The following former scholars were inducted into the Hall of Excellence on 1st November 2019 at NTHS:
Click here for 2021 Inductees.
Tony Fulton OAM
School: Hobart Technical High School
School Years: 1956 -1959
Category: Community Service and Leadership
Citation: Tony, an accountant, has been active in community and sports organisations for many years.
Awarded an Order of Australia Medal in 2006 for his service to sport through the Tasmanian Sports Federation, the Olympic and Commonwealth Games Movements and Basketball, Tony also has long voluntary associations with the Asthma Foundation, Glenorchy City Council and the Sport and Recreation Advisory Committee.
Eric Clifton (Cliff) Iles AM
School: Hobart Junior Technical School
School Years: 1941-1943
Category: Community Service and Leadership
Citation: Cliff’s outstanding contribution to the Tasmanian community has included 30 years (18 years as Mayor) on the Sorell Council, Member of Tasmanian House of Assembly 1966-1969.
An Employer delegate for the International Labour Organisation in Geneva and a Rotary International Paul Harris Fellow. He also served on many local community and sport club committees.
Cliff was appointed member of the Order of Australia in 1992 and awarded the Queen’s 25 year Jubilee Medal for his service to Local Government in 1977.
Max Rupert Angus AM
School: Hobart Junior Technical School
School Years: 1926 -1928
Category: Arts and Culture
Citation: Max is one of Australia’s best known artists.
He started work as an apprentice sign writer in 1929 and attended night classes to become a Commercial Artist. Max served in World War 11 in an Intelligence Unit.
Max is known for his outstanding watercolour landscape painting technique. He was a freelance artist from 1950 until his death at 102 in 2017.
He was awarded the Order of Australia in 1978 recognising his contribution to art including the Art Schools Program, the Tasmanian Arts Society, and as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts in London.
Iain has starred in Rosehaven, The Kettering Incident, The Outlaw Michael Howe, Walkaway Prices, Follow the Leader, The Colonials and many more.
Iain Lang
School: New Town High School
School Years: 1966 -1969
Category: Arts and Culture
Citation: Iain has worked in the theatre and entertainment industry since graduating from the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) in Sydney in 1974. He has more than 40 years’ experience as an actor, puppeteer, director and producer working in film, television and radio, throughout Australia and overseas.
Colin Dean
School: New Town High School
School Years: 1971-1974
Category: Arts and Culture
Citation:, Colin is a renowned actor who has performed in over 60 amateur theatre, musical and comedy productions before commencing a successful professional theatre career.
His performances have included Australia’s production of Billy Elliott, The Sound of Music, Muriel’s Wedding the Musical and An Inconvenient Woman.
Colin is also deeply involved in local Tasmanian arts and events.
Paul Sproule
School: Hobart Technical High School
School Years: 1958 -1961
Category: Sport
Citation: Paul’s remarkable success at the highest level in Australian Rules Football is widely recognised.
A dual premiership player with both Hobart and Richmond VFL, and a 5 year player with Essendon VFL, he is also an AFL Tasmanian Hall of Fame Icon.
Paul later served as Director of Events Tasmania.
Michael Palmer
School: New Town High School
School Years: 1975 -1978 Prefect 1978
Category: Sport
Citation: Michael has made a significant contribution as a technical official, tournament and event organiser as well as a local, national and international sports administrator.
He has served as:
- Venue Manager at the Sydney Olympic Games 2000
- Director of Venues, Manchester Commonwealth Games 2002
- Head of FIFA World Cup, South Africa
- Commercial Operations Manager, AFL
- General Manager, UCI Road Cycling World Championships 2010
- General Manager, Venues and Events, AFC Asian Cup, Sydney
Rex Elvyn Garwood
School: Hobart Junior Technical School
School Years: 1942 -1945
Category: Sport
Citation: Rex made the most of limited opportunities in the 1950s excelling at many sports.
An outstanding Australian rules footballer, Rex captained Tasmania, and is the only player to have won 3 William Leitch Medals.
Garwood was a regular Tasmanian interstate representative. He played for his state in the 1953 Adelaide Carnival, 1956 Perth Carnival and the 1958 Melbourne Carnival. At the Perth Carnival he was captain-coach and kicked seven goals in a game against the VFA. Garwood also captained Tasmania in interstate matches during 1955 and 1957.
He also represented Tasmania at cricket and Australia at lawn bowls.
Rex played golf with a handicap of 2.
Roger Douglas Woolley
School: New Town High School
School Years: 1968 -1971
Category: Sport
Citation: Roger’s contribution to Tasmanian Cricket is outstanding.
He was a member of the Tasmanian side which won their first ever domestic title, winning the 1978/79 Gillette Cup.
Roger’s highest first class score was 144 against WA in Perth. He was captain of the Tasmanian one day side from 1982/83 until 1985/86.
He represented Australia in two tests and four ODIs in 1983/84.
