Nicholas Shehadie

Nicholas Shehadie
Nicholas Shehadie
Born	Nicholas Michael Shehadie; 16 November 1926 (age 99); Coogee, Sydney, Australia
Died	11 February 2018 (aged 91)
Other names	Sir Nicholas Michael Shehadie
Occupation(s)	Rugby union player, sports administrator, businessman, politician
Years active	1947–1958 (rugby player), 1962–1975 (politics), 1980–1987 (rugby administration)
Known for	Captain of Australian national rugby union team; Lord Mayor of Sydney (1973–1975); President of Australian Rugby Union; instrumental in founding Rugby World Cup

Sir Nicholas Michael Shehadie, (16 November 1926 – 11 February 2018), served as Lord Mayor of Sydney from 1973 to 1975 and was a distinguished captain of the Australian national rugby union team, earning thirty test caps between 1947 and 1958. During his tenure as President of the Australia Rugby Union (1980–1987), he played a pivotal role in persuading the International Rugby Board to create the Rugby World Cup. Shehadie has been honored with induction into both the Australian Rugby Union Hall of Fame and the IRB Hall of Fame.

Early life

Born into a Lebanese Greek Orthodox family in Coogee, a coastal suburb of Sydney, Nicholas Michael Shehadie (Arabic: السير نيكولاس مايكل شحادة) was the third among five siblings. His parents, Hannah (née Khouri) and Michael Shehaidie, had immigrated from Lebanon in 1923. Raised in the Sydney suburb of Redfern, he attended Cleveland St Public School followed by Crown St Commercial School.

Rugby career

Shehadie became an active participant in Sydney’s sports scene by joining the Coogee Surf Club, a community where many surf enthusiasts also played rugby, including Keith and Colin Windon. He progressed to play for Randwick Rugby Club, making his first-grade debut as a substitute at just fifteen years old. At sixteen, he earned his initial representative cap for New South Wales in a match against a Combined Services team. In 1947, he featured for a New South Wales XV facing New Zealand, and made his Australian national team debut during the final Test against the touring All Blacks.

Selected as the fourth youngest member among thirty players on the 1947–48 Wallaby tour, Shehadie suffered a dislocated shoulder early on but recovered to participate in 24 matches, including Tests against both England and France. He concluded this tour playing for the Wallabies against the Barbarians in their first-ever match opposing an international touring side.

In 1949, Shehadie competed against the New Zealand Māori and joined Trevor Allan's squad on a New Zealand tour that secured Australia’s inaugural victory of the Bledisloe Cup. Subsequently, he faced off against the British and Irish Lions in 1950, the All Blacks again in 1951, and played against Fiji in 1952.

He returned to New Zealand on tour in 1952 and captained Australia during the 1953 Wallaby tour of South Africa, leading eight tour matches and one Test. Continuing to represent Australia until 1956, Shehadie made history in 1957 by becoming the first Wallaby to undertake a second tour of the British Isles and Europe. Although Australia lost all five Tests on that trip, Shehadie was distinguished as the first touring player invited to join the Barbarians for their concluding match against Australia.

Throughout his sixteen-year club career, Shehadie appeared 175 times for Randwick. He represented Australia on 114 occasions—becoming the first player to surpass one hundred appearances—and participated in thirty Tests, setting a record at that time while captaining three matches.

Business and public life

During the 1950s, Shehadie was engaged in selling fire doors and security equipment for Wormald Industries before advancing to a sales manager position at an asphalt company. Upon concluding his football career, he launched a business specializing in the supply and installation of vinyl flooring, focusing on hotel bars and computer rooms that required anti-static surfaces. This enterprise tapped into the expanding IT industry within corporate Australia and quickly gained traction in the market.

Lord Mayor

Shehadie’s entry into public service commenced in 1962 when he was elected as an alderman on the City of Sydney council, representing the Civic Reform Association. He held several terms and served as Deputy Lord Mayor beginning in 1969. During this tenure, he was instrumental in the transformation of Martin Place, overseeing its enhancement and pedestrianization, and implemented a policy permitting the transfer of development rights between city building sites to safeguard heritage structures from adverse development impacts.

In 1973, Shehadie was elected Lord Mayor of Sydney, serving during the historic inauguration of the Sydney Opera House by Queen Elizabeth II. He also welcomed royal visits, including Prince Charles in 1972 and Princess Anne in 1974. His mayoralty coincided with the Green Bans movement led by the Builders' Labourers Federation aimed at protecting Woolloomooloo from excessive redevelopment.

That same year, Shehadie vied for Liberal Party preselection for Parramatta, supported by future Prime Minister John Howard; however, he narrowly lost by a single vote to Philip Ruddock. Despite endorsement from party headquarters, this was an uncommon situation where the preferred candidate was not chosen.

