Basil Sellers

Story

Basil Sellers, AM, distinguished businessman and philanthropist has made his career by rejuvenating ailing companies. He has been Chief Executive and major shareholder of companies such as the Linter Group Ltd, the largest textiler in Australia. He has held major investments in Fosters Brewery, broadcast media and mineral resources. One time part owner of the Sydney Swans Football Club and once owner of the Newcastle Falcons basketball team. He was listed in the Business Review Weekly’s annual compliance of Australia’s 200 richest people.

Basil at age 12 migrated to Australia with mother Irene Ethel Sellers (nee Fremantle) and brother Rex immediately after Independence with the holocaust of Partition in 1947. Basil and Rex enrolled as boarders into King\’s College, Adelaide while Irene had found a place in a lodge in Adelaide. His father, William Alfred Sellers remained behind for a year to secure his job in case the family did not like Australia. William was employed as a Bridge Inspector in the Railways at Bulsar, near Bombay.

The Sellers’ sailed from Bombay on the vessel Ð The Strathaird. On the voyage they made friends. Also on the voyage there was a Mr. Shinkfield, who discovered the Sellers names on the passenger directory and made contact. The Sellers soon learned that Mr Shinkfield was the Headmaster of King\’s College.

When the Strathaird anchored at Port Adelaide, Irene was apathetic as the Port looked shabby with tin roof sheds, in dismay she sniveled wondering if they had made the right decision. On disembarking, Mr Shinkfield transferred Basil and Rex directly to the College while Irene went to the lodge.

Regrettably, the lodge was not keen on Basil and Rex spending the weekends with Irene. So Irene found an attic flat in Kent Town. For Irene, this was now a different life for she had to shop, cook, clean and launder something she had never done back in India as there were domestic servants.

Basil completed year 12 but became disillusioned with further academic studies. He continued his promising career in cricket with the Kensington Club. His 188cm height made him a useful basketball player and he went on to represent South Australia.

Basil’s primary liking was business. At 17, he joined the stockbroking firm, Cutter and Harvey. Being close to the stock market supplemented his income. He wisely set aside his earnings and put together sufficient capital to purchase a Real Estate Agency, and later a diminutive home construction company known as Devon Homes, which with his entrepreneurial prudence became the most prevalent building company in SA. However, he soon sensed risk in the building industry and sold out. He purchased the beleaguered Sydney-based Ralph Symons plywood manufacturing company and turned it around with gigantic profits. His most prosperous assignment was putting together a consortium to save the exhausted Bradmill Mills and save the jobs of 1000 workers. Gestetner was his prime undertaking as it had 130 branches world wide.

Basil is one of the founders of the Bradman Museum in Bowral, NSW and a life member of the Bradman Foundation. He also funded a Respite Centre in Moruya for elite athletes from the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra. His donations to sporting initiatives and scholarships includes the Barassi Scholarship – supporting new talent for the Sydney Swans and also initiatives that identify and support emerging talent in cricket.

In 2007 Basil Sellers, an art lover, launched a new major art prize to be initiated in 2008 in association with the Ian Potter Museum of Art, University of Melbourne on Art and Sport: The Basil Sellers Art Prize, $100,000 annual prize. Basil contributed $2.5 million to the prize, working with the Potter’s director, to try to change entrenched attitudes that have seen art and sport as opponents for so long.

Basil\’s most recent public donation has been the Sydney Cricket Ground Trust Basil Sellers Sports Sculpture Project. This is the home to ten of Australia\’s finest sportsmen in a series of life size sculptures.

Basil is a person of immense vision and has made huge contributions to improve the lives of the underprivileged in many countries around the world.

A devout Christian, Basil Sellers can be described as one born into an average middle-class Anglo-Indian family, starting business with a modest capital and becoming a quiet mover in the Big League!

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