Roger has made a long term impact on local club and state cricket and is considered an inspiration to those who follow.
Sir Allan Walton Knight KBE
School: Hobart Junior Technical School
School Years: 1922 -1923
Category: Academic and Professional
Citation: Sir Allan is recognised globally as an engineer of the highest quality.
His professional career lasting almost 50 years had a profound affect on the economy and lives of most Tasmanians.
He invented composite beam construction used world-wide in bridge building and designed and built Hobart’s floating bridge and later supervised construction of the Tasman Bridge.
Sir Allan led the State’s development of power generation as head of the Hydro Electric Commission from 1946 to 1977.
His other interests were education and a Tasmanian champion in lawn tennis and Royal tennis.
Professor Ross Campbell McPhedran
School: New Town High School
School Years: 1960 -1963
Category: Academic and Professional
Citation: Ross’s seminal contributions to wave science, its techniques and applications, and to mathematical science are regarded world-wide.
Ross has also contributed and participated in over 300 published scientific papers.
He holds Fellowships at the Australian Academy of Science, Institute of Physics UK, Optical Society of America, Australian Institute of Physics and a Doctorate Honoris Causa, University Paul Cezanne.
Associate Professor Nigel Jepson
School: New Town High School
School Years: 1979 -1982
Category: Academic and Professional
Citation: Nigel’s extensive experience and leadership in cardio-vascular research, teaching and practice is exemplary.
A senior staff specialist at Prince of Wales Hospital Sydney he has also participated in numerous forums in Australia and overseas, authored in excess of 75 published manuscripts in peer reviewed journals.
Nigel also participates in overseas humanitarian projects.
Dr. Kenneth George (Ken) Milton
School: Hobart Junior Technical School 1948 -1951
Hobart Technical High School 1952 -1953
School Years: 1948 -1953
Category: Academic and Professional
Citation: Ken holds the distinction of being a student, prefect and a teacher at the school. In 1952 he qualified for matriculation at 16 years of age and returned to the school the following year to “gain maturity”.
He taught maths and science at various Tasmanian high schools from 1958 to 1966, then at Hobart Teacher’s College, Tasmanian College of Advanced Education and University of Tasmania.
Ken holds Life Membership in a number of professional associations including the Australian College of Educators.
Michael John Hind Hodgson AM
School: Hobart Technical School
School Years: 1954 -1957
Category: Academic and Professional
Citation: Michael’s career in Anaesthetics commenced in 1970 at the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary in Scotland. In 1972 he was appointed Staff Anaesthetist of the Royal Hobart Hospital.
He has been Visiting Specialist Anaesthetist at the Royal Hobart Repatriation General, Calvary, St Johns and St Helens Hospitals.
In 1972 he joined the inaugural Council of the Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists and shortly after, President. Michael’s outstanding contribution to the profession has been recognised with Fellowship of the Australian Medical Association, Life Member of the Australian Council of Heath Care Standards.
In 1988 Michael was awarded President’s Medal, Australian Society of Anaesthetists and in 1999 Membership of the Order of Australia.
Justice Stephen Peter Estcourt
School: New Town High School
School Years: 1965 – 1968
Category: Academic and Professional
Citation: Stephen’s contribution to the law following his graduation from the University of Tasmania in 1974 has been outstanding.
After 15 years as a barrister and solicitor he was appointed a Magistrate in 1990. In 1994 he established the Resource Management and Planning Appeal Tribunal and served as its inaugural Chair. Re-joining the Tasmanian Independent Bar in 1995 he “took silk” in 1998 and as a Queens Counsel he practiced extensively in civil and criminal law jurisdictions of the Supreme Court of Tasmania and the Federal and High Courts of Australia.
He was President of the Law Society of Tasmania in 1988, and President of the Tasmanian Independent Bar between 2003 and 2007. Stephen was President of the Australian Bar Association in 2006 and in 2011 became a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Law.
In 2013 the Tasmanian Attorney General appointed Stephen as a Judge of the Supreme Court of Tasmania.
Hon Nicholas (Nick) John Sherry
School: New Town High School
School Years: 1968 -1971
Category: Community Service and Leadership
Citation: Nick served as a Senator for Tasmania in the Australian Parliament from 1990 to 2012.
He served as Minister for Financial Services, Superannuation and Corporate Law 2007-2009, Assistant Treasurer 2009-2010, Minister for Small Business 2010-2011, Minister Assisting Tourism, Deregulation and Public Sector Superannuation.
Nick also held numerous Shadow Ministry and Parliamentary Party positions and participated in many Senate Committees and overseas delegations.
Stuart Challender AO
School: New Town High School
School Years: 1959 – 1962
Category: Arts and Culture
Citation: Stuart began his professional conducting career in 1970 with the Lucerne Opera. He was appointed assistant conductor at the Staatstheater Nürnberg; then came engagements in Switzerland at Zürich and Basel, where he was resident conductor at the Opera House from 1976 to 1980.
