Alan David Hickinbotham AM (9 December 1925 – 25 May 2010) was an Australian businessman and Australian rules football player and coach.

Biography

Hickinbotham was born on 9 December 1925 in

Geelong, Victoria Geelong ( ) ( Wathawurrung: ''Djilang''/''Djalang'') is a port city in the south eastern Australian state of Victoria, located at the eastern end of Corio Bay (the smaller western portion of Port Phillip Bay) and the left bank of Barwon R ...

. During 1944 and 1945 he served in the

Royal Australian Air Force "Through Adversity to the Stars" , colours = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = RAAF Anniversary Commemoration ...

as a gunner. In 1948 he graduated from the

University of Adelaide The University of Adelaide (informally Adelaide University) is a public research university located in Adelaide, South Australia. Established in 1874, it is the third-oldest university in Australia. The university's main campus is located on ...

with a Bachelor of Science and Diploma of Education. From 1949 to 1951 he taught science and mathematics at

Geelong Grammar , motto_translation = 1 Corinthians 1:30: "For us, Christ was made wisdom"(1 Corinthians 1:30: Christ, who has been made for us in wisdom) , city = Corio, Victoria , country = Australia , coordinates = , ty ...

. Hickinbotham founded the Hickinbotham Group of Companies in 1954, which became one of Australia's largest building companies, developing over 50 community estates in

Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the list of cities in Australia by population, fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater A ...

. He was an influential member of the Housing Industry Association SA and worked to sponsor skilled migrants from Britain to settle in Adelaide. He also had an interest in wineries in South Australia. He was appointed a Member of the

Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, on the advice of the Australian Go ...

for "services to housing and urban development" in 1998. A scholarship at

St Columba College St Columba College is a Catholic and Anglican school in Andrews Farm, a northern suburb of Adelaide, South Australia. The school has three campuses (junior, middle and senior) on both sides of President Avenue, the main street through the subu ...

in Adelaide is named in honour.

Football

Before his business career, Hickinbotham played six matches as a key defender for

Geelong Football Club The Geelong Football Club, nicknamed the Cats, is a professional Australian rules football club based in Geelong, Victoria, Australia. The club competes in the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's premier competition, and are the 2 ...

. Accessed 26 May 2010 He later captain-coached

South Adelaide Football Club The South Adelaide Football Club is an Australian rules football club that competes in the South Australian National Football League (SANFL). Known as the ''Panthers'', their home ground is Flinders University Stadium Hickinbotham Oval Hickinbotham Oval (currently known as Flinders University Stadium due to naming rights, and originally Noarlunga Oval) is an Australian rules football stadium in Noarlunga Downs, an outer-southern suburb of Adelaide. It has been the home of ...

, (formerly Noarlunga Oval), in his honour. He played four representative games for

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

. In the early 1970s, Hickinbotham was part of a committee that drove the development of

Football Park Football Park, known commercially as AAMI Stadium, was an Australian rules football stadium located in West Lakes, a western suburb of Adelaide, the state capital of South Australia, Australia. It was built in 1973 by the South Australian Nat ...

, a dedicated Australian rules football ground for major matches in Adelaide.

Politics

He unsuccessfully stood as a

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a l ...

candidate for the

Division of Hawker The Division of Hawker was an Australian Electoral Division in South Australia. The division was created in 1969 and abolished in 1993. It was named for Charles Hawker, who was a federal MP 1929–38. It was located in the southern suburbs of A ...

in the 1969 Federal election.

Death

Hickinbotham died in May 2010 after a long illness, aged 84.

References

External links

The Family Way
– Hickinbotham Group * {{DEFAULTSORT:Hickinbotham, Alan 1925 births 2010 deaths Businesspeople from Adelaide Australian rules footballers from Adelaide Geelong Football Club players South Adelaide Football Club players South Adelaide Football Club coaches Members of the Order of Australia Australian businesspeople Royal Australian Air Force personnel of World War II