the Tiwi Islands.

“Your mate Mick Burns that operates the Croc farm seems like the type of bloke who would know the Chief Minister,” said Bill.

I advised Bill that Mick and the Chief Minister work out at the gym together five mornings a week.

“Good. If I go up, take Mick to dinner and brief him on Sealink’s credentials and the tender, do you think he would have a word to the boss about it.”

“That’s the way business is done in the Top End “ I replied.

That happened. Sealink won the contract. Another Bill Spurr inspired win-win.

The success of that era is probably best summarised this way.

He joined the Board of an unlisted public company with a market capitalization of circa $60m and retired from the Board of a listed company with a market cap circa $1billion.

All that said, the legacy of this irreplaceable bloke fit into two pigeon holes.

He mentored, motivated, developed and inspired literally dozens of young people into being the best they could be. That has opened doors around the globe to those who were fortunate enough to have been drawn into his sphere of influence.

Another thing he ought to be remembered for is his gold standard performance as a family man. Craig and Deb will share their good fortune in having front row seats there.

This bloke has had the broadest reach and been the greatest servant to our state in the modern era.

Pinnacle recognition for this extraordinary service came in the form of recognition in the Australia Day civic honours in 2015. He was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia for his distinguished service to tourism, to education, particularly through international marketing, to the arts and sport as an administrator of institutions and events, and to the community of South Australia.

Bill Spurr AO.

What a proud day for the family when they went to Government House to be presented with that by his close friend, His Excellency The Honorable Hieu Van Le AC.

We went on a house boat trip on the Mighty Murray a couple of weeks later and the entire crew referred to them only as Sir Bill and Lady Helen.

Our state, indeed our nation, needs more like him.

You are never dead Bill, while you live on so large in the hearts and minds of so many.

I invite you to applaud the ego-less life of the irreplaceable Bill Spurr.

Ian Horne, Bill Spurr AO and David Basheer.