Our Patron

RW Bro Sir James Hardy Kt OBE PDGM

James Gilbert Hardy was born in Adelaide in November, 1932, the son of Tom Mayfield Hardy and Eileen Hardy. He attended St Peters College.

After doing a bit of share-farming and his stint in National Service, Jim achieved his Dip in Accountancy FCPA and FAICD and joined the family wine company, Thomas Hardy & Sons. Jim chose to be on the commercial rather than the technical side of the business.

At this stage the company was a hundred years old and was mainly in sherries and brandies with only some revenue from table wines being claret, burgundy, hock and moselle. After he was appointed Manager of the Sydney office, Jim was one of the founders of promoting table wines to the Australian palate holding wine appreciation sessions in Johnny Walkers Bistro and Angus Steak Cave. Nowadays consider the variety of top-quality Hardy table wines people enjoy.

From around ten years of age Jim grew a passion for sailing, patching up the family Cadet Dinghy then later to build his own. In a new Cadet, Jim represented SA in the National Dinghy Championships, The Stonehaven Cup sponsored by Baron Stonehaven, being unaware that this sponsor had been the Grand Master of the UGL of NSW from 1928 to 1930 and that, one day he this young sailor, would be Deputy Grand Master.

Jim’s passion for sailing led him to more successes than we have available print space. He built a Sharpie for Olympic trials in 1956 then won the national title in Perth in 1959. From there to the Flying Dutchman class and the 505 class. Jim represented Australia in the 1964 Olympics in Tokyo, one of his proudest achievements.

In a 505 in 1966 Jim won the first world championship for an international class to be held in Australia.

In 1970 Jim was chosen by Sir Frank Packer to skipper his yacht GRETEL II to challenge for the America’s Cup. He was America’s Cup Skipper on two more occasions; 1974 in SOUTHERN CROSS and AUSTRALIA in 1980. Jim was Alan Bond’s Team Advisor when AUSTRALIA II won the cup in 1983.

In 1980-81, Jim was honoured to be Australian Yachtsman of the Year and was inducted into the America’s Cup Hall of Fame in 1994.

After his transfer to Sydney, Jim was initiated into Freemasonry in Lodge Sydney, in November 1962.

In 1979, now RW Bro James Hardy OBE, he was asked to Chair the Masonic Centre Opening Committee consisting of sixteen Masons including the then Grand Master, MW Bro Noel Warren and Assistant Grand Master, RW Bro Harold Coates. It was a massive organisational task. The Grand Master referred to the event as ‘the most exciting chapter in the history of this Grand Lodge since 1888’.

From 1977 to 1980, RW Bro James Hardy OBE served in the high Office of Deputy Grand Master of UGL NSW.

Sir James has served on many boards and committees which have included Chairman of Landcare Australia Foundation and an Executive Committee Member of Neurosurgical Research Foundation of South Australia.

The Queen of England awarded James Gilbert Hardy an Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire in 1975 and Knight Batchelor in 1981 for services to yachting and the community.