Alice Springs lawyer Chris Turner, 70, remembered as man behind Olympic-sized victory and more
A motorbike loving lawyer behind an Olympic-sized victory in Alice Springs, has been remembered as man much more than his law career, after he died in March.
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A motorbike loving lawyer – who took on the Olympics and won – is being remembered as an adventurer, a dedicated community member, and more in the wake of his death.
Long time Alice Springs lawyer Chris Warwick Turner died on Saturday March 1, aged 70.
Growing up in Adelaide, Mr Turner came to Alice Springs in the 1980s, where he set up a law firm on Bath Street and quickly became one of the town’s most loveable characters.
He later ran his own firm – Chris Turner solicitors – and spent 18 years as the lawyer for the Alice Springs Town Council before his retirement in 2021.
But while some may remember him as a lawyer, many Alice residents remember him as the man who took on the Olympic committee – and won.
With the Olympics coming to Sydney, hundreds of Australians were vying to take part in the torch relay, and Mr Turner was no different.
However, Mr Turner didn’t want to do it in his wheelchair.
Despite being born with cerebral palsy, Mr Turner was fiercely independent, and obtained his law degree – with honours – from the University of Adelaide in the 70s.
He wanted to carry the torch on his three wheeled custom-made Harley Davidson softail motorcycle – a plan which put him at odds with the Sydney Organising Committee for the Olympic Games.
But Mr Turner stood his ground, and in 2000 he rode through Heavitree Gap into Alice Springs, on his Harley, carrying the torch, as part of the countrywide relay.
Sally Martin, a close family friend, remembers Mr Turner as an avid adventurer who solo travelled the world visiting 74 countries, such as Antarctica, Nigeria, Belarus, Iceland, and more.
“I was lucky enough to spend weekly lunches with him in the past few years; as everyone would attest to, his company was one of a kind,” she said.
“After he retired, I asked him if he would move back to Adelaide and he said no, because Alice Springs was his home. I asked him what made Alice home for him and he said ‘the people. My friends here, right from the start could understand my sense of humour, and accepted me’.”
Mr Turner began his law career in Adelaide, where he was born, before coming to Alice Springs.
During his time in Alice, he was a member of the Apex Club and the Rotary Club of Stuart, attending meetings right up to his passing.
His funeral was held on Friday, with a wake at Club Eastside drawing dozens of friends and family to celebrate his life.
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Originally published as Alice Springs lawyer Chris Turner, 70, remembered as man behind Olympic-sized victory and more
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