Ted Egan
Ted Egan | |
|---|---|
 Egan in 2004 | |
| 18th Administrator of the Northern Territory | |
| In office 31 October 2003 – 30 October 2007 | |
| Governor-General | Michael Jeffery |
| Preceded by | John Anictomatis |
| Succeeded by | Tom Pauling |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Edward Joseph Egan 6 July 1932 Coburg, Victoria, Australia |
| Died | 4 December 2025 (aged 93) Alice Springs, Northern Territory, Australia |
| Domestic partner | Nerys Evans |
| Musical career | |
| Genres | Folk |
| Occupations |
|
| Website | Official website |
Edward Joseph Egan AO (6 July 1932 – 4 December 2025) was an Australian folk singer and public servant who served as Administrator of the Northern Territory from 2003 to 2007.
Early life and education
[edit]Egan was born in Coburg, Victoria, and was educated at Parade College. He moved to the Northern Territory in 1949 at the age of 16.
In his early career with the Department of Aboriginal Affairs he was engaged in jobs such as stockwork and crocodile hunting while employed as a patrol officer and reserve superintendent.[1] Later he was a teacher at bush schools.
Egan was the sole teacher at the Newcastle Waters Station in 1965 and was stranded at the property for six weeks when the creek flooded. During this time, no supplies were able to be delivered, so Egan had to hunt for animals such as bush turkey for food. He later returned to the station in 2012 for the book launch of Middle of Everywhere about life in the area.[2]
In the late 1960s he worked for the new Office of Aboriginal Affairs and was one of the voices that led to the creation of NAIDOC Week. He later became a member of the first National Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation.[1]
Music career
[edit]Egan began recording in 1969 with "Drinkers of the Northern Territory", which enjoyed considerable local popularity. He subsequently released 30 albums, mostly themed around outback life, history and Aboriginal people.[3]
Egan wrote the song "Gurindji Blues" in 1969 with Vincent Lingiari during the Wave Hill walk-off. Egan said he was moved to write the song after hearing Peter Nixon, then Minister for the Interior, say in parliament that if the Gurindji people wanted land, they should save up and buy it like any other Australian. Nixon was also mentioned in the song.[4]
Egan was a regular performer at the National Folk Festival and received a lifetime achievement award there in 2015.[5]
Administrator of the Northern Territory
[edit]Egan was appointed Administrator of the Northern Territory by Governor-General Michael Jeffery effective 31 October 2003.[6] He was sworn in on 18 November.[7]
On 14 September 2005, Egan was given a one-year extension to his term of office by Jim Lloyd, the federal Minister for Local Government, Territories and Roads.[8] This was extended for another year until 30 October 2007.[9]
Television
[edit]Egan presented and narrated six episodes of the 1989 series This Land Australia, a series devoted to iconic Australian people and places. He also wrote and performed the show's theme song of the same name.[10] He was a co-host of the lifestyle show The Great Outdoors.[11]
Death
[edit]Egan died on 4 December 2025 at the age of 93.[12] The Northern Territory's chief minister, Lia Finocchiaro, announced that Egan would receive a state funeral.[13]
Albums
[edit]| Title | Album details |
|---|---|
| Outback Australia |
|
| The Bangtail Muster |
|
| Once a Jolly Swagman |
|
| Beyond the Black Stump |
|
| The Bush Races |
|
| Rodeo Australia |
|
| A Town Like Alice |
|
| Arnhem Land Lullaby |
|
| The Overlanders |
|
| Our Coach Captain |
|
| The Shearers |
|
| The Anzacs (with Judy Small, Eric Bogle, Nerys Evans and the Anzac Band & Singers) |
|
| My Australia: The Very Best of Ted Egan |
|
| The Aboriginals |
|
| The Convicts |
|
| This Land Australia |
|
| Echoes in the Dust (with Andrew Langford) |
|
| Welcome to the Bush |
|
| The Urupunga Frog (Australian Songs for Children) |
|
| Packhorse Drover (with Bruce Simpson) |
|
| The Drover's Boy – A Celebration of Australian Women (with Nerys Evans) |
|
| I.O.U |
|
| The Land Downunder |
|
| Such Is Life |
|
| Saving the Best |
|
Charting singles
[edit]| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| AUS [15] | |||
| "Willie The Whingeing Pom" | 1973 | 93 | The Bangtail Muster |
Books
[edit]- 1978 Outback Holiday (also by Mark Egan) ISBN 0-7295-0040-3
- 1979 A Drop of Rough Ted ISBN 0-9595744-0-9
- 1984 The Overlanders Songbook ISBN 0-909104-74-3
- 1987 The Aboriginals Songbook – Faces of Australia Series ASIN B000N7AKU0
- 1989 Shearers Songbook ISBN 0-909104-75-1
- 1991 Would I Lie to You? The Goanna Driver and Other Very True Stories ISBN 0-670-90460-0
- 1993 The Paperboys War Ted Egan An Autobiography ISBN 1-875703-08-X
- 1996 Justice All Their Own ISBN 0522846939
- 1997 Sitdown Up North Ted Egan An Autobiography ISBN 1-875703-23-3
- 1997 The Drover's Boy ISBN 0-85091-840-5
- 2003 The Land Downunder ISBN 0-9545726-0-2
- 2008 Due Inheritance ISBN 0-7295-0040-3
- 2011 Kutju Australia: An Australian Translation of Advance Australia Fair ISBN 9780980861921
- 2014 The ANZACS 100 Years On: in Story and Song ISBN 9780987381156
- 2019 Outback Songman: My Life ISBN 9781760871437
Videos
[edit]- This Land Australia series (as presenter, narrator and interviewer)
- Broome and the Pearl Coast
- Cape York Peninsula: The Vanishing Frontier
- Central Australia: The Eighth Wonder
- Discovering a Rainforest
- Gulf Country: The Road from Mt. Surprise
- Hahndorf and the Barossa: Valleys of Hope
- The Islands of Torres Strait
- Mysterious Australia
- Norfolk Island
- Paddleboats of the Murray River
- Railways of Yesteryear
- Snowy Mountains
Honours
[edit]Egan was made a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in the 1993 Australia Day Honours List for services to the Aboriginal people and "an ongoing contribution to the literary heritage of Australia through song and verse".[16]
In 2004, Egan was promoted to an Officer of the Order (AO) in acknowledgement of "the significance of [his] continuing contribution to the community culminating in his being sworn-in as the 18th Administrator of the Northern Territory".[17]
Egan was listed among the Australian Living Treasures by the National Trust of Australia.[18]
Egan was the recipient of the National Folk Festival's Lifetime Achievement Award in April 2015 at the festival's opening ceremony in Canberra. He performed four songs at the event, including one about pioneering women in Australia.
