In 1948 he graduated from the
University of Adelaide with a Bachelor of Science and Diploma of Education. From 1949 to 1951 he taught science and mathematics at
Geelong Grammar.[1]
Hickinbotham founded the Hickinbotham Group of Companies in 1954, which became one of Australia's largest building companies, developing over 50 community estates in
Adelaide. He was an influential member of the Housing Industry Association SA and worked to sponsor skilled migrants from Britain to settle in Adelaide. He also had an interest in wineries in South Australia.[2][3]
He was appointed a Member of the
Order of Australia for "services to housing and urban development" in 1998.[2][4] A scholarship at
St Columba College in Adelaide is named in honour.[1]
Football
Before his business career, Hickinbotham played six matches as a key defender for
Geelong Football Club.[5] He later captain-coached
South Adelaide Football Club and retained ties with the club until his death. In 2005 South Adelaide renamed their home ground Hickinbotham Oval, (formerly Noarlunga Oval), in his honour. He played four representative games for
South Australia.[2]
In the early 1970s, Hickinbotham was part of a committee that drove the development of
Football Park, a dedicated Australian rules football ground for major matches in Adelaide.
Hickinbotham died in May 2010 after a long illness, aged 84.[2][6]
References
^
abc"Alan David Hickinbotham"(PDF). The Alan Hickinbotham Scholarship. St Columba College. Archived from
the original(PDF) on 18 May 2012. Retrieved 26 December 2011.