In 1980 Stuart conducted The Australian Opera’s performance of The Barber of Seville, and soon after he was appointed resident conductor of the Elizabethan Sydney Orchestra conducting many of the great standards of opera. He was chief conductor of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra from 1987 to 1991, to great acclaim.
In Australia’s bicentennial year (1988), he led the SSO in a successful tour of the United States, a 12-city tour ending with a concert at the United Nations General Assembly in New York to mark 200 years of European settlement in Australia.
Stuart conducted the Boston Symphony Orchestra in Hong Kong in 1989 and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in 1990.
On 26 January 1991, he was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) “in recognition of services to music”.
Dr Sergio Giudici
School: Hobart Technical High School
School Years: 1951-1955
Category: Academic and Professional
Citation: Sergio migrated with his family to Tasmania from Northern Italy to live in the Butlers Gorge Hydro Village when he was 10 years of age.
After graduating in Engineering from the University of Tasmania in 1959 and completing his doctorate at Oxford as a Tasmanian Rhodes Scholar, Sergio Giudici commenced a thirty-seven year engineering career with the Tasmanian Hydro Electric Commission. His work with the HEC, particularly in the design and construction of concrete-faced rock-fill dams, is internationally regarded.
Dr Giudici is considered one of Tasmania’s finest engineers, and as a mark of the respect in which he is held, Hydro Tasmania has decided to fund a scholarship in his name.
Justice Robert William Pearce
School: New Town High School
School Years: 1970-1973
Category: Academic and Professional
Citation: Robert was appointed a Judge of the Supreme Court of Tasmania in 2013, having previously been appointed a magistrate in 2009.
He was admitted to the legal profession in 1983, and from 1988 he practised as a barrister and solicitor in a broad range of commercial, civil and criminal litigation matters, appearing as counsel in the Supreme Court of Tasmania, the Federal Court, and many statutory tribunals and commissions. From 1997 he was a member of the Disciplinary Tribunal of the legal profession, serving as Chair for three years until 2009.
Between 1994 and 2009 he was Chair of the Tasmanian Racing Appeals Tribunal. From 2001 until 2016, Justice Pearce was a board member of the St Giles Society, serving as Chair between 2006 and 2009.
Justice David Porter
School: New Town High School
School Years: 1965-1968
Category: Academic and Professional
Citation: David was appointed a Judge of the Supreme Court of Tasmania in 2008.
Admitted to practise in 1978 and taking silk in 1995. David has served as President of Tasmania Bar Association from 1987 to 1989 and the Australian Bar Association in 2000, having been a member of its Council from 1995 to 2003.
In 2014 Justice Porter acted as Administrator of Tasmania. He is also Chairman of the Medical Complaints Tribunal and is past President of the Northern Tasmanian Football Association.
Geoffrey Leigh Sealy SC
School: New Town High School
School Years: 1968 – 1971
Category: Academic and Professional
Citation: Leigh has practised as a solicitor and barrister since 1979. He served as a Committee Member of the Tasmanian Bar Association for 12 years, was Deputy Chairman of the Racing Appeals Board from 1995 until 2008 and has been a member of the Judicial Committee of the Tasmanian Rugby Union for over 25 years.
Leigh took silk in 2008 and was appointed Solicitor-General of Tasmania in that same year – an office which he held until May of 2014. Leigh has lectured at the University of Tasmania and at the Tasmanian Professional Legal Training Course where he has also acted as an instructor and judge in the Supreme Court Civil Litigation Unit for almost 20 years.
Leigh has also presented many lectures and seminars on aspects of advocacy and litigation to members of the legal profession and on various areas of Public Law to lawyers, company secretaries and government officers. Having lectured widely on various aspects of British and Australian constitutional law, Leigh was invited by the Gilbert + Tobin Centre of Public Law in the University of New South Wales to present a paper at its 2013 National Constitutional Law Conference.
Geoffery Askew AM
School: New Town High School
School Years: 1964 -1967
Category: Community Services and Leadership
Citation: Geoff started his career with the Australian Defence Force followed by the Victoria State Police, then joined Australian Airlines in 1988, becoming Head of Security in 1991.
When Qantas Airways acquired Australian Airlines in 1994, he was appointed Group General Manager Security for the Qantas Group of companies. He was appointed by the Australian Attorney General to represent the Transport Sector on the Commonwealth Governments Critical Infrastructure Advisory Council and the New South Wales Minister for Police to represent the private sector on the Government’s Security Council.
Geoff chaired the Security Committee of the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines in 2007/08 and the International Air Transport Association’s Security Executive. He was the chairman of the Qantas Groups response to many international and domestic incidents, including ‘September 11’ in 2001, SARS, the Bali bombings, the 2004 Tsunami and many others.
On Australia Day 2010 Geoff was appointed as a Member in the General Division of the Order of Australia for ‘service to the aviation industry through contributions to security policy and the development of improved crisis management programs.’