Awarded Life Membership 17 May 1989

Born: 2 October 1927

Death: 11 May 2002 (74 years)

Graeme Briggs was a leading athletics administrator in Tasmania and Australia particularly around the organisations of athletics competitions.

His career in athletics officiating started in Hobart and this led him to becoming President of the Athletic Association of Tasmania.

His Commonwealth Games contribution started with being appointed the Athletics Team Manager at the Edinburgh 1970.  This led to positions as Athletics Section Manager at the Montreal 1976 Olympics Games and Oceania Manager at the 1977 World Cup in Athletics in Dusseldorf.

Graeme played a significant role in the late 1970’s in bringing together the men’s and women’s athletics unions to form what is now Athletics Australia and the historic move which permitted amateur and professional athletes to compete together.

He was the Athletics Competition Manager at the Brisbane 1982 Commonwealth Games.

Graeme’s national leadership positions in the Australian Athletic Union included Vice-President from 1982 to 1983, President from 1983 to 1989 and Honorary Treasurer from 1990 to 1991.  As President, he played a significant role in bringing to Australia, and then organising the 1985 World Cup in Athletics held in Canberra.

Graeme’s management of athletics competitions was highly regarded in Australia and internationally and he developed several significant competition manuals. He was renowned as a competition announcer.

He was awarded in 1984 Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in recognition of service to the sport of athletics.

In recognition to his service to athletics, Graeme was awarded life membership of Athletics Tasmania (1969), Honorary Life Governor of Athletics Australia (1990), IAAF Veterans Pin (1991) and Australian Sports Medal (2000) ‘For outstanding service as an official’.

In his professional life, he was an accountant, rising to become the Bursar of the University of Tasmania.