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Sir Eric Neal AC CVO

Sir Eric Neal, who became the thirty-second Governor of South Australia on July the twenty-seventh, 1996, was born in London in 1924 and emigrated with his parents to South Australia at the age of two. His secondary education was at Thebarton Technical Boys High School, and at sixteen he followed his father into the South Australian Gas Company, becoming an apprentice gas fitter. His formal training in mechanical and electrical engineering was received at the South Australian School of Mines, which was later to become the Institute of Technology, and still later to be absorbed into the University of South Australia. While attending the School of Mines, he played for the University soccer team; a teammate, retired engineer Andy Kinnear, recalls significantly that he 'showed persistence on the field.' From the South Australian Gas Company the young Neal moved to the Electricity Trust of South Australia, then to the Broken Hill Gas Company. He was, in 1959, appointed Manager of the Ballarat Gas Company, which was taken over by Boral, the company Sir Eric was to serve with conspicuous success for twenty-four years.

In his fourteen years as Chief Executive Officer at Boral, the company showed fourteen consecutive and substantial profit increases, and expanded greatly, through acquisitions in Australia and the United States of America, and through improvements in efficiency. When he left Boral, Michael Lawrence wrote in the Sydney Morning Herald: 'the accolades for his management skills and gentle manner seem endless'. Sir Eric was universally respected for being 'the total professional' and for 'having all the old-fashioned qualities'. Himself hard working, knowledgeable and a businessman twenty-four hours a day, he expected his colleagues and employees to be of similar calibre. A Boral subordinate was once surprised to receive a call ordering him on a business mission on the morning of Boxing Day.

His success at Boral earned him many other directorships. He was a director of John Fairfax Ltd between 1987 and 1988, and a director of BHP. Between 1986 and 1988 he held a position on the Bank of Montreal Advisory Council. He was chief commissioner of the City of Sydney from 1987 to 1988, and first National president of the Australian Institute of Company Directors from 1990 to 1992. Sir Eric was appointed to the board of Westpac in 1985, and became Chairman in 1989, holding that position until October 1992. In 1992 he joined the board of AMP.

He was a Chairman of Directors of Metal Manufactures, and of Atlas Copco (Aus) Pty. Ltd, and a Director of Coca-Cola Amatil Ltd.

Sir Eric's contributions to Australian business have received many acknowledgments. He was knighted in 1982 and is a Companion of the Order of Australia. In 1992 he was made a Commander of the Royal Victorian Order. He was the Australian Business Magazine's Businessman of the Year in 1987, and is the holder of the United States Department of Defence Medal for distinguished public service. Among his civic achievements are the chairmanship of the Coral Sea Commemorative Council and the chairmanship of the sixth Commonwealth Study Conference, and chairmanship of the Working Group on Water Resource Policy of the Council of Australian Governments 1993-94.

Sir Eric is a member of several clubs and has been a notable patron of community activities for many years. He has an enduring connection with the theatre, which is a particular love of Lady Neal. His own leisure interests are of a nautical bent, and on his retirement from Boral he acquired a 43-foot yacht, with the stated intention of allowing himself regular marine outings - a promise to himself, which his continuing professional and civic commitments have made hard to keep. A 44-foot motor cruiser based in Adelaide has subsequently replaced this yacht. The walls of a well-stocked study attest to his passion for marine history, and walking in naval shipyards, when his travels take him to their vicinity, is a particular pleasure.

When he became Governor of South Australia in 1996, Sir Eric was the first businessman to be appointed to the vice-regal office. He is admirably qualified to follow the innovatory example of his predecessor, Dame Roma Mitchell, in leading trade delegations to other countries. His first trade mission was undertaken in 1996, to open the South Australian office in the Shan Dong (Shantung) province of China, and he has since undertaken missions to Malaysia and Sweden. Sir Eric believes that the presence of the Governor on these delegations adds impressive weight to the missions, and ensures a respectful hearing from the countries visited. As almost a native of South Australia, he enjoys helping his state by raising sponsors for state events, and by encouraging commercial ties with other countries. He sees his entertainment of visiting commercial identities, and his support of local enterprises, as a large part of the service he can offer to the community as Governor.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Additional information: http://www.library.unisa.edu.au/resources/collections/eric/sirericneal.asp

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