Territory icon Ted Egan remembered for his legacy spanning music, sport and Indigenous rights
Territory icon Ted Egan will be honoured with a state funeral, as the community remembers him as a true entertainer, the best of blokes and for a sporting legacy that persists to this day. Read the tributes.
Beloved Territorian Ted Egan, known for his passion across politics, footy and entertainment has been remembered after he died peacefully at his own home in Alice Springs on Thursday.
Mr Egan was the first captain of the St Mary’s Football Club, playing an integral role in the formation of what became the NTFL’s most successful club in 1952.
Saints were formed as a club to give Bathurst Islanders somewhere to play and his legacy continues today with Saints missing finals just three times since.
It was then that Vic Ludwig, who was club president for 40 years, met Mr Egan and they formed a friendship that lasted a lifetime.
“It’s a sad, sad day for the Territory when it loses a person like Ted Egan, we met in 1952 and have been friends for all those years since,” he said.
“He was one who started the club, was our first captain and played in our first premiership and remained a big supporter of the club for the rest of his life.
“He was never an AFL champion but he could play football all right, no worries about that, and he was the start of the legacy for us.
“We’ve now got great grandsons and great granddaughters still playing with St Mary’s from that time, we’re a family club and it’s still filtering down from day one.
“Entertainment is where he made his money, doing country music songs but more than anything he was a great bloke who always thought of the little man and never forgot where he came from.
“We kept in touch all the time, whenever he came to Darwin he’d come to the club, he got on very well with my wife too and we’d gone to his place in Alice Springs quite a few times too.
“I’ll always remember him as a good, good bloke and for me to say that means he was a good bloke and a real man’s man.”
As well as founding St Mary’s alongside Father Aubrey Collins, Mr Egan was also a founding member of the Works and Housing club in 1950, now known as Nightcliff.
AFLNT chair Sean Bowden said he was “one of the greatest of all Territorians” and a founding father of Australian rules football in the Territory with a profound influence on the game.
“He enjoyed lifelong friendships with people throughout the Territory community and across all parts,” Mr Bowden said.
“He was a beloved friend of the Tiwi, the Yolngu, the Warlpiri and many other Aboriginal families and groups, through the work he did, the man he was, and from a shared sense of love for our great game.
“The entire Australian rules football community is grieving today for the loss of a great man. Our prayers and condolences go out to his wife Nerys, his entire family, and his many close friends.”
Chief Minister confirms state funeral
NT Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro said Mr Egan was “a much-loved Territorian, storyteller and musician who captured the spirit of the NT in word and song”.
She confirmed he would receive a state funeral, with further details to be announced in the coming weeks.
“On behalf of the Northern Territory Government, I extend my deepest condolences on the passing of former Administrator of the Northern Territory, Ted Egan AO,” Ms Finocchiaro said.
“His decades of service to the Northern Territory and his commitment to sharing our history have left a profound and lasting legacy.
“We thank Ted for his extraordinary contribution to public life and to the cultural heart of the Territory.
“Our thoughts are with his wife Nerys and their family, friends and all who knew and loved him.”
Current NT Administrator Hugh Heggie also gave his condolences, and said his thoughts were with Mr Egan’s family.
“They are embraced by the love and gratitude of Territorians, whose stories continue to remind us how deeply Ted Egan was cherished,” Mr Heggie said.
“His enduring legacy is woven into the Territory’s cultural celebration, its music and storytelling, and its spirit of caring for one another.
“The love of the Territory and its people was at the heart of his life’s work, and that devotion will remain a lasting gift carried forward by all who call the Northern Territory home.”
Federal Solomon MP Luke Gosling said he was deeply saddened to hear of Mr Egan death.
“I’ll always remember Ted gifting me his book “Kulilkatima – Seeking Understanding”,” he said.
“In it, there’s a chapter called “This Land Australia”, and a passage I’ve always loved: ‘Try to understand. This land Australia. Take her as she is. Her moods, her mysteries. Mother of us all. Beneath the Southern Cross. In her frame of peaceful seas’.
“Those words capture Ted perfectly – urging us to listen, to learn and to respect this remarkable country.
“Whether he was singing with a beer carton, sharing a yarn, or representing the Territory on the national stage, Ted did it with authenticity, humour and enormous heart.
“My thoughts are with Nerys and the whole Egan family, including Ted’s extended family and loved ones, as they grieve the loss of their partner, father, grandfather, great-grandfather and mate.
“Rest in peace, Ted. Thank you for everything you gave to the Territory and to Australia.”
Tributes pour from across the Territory – and country
Australian businessman Dick Smith remembered Mr Egan fondly, saying he was a “wonderful Territorian”.
“He’s just a wonderful person … I love his music, his music’s wonderful” Mr Smith said.
Tamworth Country Music Festival manager Barry Harley said he was saddened to hear of Mr Egan’s passing, calling him “one Australia’s most endearing, passionate and honest Country figures”.
Mr Egan had been awarded a Golden Guitar, held a life achievement award for country music, and was a member of the Australian Country Music Hall of Fame.
“Mr Egan was an authentic poet and revered as a King amongst the people of the Northern Territory,” Mr Harley said.
“A regular visitor to Tamworth in the 80s and 90, he would often choose a Foster’s beer carton as his instrument of choice as he entertained the masses.
“His deep respect for people and country, and his ability to tell stories through song touched countless lives and he will be greatly missed.”
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Originally published as Territory icon Ted Egan remembered for his legacy spanning music, sport and Indigenous rights
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