Jump to content

Alan Hickinbotham

Add links
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Alan Hickinbotham
Personal information
Full name Alan David Hickinbotham, AM
Date of birth (1925-12-09)9 December 1925
Place of birth Geelong, Victoria
Date of death 25 May 2010(2010-05-25) (aged 84)
Place of death Adelaide, South Australia
Original team(s) South Adelaide
Height 183 cm (6 ft 0 in)
Weight 85 kg (187 lb)
Playing career1
Years Club Games (Goals)
1949–1951 Geelong 6 (0)
Representative team honours
Years Team Games (Goals)
South Australia 4
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 1951.
Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com

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

Biography

[edit]

Hickinbotham was born on 9 December 1925 in Geelong, Victoria. During 1944 and 1945 he served in the Royal Australian Air Force[1] as a gunner.[2]

In 1948 he graduated from the University of Adelaide with a Bachelor of Science and Diploma of Education. From 1949 to 1951 he taught science and mathematics at Geelong Grammar.[2]

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. 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.[3][4]

He was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia for "services to housing and urban development" in 1998.[3][5] A scholarship at St Columba College in Adelaide is named in honour.[2]

Football

[edit]

Before his business career, Hickinbotham played with South Adelaide Football Club and won their best and fairest award in 1947, before playing six matches as a key defender for Geelong Football Club.[6] He later captain-coached South Adelaide Football Club in 1954 and was club President between 1965 and 1982.[7] He retained ties with the club until his death.

Hickinbotham was captain-coach of Irymple Football Club[8] in the Sunraysia Football League in 1952 (runners up)[9] and 1953 (3rd),[10] before returning to Adelaide.[11]

In 2005 South Adelaide renamed their home ground Hickinbotham Oval, (formerly Noarlunga Oval), in his honour. He played four representative games for South Australia.[12][3]

In the early 1970s, Hickinbotham was part of a committee that drove the development of Football Park, a dedicated Australian rules football ground for major matches in Adelaide.

Politics

[edit]

He unsuccessfully stood as a Liberal Party candidate for the Division of Hawker in the 1969 Federal election.

Death

[edit]

Hickinbotham died in May 2010 after a long illness, aged 84.[3][13]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "World War Two Service Record". Department of Veteran Affairs. 22 October 1945. Retrieved 11 July 2025.
  2. ^ a b c "Alan David Hickinbotham" (PDF). The Alan Hickinbotham Scholarship. St Columba College. Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 May 2012. Retrieved 26 December 2011.
  3. ^ a b c d Sexton, Mike (26 May 2010). "Hickinbotham lived full life in business and sport". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Archived from the original on 29 May 2010. Retrieved 26 May 2010.
  4. ^ "Hickinbotham recogised (sic) for wine serice (sic)". The Advertiser. News Corporation. 8 March 2007. Retrieved 26 May 2010.
  5. ^ "Hickinbotham, Alan David". It's An Honour: Australia celebrating Australians. Australian Government.
  6. ^ Alan Hickinbotham's playing statistics from AFL Tables Accessed 26 May 2010
  7. ^ "South Adelaide FC - Honourboard". South Adelaide FC. Retrieved 11 July 2025.
  8. ^ "1952 - Hickinbotham captain-coach". Sunraysia Daily (Mildura, Vic. : 1920 - 1956. 13 March 1952. p. 8. Retrieved 11 July 2025.
  9. ^ "1952 - ANOTHER MILDURA PREMIERSHIP". Sunraysia Daily (Mildura, Vic. : 1920 - 1956). 15 September 1952. p. 6. Retrieved 11 July 2025.
  10. ^ "1953 - DASHING LAST BID GIVES RED CLIFFS WIN". Sunraysia Daily (Mildura, Vic. : 1920 - 1956). 7 September 1953. p. 6. Retrieved 11 July 2025.
  11. ^ "1954 - HICKINBOTHAM TO BE SOUTH PLAYING COACH". News (Adelaide, SA : 1923 - 1954). 11 January 1954. p. 20. Retrieved 11 July 2025.
  12. ^ "1947 - STATE STARS IN ACTION". The Age. 28 June 1947. p. 8. Retrieved 11 July 2025.
  13. ^ Robertson, Doug; Silverman, Hannah (26 May 2010). "SA builder Alan Hickinbotham dies after long illness". The Advertiser. News Corporation. Archived from the original on 26 May 2010. Retrieved 26 May 2010.
[edit]
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Alan_Hickinbotham&oldid=1301313932"