ARIA Music Awards
[edit]The ARIA Music Awards are a set of annual ceremonies presented by Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) which recognise excellence, innovation and achievement across all genres of the music of Australia. They commenced in 1987.
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | This Land Australia | Best Country Album | Nominated | [19] |
Australian Roll of Renown
[edit]The Australian Roll of Renown honours Australian and New Zealander musicians who have shaped the music industry by making a significant and lasting contribution to country music. It was inaugurated in 1976 and the inductee is announced at the Country Music Awards of Australia in Tamworth in January.[20]
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Ted Egan | Australian Roll of Renown | inductee |
Country Music Awards of Australia
[edit]The Country Music Awards of Australia (CMAA) (also known as the Golden Guitar Awards) is an annual awards night, held in January during the Tamworth Country Music Festival, celebrating recording excellence in the Australian country music industry. They have been held annually since 1973.[21]
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | "The Drover's Boy" | Video Clip of the Year | Won |
| 2014 | Ted Egan | Lifetime Achievement Award | awarded |
Tamworth Songwriters Awards
[edit]The Tamworth Songwriters Awards is an annual songwriting contest for original country songs awarded in January at the Tamworth Country Music Festival. They commenced in 1986.[22][23]
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result (wins only) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | Ted Egan | Songmaker Award | awarded |
| 2011 | "Queensland Opera" by Ted Egan | Comedy/Novelty Song of the Year | Won |
| "The Laughing Game" by Ted Egan | Children's Song of the Year | Won |
References
[edit]- ^ a b John-Paul Janke (6 July 2025). "The music icon and croc hunter who was a driving force for NAIDOC Week". SBS News. Retrieved 5 December 2025.
- ^ Schubert, Steven (8 May 2012). "Six weeks stranded with nothing but bush turkeys for dinner". ABC Rural. Archived from the original on 22 May 2012. Retrieved 4 January 2013.
- ^ "I have been writing and recording songs, filming and writing about the Australian people". Ted Egan. Retrieved 11 August 2020.
- ^ Singley, Blake (10 August 2016). "Song for the Gurindji". Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies. Archived from the original on 30 April 2020. Retrieved 11 August 2020.
- ^ Stephen Bailey (7 April 2015). "The National Folk Festival – Of the people and for the people". Region. Retrieved 5 December 2025.
- ^ Barker, Anne (1 October 2003). "Ted Egan appointed Administrator of the Northern Territory". PM. Radio National. Archived from the original on 11 May 2017.
- ^ Churchman, Fiona (18 November 2003). "Singer, author, bush legend and now ... Administrator Ted Egan". ABC Local Radio. Archived from the original on 10 November 2012.
- ^ "Reappointment Of Northern Territory Administrator, 2005".
- ^ "Reappointment Of Northern Territory Administrator, 2006".
- ^ "This Land Australia series 1 (1989) – The Screen Guide". Screen Australia. Retrieved 26 October 2019.
- ^ Ted Egan – I have been writing and recording songs, filming and writing about the Australian people
- ^ Australian music legend Ted Egan dies in Alice Springs aged 93
- ^ Matt Garrick (4 December 2025). "Former NT administrator, musician and author Ted Egan dies aged 93". Retrieved 5 December 2025.
- ^ "The Aboriginals songbook / compiled by Ted Egan ; foreword by Lowitja (Lois) O'Donoghue [catalogue entry]". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 4 January 2022.
- ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 101. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
- ^ "Egan, Edward Joseph", It's an Honour, Australian Government, 26 January 1993.
- ^ "Egan, Edward Joseph", It's an Honour, Australian Government, 25 February 2004.
- ^ " National Trust Living Treasures", National Trust of Australia (archived).
- ^ ARIA Award previous winners. "ARIA Awards Best Country Album". Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). Retrieved 9 April 2022.
- ^ "Roll of Renown". Tamworth Country Music Festival. Archived from the original on 27 February 2019. Retrieved 29 October 2020.
- ^ "Past Award Winners". Retrieved 2 November 2020.
- ^ "Tamworth Songwriters Association". Tamworth Songwriters Association Online. Retrieved 23 March 2022.
- ^ "Tamworth Songwriters Association Past Winners". Tamworth Songwriters Association Online. Retrieved 23 March 2022.
External links
[edit]- Official website
- Official Administrator's website (archived)
- Government House NT site
- Ted Egan discography at Discogs
- Ted Egan at IMDb
| International | |
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| National | |
| Artists | |
| Other |
