Tributes to Tony White, family man, advertising giant and colourful Melbourne 80s identity

Loved ones and friends are set to honour advertising giant and former Moomba director Tony White at a memorial on Friday, after his death, aged 85.

Melbourne advertising executive Tony White will be farewelled on Friday.

Family, friends and work colleagues will on Friday farewell advertising giant and former Moomba director Tony White who has died, aged 85.

Mr White, a colourful Melbourne identity in the 1970s and 80s, was credited with teaming up with fellow advertising guru Harold Mitchell to save Hey Hey It’s Saturday.

He also co-founded the Open Family Foundation with Father Bob McGuire in 1979 to help rescue homeless children from the streets of St Kilda.

Melbourne advertising executive Tony White (left) and former business partner Andrew Skinner.

Mr White’s son Ant said his father was a devoted family man who was larger than life.

“It was like he lived four lives,’’ he said.

“Everyone idolises their dad but he just did so much and gave so much to so many people.’’

At just 24, Mr White set up his own agency which later evolved into Thomson White & Partners which became a respected and successful agency with high-profile clients over decades. The company had billings of $54m a year by the 1990s.

Tony White (right) with Daily Telegraph editor Col Allan and journalist Terry McCrann in 1996.

He also served as Moomba Festival director for 12 years – and met the Queen along the way – and is credited with reviving the event which had then lost its lustre.

Ant and brother Jack set up their own agency, Sunday Gravy, in 2021.

Melbourne advertising executive Tony White and wife Leonie meet Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York in November 1990.

Another milestone was Mr White’s work with the late Harold Mitchell to secure corporate sponsorship for Hey Hey It’s Saturday on Channel 9 in the late 1980s.

As a boy, he sold newspapers at the Caulfield Races. Years later, aided by money from those paper sales, he bought a horse called Tristarc which won the Caulfield Cup in 1985.

He met future wife Leonie in the mid-1970s, and the celebrity couple featured in a front-page story in The Truth in September 1976 – “Actress to have Moomba man’s baby’.

The front-page story of Tony and Leonie White’s relationship,

Melbourne advertising executive Tony White with wife Leonie.

They were married for almost 50 years.

Mr White loved the beach and the water, and was inducted into the Anglesea SLSC Hall of Fame in 2012.

Mr White died last month surrounded by family. He is survived by Leonie, children Paul, Josh, Misty, Jesse, Ant and Jack, 15 grandchildren and two great grandchildren.

Mr White will be farewelled at the Elwood Sailing Club on Friday.

Originally published as Tributes to Tony White, family man, advertising giant and colourful Melbourne 80s identity