Decision details

Moved by Councillor Weldon, seconded by Councillor Scott –

It is resolved that:

(A)       Council note:

(i)         the recent passing of Dr GK Harinath OAM, known by many as ‘Dr Harry’ and, to friends, simply ‘Harry’;

(ii)        Harry was a respected and admired doctor, cricket administrator and community leader. He was a mentor to many and friend to even more;

(iii)       Harry was born in Hyderabad India in 1944. From a young age, he wanted to be a doctor. He worked diligently towards this goal, studying medicine at Osmania University;

(iv)       Harry migrated to Australia in 1971. After completing further medical training, he began working at the Mercy Hospital in Tasmania. After settling in Sydney, Harry opened his own general practice in Westfield Eastgardens. He also served as Medical Officer for South Sydney Council;

(v)        Harry had a lifelong love of cricket. In 1977, he joined his local Balmain Cricket Club volunteering as team medic and then club President, a role he held for more than 30 years. Driven by his passion for the game, Harry went on to serve as Chairperson of Cricket NSW and as a board member of Cricket Australia;

(vi)       Harry was awarded an Order of Australia Medal in the 2009 Queen’s Birthday Honours for service to cricket through executive roles at the state and national level, and to the community;

(vii)      a Tamil Hindu, Harry was passionate about creating harmony in an increasingly multicultural Australia. He had a unique ability to connect with anyone he met and to build bridges between communities. In 2013, Harry was appointed to the Multicultural NSW Advisory Board and served for eight years as Chairperson. When he stepped down, he was extended the honour of being the first ‘Chairperson Emeritus’;

(viii)    Harry was awarded the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman (Medal) by the President of India in 2017, the highest honour conferred to Indians living overseas; and

(ix)       friends who spoke at Harry’s funeral described him as a generous, warm and humble man who opened doors and moved mountains for multicultural communities in Australia. He is loved dearly by his wife Gayathri, his children Neeta and Vikram, and their families;

(B)       the Lord Mayor be requested to write to Harry’s family expressing Council’s condolences; and

(C)       all persons attending this meeting of Council observe one minute’s silence to commemorate the life of Dr GK Harinath OAM.

Carried unanimously.

Note – All those present at the meeting, held remotely, observed a minute’s silence as a mark of respect to Dr GK Harinath OAM.

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