Service and Patronage

From 1981 until 1999, Shehadie held the position of Chairman at the Special Broadcasting Service, a government-funded Australian public broadcaster delivering multilingual and multicultural radio and television programming that reflects the nation’s diverse population.

He served as patron of The Infants' Home Child and Family Services during his wife Marie Bashir’s governorship (2001–2014), actively endorsing the launch of new childcare centres in 2013.

Additionally, Shehadie chaired The Duke of Edinburgh's International Award – Australia between 1992 and 1994.

Rugby Administration

In 1979, Shehadie was appointed Chairman of the New South Wales Rugby Union and joined the Australian Rugby Union board as Deputy President. He ascended to ARU President in 1980 and remained in that role until 1987. During his leadership, he introduced reforms to schoolboy rugby regulations aimed at improving player safety by prohibiting forceful scrum engagements. He also managed the 1981–82 Australia rugby union tour of Britain and Ireland.

Beginning in 1983, Shehadie played a crucial role in advocating for the establishment of the Rugby World Cup, campaigning internationally to secure approval despite initial opposition from some Home Nation unions. After a decisive vote in 1985, he was appointed co-chairman of the inaugural Rugby World Cup committee alongside John Kendall-Carpenter (IRB) and Dick Littlejohn (New Zealand Rugby Union). Following the successful completion of the first tournament in 1987, he retired and was honored with life membership of the ARU.

On 24 October 2011, Shehadie was inducted into the IRB Hall of Fame during the IRB Awards ceremony held in Auckland, recognizing his vital contribution to founding the Rugby World Cup.

Sydney Cricket Ground

Nick Shehadie was affiliated with the Sydney Cricket Ground for nearly three decades before his appointment as Trustee in 1978 by Ken Booth, the New South Wales Minister for Sport. At that time, he held the position of patron at the Randwick Rugby Club and was actively involved as a committee member of the Sydney Turf Club. He maintained his role as Trustee until 2001, assuming the chairmanship of the board from 1990 onward. During his leadership, significant enhancements were made, including the introduction of lighting systems and the development of the Sydney Football Stadium, which honors him with a stand bearing his name. In his final year as chairman, a Walk of Honour was inaugurated featuring thirty-three plaques commemorating sporting legends linked to the SCG, with Shehadie among those recognized.

Family

Shehadie’s grandfather, Nicholas, emigrated from Lebanon in 1910 and became the head of the Antioch Orthodox Church across Australia and New Zealand. His father, Michael, who studied chemistry at the University of Kiev, relocated to Sydney during the 1920s. There, he pursued a career as a chemist and served as a church leader following his ordination.

In February 1957, Nick Shehadie wed Marie Bashir (later Dame Marie), who would later hold the office of Governor of New South Wales from 2001 until 2014. The couple had three children and six grandchildren and lived in Mosman from 1960 until Shehadie’s death.

Funeral

Nick Shehadie passed away at age 91 on 11 February 2018. His life was commemorated with a state funeral held at St James' Church on 22 February, officiated by Anglican Archbishop Glenn Davies. The ceremony drew a distinguished assembly of national dignitaries including Governors-General Sir Peter Cosgrove, Dame Quentin Bryce, and Michael Jeffery; NSW Governors Dame Marie Bashir and David Hurley; former Prime Ministers Bob Hawke, Paul Keating, and John Howard; several NSW Premiers; Lord Mayor Clover Moore; Police Commissioners Andrew Scipione and Mick Fuller; celebrated Wallabies players and coaches; along with Olympian Dawn Fraser. Following the service, Shehadie was privately interred at Waverley Cemetery, located in Bronte.

Honours

1 January 1971 Appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in recognition of contributions to Local Government.
1 January 1976 Knighted as a Knight Bachelor for his service as Lord Mayor of Sydney.
1985: Inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame.
11 June 1990 Awarded Companion of the Order of Australia (AC) for distinguished service to media, sport, and community sectors.
28 July 2000 Received Australian Sports Medal acknowledging his leadership roles as President of Australian Rugby Union and Captain of the Australian Rugby Team (1969–1973).
1 January 2001 Honoured with Centenary Medal for community service.
17 May 2001 Invested as Knight of the Order of St John.
2006: Entered into the Australian Rugby Union Hall of Fame.
24 October 2011: Inducted into the IRB Hall of Fame.

References

Shehadie, Nicholas (2003) A Life Worth Living, Simon & Schuster Australia
Howell, Max (2005) Born to Lead – Wallaby Test Captains, Celebrity Books, Auckland NZ

External links

|-