Basil Sellers (born in 1935) is an Indian-born Australian businessman and philanthropist. He is also involved in sports and art.

Early life

Sellers was born in

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

and grew up in the

Anglo-Indian Anglo-Indian people are a distinct minority group, minority community of mixed-race British and Indian ancestry. During the colonial period, their ancestry was defined as British paternal and Indian maternal heritage; post-independence, "Angl ...

Railway Colonies, where he developed an early interest in sports such as

badminton Badminton is a racquet sport played using racket (sports equipment), racquets to hit a shuttlecock across a net (device), net. Although it may be played with larger teams, the most common forms of the game are "singles" (with one player per s ...

tennis Tennis is a List of racket sports, racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent (singles (tennis), singles) or between two teams of two players each (doubles (tennis), doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket st ...

, and

cricket Cricket is a Bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball game played between two Sports team, teams of eleven players on a cricket field, field, at the centre of which is a cricket pitch, pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two Bail (cr ...

. In 1986, he migrated with his family to Australia, and was educated at

King's College, Adelaide Pembroke School is an Australian independent co-educational Mixed-sex education, also known as mixed-gender education, co-education, or coeducation (abbreviated to co-ed or coed), is a system of education where males and females are educa ...

Career

Sellers has held leadership roles in several companies, including as the chief executive and major shareholder of Linter Group Ltd. He was associated with

Gestetner The Gestetner is a type of duplicating machine named after its inventor, David Gestetner (1854–1939). During the 20th century, the term ''Gestetner'' was used as a verb—as in ''Gestetnering''. The Gestetner company established its base in Lo ...

PLC, a UK-listed company later acquired by Ricoh. Additionally, he has invested in media and mineral resources through AFP.

Honors

In February 2018, Sellers was awarded an honorary doctorate by

Bond University Bond University is Australia's first private university, private not-for-profit university and is located in Robina, Queensland, Robina on the Gold Coast, Queensland. Since its opening on 15 May 1989, Bond University has primarily been a teachi ...

in recognition of his charitable work, sports development, and business acumen. In December 2023, he was granted SCG Life Membership for his philanthropy, a status held by 45 people.

Sports

Sellers played senior basketball and represented

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a States and territories of Australia, state in the southern central part of Australia. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories by area, which in ...

when the team won the 1958 Australian Championship. During the 1980s, he owned the Newcastle Basketball team and worked as a Director of the New South Wales Cricket Association (now

Cricket Cricket is a Bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball game played between two Sports team, teams of eleven players on a cricket field, field, at the centre of which is a cricket pitch, pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two Bail (cr ...

New South Wales) from 1984 to 1987. He is a life member of Cricket NSW. His charitable contributions include donations to the

McGrath Foundation The McGrath Foundation is a breast cancer support and education charity in Australia, which raises money to place McGrath Breast Care Nurses in communities across Australia and increase breast health awareness. The charity was founded by Aus ...

. He has donated to sporting initiatives and scholarships, such as the Barassi Scholarship and the

Sydney Swans The Sydney Swans are a professional Australian rules football club based in Sydney, New South Wales. The men's team competes in the Australian Football League (AFL), and the women's team in the AFL Women's (AFLW). The Swans also field a Austral ...

. He has also contributed to the club's football centre at the SCG Sellers is one of the founders of the Bradman Museum in

Bowral Bowral () is the largest town in the Southern Highlands of New South Wales, Australia. It is south-west of Sydney and north-east of Canberra. It is the main business and entertainment precinct of the Wingecarribee Shire and the Southern Highl ...

New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...

, and a life member of the Bradman Foundation. He founded a respite centre in

Moruya Moruya ( ) is a town located on the South Coast (New South Wales), far south coast of New South Wales, Australia, situated on the Moruya River. The Princes Highway runs through the town that is about south of Sydney and from Canberra. At the , ...

for elite athletes from 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 ...

Canberra Canberra ( ; ) is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the Federation of Australia, federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's list of cities in Australia, largest in ...

, and similar centres in Tweed Heads.

Art

The

Basil Sellers Art Prize The Basil Sellers Art Prize is a long-term project, with biennial awards. For many years the exhibition tours were a collaboration of the Ian Potter Museum of Art, the University of Melbourne, and NETS Victoria (National Exhibition Touring Suppor ...

was founded in 2004 by Sellers in the Eurobodalla Shire. February 2019 the official opening of the Basil Sellers Exhibition Centre (the Bas) in Moruya, as the region’s first purpose-built exhibition space.

Sports and art

Sellers is an art collector and patron. Collecting for over 35 years, his collection contains post-war Australian art and many of the European modernists, with a particular interest in the Fauves (1906/7). Sellers has also funded the bi-annual art prize of $15,000 in the Southeast of

. In 2007, Sellers launched the Basil Sellers Art Prize, initiated in 2008 in association with the Ian Potter Museum of Art, the University of Melbourne. The first prize of $100,000 is awarded to an Australian who produces a piece of art with a sports image. The award bridges the gulf that exists and connects art and sport and is bi-annual. In 2009, Sellers' philanthropic support led to the establishment of the inaugural National Sports Museum Basil Sellers Creative Arts Fellowship. This bi-annual fellowship allows contemporary artists to explore themes related to

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

's sporting heritage using the collections of the National Sports Museum at the MCG. It aims to expand educational and public programs and foster discussions on the intersection of sport and art. He has recently concluded the Basil Sellers Sports Sculpture Project of ten sculptures erected at the

Sydney Cricket Ground The Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) is a sports stadium in the Moore Park, New South Wales, Moore Park suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It is used for Test cricket, Test, One Day International and Twenty20 cricket, as well as, Australi ...

and Adelaide Oval.

Other initiatives and donations

Sellers is involved in the promotion and investment of wine. He is a sponsor of the Len Evans Tutorial, which aims to improve the quality of Australian wines by training and giving access to the world's best wines for wine judges, winemakers, and sommeliers.

Patronage

Sellers is a First XI patron of the Steve Waugh Foundation and a supporter of the Pick Me UP wheelchair service for the Sir Roden & Lady Cutler Foundation. He is a member of the LBW Trust, which educates disadvantaged youth in developing cricket-playing countries, and the Chappell Foundation, which seeks to help young homeless people in Australia.

Personal life

Sellers' only sibling, Rex Sellers, was a test cricketer for Australia, but an injury restricted him to play just 1 Test.

Books

* ''From India with Love'' by Dr. Gloria Jean Moore, 2006 –