Vale Doug Donoghue AM
Published Thu 04 Aug 2022
VALE
JOHN DOUGLAS (DOUG) DONOGHUE AM
Doug Donoghue has passed away at his home in Edgecliff, aged 86.
As John Donoghue, by which Doug was known in his professional life, he largely served with Ampol, with his roles including regional management and senior head office positions. He was managing director of subsidiary R W Miller & Co. with its coal mining and hotel businesses. He was responsible for Channel 10 Brisbane when it was under Ampol ownership. During Doug’s periods with Ampol in Victoria and Queensland, he became a keen member and supporter of the Mercantile and Commercial Rowing Clubs respectively. In Queensland he coached the Queensland Lightweight Four for the Penrith Cup.As Doug Donoghue, he commenced his rowing at Sydney Boys’ High School where he coxed and rowed, then giving back by coaching when he left school, including as co-coach of their first eight.
Doug joined Sydney Rowing Club while still at school and remained a staunch member. He rowed then coached at Sydney and was a long-serving director and vice-president. He was chair of the Sydney Rowing Club’s Foundation and was awarded the Club’s Order of Merit. It was at Sydney that I met Doug when I joined as a schoolboy coxswain in 1965 and we have been close colleagues and family friends since.
Doug was very active in Rowing New South Wales where he held many positions, including vice- president. He was a director of Rowing Australia and his most influential work in rowing was in 1995-96 when he and John Boultbee, representing the AOC and Australian Sports Commission respectively, assumed the administration of Rowing Australia’s High Performance Program during a financially distressed time for the sport. They were able to not only maintain the program, but Australia went from a low ranking in 1995 to the most successful nation at the 1996 Olympic Regatta.
Doug had a media role in rowing, doing the ABC Radio call of Olympic rowing in 1976 Montreal and TV commentaries for the 1984 Los Angeles and 1988 Seoul Olympic Games. He was a regular commentator at local regattas, and at NSW GPS and national regattas. He was elected to Life Membership of Rowing Australia in 2020 for his contribution to the sport.
Doug’s support of Australia’s Olympic athletes commenced in 1983 when he became Deputy Chair of the NSW Olympic Council’s dedicated fundraising committee, a position he held along with vice-presidency of the NSW Olympic Council, until 2017. Doug was awarded Life Membership of the NSW Olympic Council in 2012.
Doug was a member of the Venue Advisory Committee of the Sydney International Regatta Centre, foundation member of the NSW State Sports Centre Trust and member of the NSW Sports Advisory Council.
Doug was a key member of the 1996 Melbourne Olympic Bid, spending a year living in Paris as the Director of European Liaison, followed by lobbying in Europe for the Sydney 2000 Bid, again based out of Paris.
Doug was elected to the AOC Executive in 1993. He chaired the AOC Finance Commission and was a member of the AOC Audit and Remuneration and Nominations Committees until his retirement from the Executive in 2017.
Perhaps Doug’s greatest legacy was as the first Director of the Australian Olympic Foundation from its establishment in 1996 until his retirement in 2017. During this period the net assets of the Foundation grew from $101m at start 2001 to $153m after distributions to the AOC of $114m.
While always keen to remain in the background, Doug will be remembered as a passionate supporter of rowing, for his commercial and marketing acumen, and a person of the highest integrity and character.
He was my very loyal friend.
John Coates AC
Former President, Australian Olympic Committee
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