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Basil Sellers (born 1935) is an Indian-born Australian businessman and philanthropist recognized for his contributions to the fields of business, sports, art, and philanthropy.
Sellers was born in India and grew up in the Anglo-Indian Railway Colonies, where he developed an early interest in sports such as badminton, tennis, and cricket. He migrated with his family in 1948 and pursued his education at King's College, Adelaide.
Sellers held leadership roles in several companies, including serving as the chief executive and major shareholder of Linter Group Ltd, the largest textile company. He was also associated with Gestetner PLC, a UK-listed company later acquired by Ricoh. Additionally, he was involved in investments through AFP, spanning industries such as media and mineral resources. [1]
In February 2018, Sellers was awarded an Honorary Doctorate by Bond University in recognition of his charitable work, sports development, and corporate acumen. [2]
In early December 2023, Sellers was awarded the SCG Life Membership status for philanthropy. Sellers is 1 of only 45 people with this status. [3]
In sport, Sellers played senior basketball, representing South Australia when the team won the Australian Championship in 1958. During the 1980s, he owned the Newcastle Basketball team and served as a Director of the New South Wales Cricket Association (now Cricket New South Wales) from 1984 to 1987. He is a life member of Cricket NSW. His major charitable contributions include donations to the McGrath Foundation.
He has donated to sporting initiatives and scholarships, such as to the Barassi Scholarship and the Sydney Swans. He is a large contributor to the Club's football centre at the SCG. [4]
Sellers is one of the founders of the Bradman Museum in Bowral, New South Wales, and a life member of the Bradman Foundation. He founded a respite centre in Moruya for elite athletes from the Australian Institute of Sport Canberra, and similar centres in Tweed Heads. [5]
The Basil Sellers Art Prize was founded in 2004 by Basil in the Eurobodalla Shire. [6]
February 2019 was the official opening of the Basil Sellers Exhibition Centre (the Bas) in Moruya, its first purpose-built exhibition space. [7]
Sellers has been recognised as a keen art collector and patron. Collecting for over 35 years, his collection contains post-war Australian art and many of the European modernists, with a particular interest in the Fauves (1906/7). Sellers has also funded the bi-annual art prize of $15,000 in the Southeast of New South Wales. [8]
In 2007, Sellers launched the Basil Sellers Art Prize, which was initiated in 2008, in association with the Ian Potter Museum of Art, the University of Melbourne. The first prize of $100,000 is awarded to an Australian who produces a piece of art that incorporates an image of sport. Basil believes that art in the past has reflected society (wars, religion, ballet, horses, etc.) but in recent years has ignored the vast influence of sport. The award bridges the gulf which exists and connects art and sport and is bi-annual. [9]
In 2009, Sellers' philanthropic support led to the establishment of the inaugural National Sports Museum Basil Sellers Creative Arts Fellowship. This fellowship allows contemporary artists to explore themes related to Australia's sporting heritage using the collections of the National Sports Museum at the MCG. This bi-annual fellowship aims to expand educational and public programs and foster discussions on the intersection of sport and art.[ citation needed ]
He has recently concluded the Basil Sellers Sports Sculpture Project of ten sculptures erected at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
Sellers' philanthropy extends to his birthplace, India. He funded the purchase of a property in Chennai for the education of young girls from the slums. With the additional features from the new property ANEW was able to graduate 1000 students per year and find them all full-time employment.[ citation needed ]
Sellers is involved in the promotion and investment of the winery. He is a major sponsor of the Len Evans Tutorial which aims to improve the quality of Australian wines by training and giving access to the world's best wines. The Tutorial is aimed at wine judges winemakers and sommeliers. [10]
He is a First XI patron of the Steve Waugh Foundation and a supporter of the Pick Me UP wheelchair service for the Sir Roden & Lady Cutler Foundation. He is a patron of the LBW Trust, a trust focused on educating disadvantaged youth in developing cricket-playing countries. He is also a Patron of the Chappell Foundation which seeks to help young homeless people in Australia. [11]
Sellers is married to Clare and has three children from his first marriage; Paul, Darrell, and Libby, and has four grandchildren.[ citation needed ]
Sellers' only sibling, Rex Sellers, was a test cricketer for Australia, but an injury prevented him from playing in any of the tests [12]
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