# Ted Egan

Edward Joseph Egan AO (born 6 July 1932) is an Australian folk musician and a former public servant who served as Administrator of the Northern Territory from 2003 to 2007.

## Early life

Egan was born in Coburg, Victoria, and was educated at Parade College. He moved to the Northern Territory in 1949 at the age of 16 in search of work and adventure. In his early career with the Department of Aboriginal Affairs he was mainly in the bush and engaged in jobs such as stockwork and crocodile hunting while employed as a patrol officer and reserve superintendent. Later he was a teacher at bush schools. He was a member of the first National Reconciliation Council.
Egan was the sole teacher at the Newcastle Waters Station in 1965 and was stranded at the property for six weeks when the creek flooded. During this time, no supplies were able to be delivered, so Egan had to hunt for animals such as bush turkey for food. He later returned to the station in 2012 for the book launch of Middle of Everywhere about life in the area.

## Music career

Egan began recording in 1969 with "Drinkers of the Northern Territory" and has released 30 albums, mostly themed around outback life, history and Aboriginal people.
Egan wrote the "Gurindji Blues" in 1969 with Vincent Lingiari during the Wave Hill walk-off. Egan says he was moved to write "Gurindji Blues" after he heard Peter Nixon, then Minister for the Interior, say in parliament that if the Gurindji wanted land, they should save up and buy it, like any other Australian. Nixon also gets a mention in the song.

### Albums

List of albums :
| Title | Album details |
| Outback Australia | Released: 1972 Label: RCA (SL 101976) Formats: LP |
| The Bangtail Muster | Released: 1973 Label: RCA (SL 102350) Formats: LP, Cassette |
| Once a Jolly Swagman | Released: 1974 Label: RCA Australia (VPL1-0049) Formats: LP, Cassette |
| Beyond the Black Stump | Released: 1975 Label: RCA Victor (VPL1-0113) Formats: LP, Cassette |
| The Bush Races | Released: 1976 Label: RCA Victor (VPL1-0139) Formats: LP, Cassette |
| Rodeo Australia | Released: 1980 Label: RCA Australia (VPL1 0286) Formats: LP, Cassette |
| A Town Like Alice | Released: 1980 Label: RCA Australia (VPL1 0313) Formats: LP, Cassette |
| Arnhem Land Lullaby | Released: 1981 Label: RCA Rockaway (DPL-610) Formats: LP, Cassette |
| The Overlanders | Released: 1982 Label: Faces of Australia Series, ABC Records (TELP 1001) Formats: LP, Cassette |
| Our Coach Captain | Released: 1983 Label: EMI Formats: LP, Cassette |
| The Shearers | Released: 1984 Label: Faces of Australia Series, ABC Records (TELP 1002) Formats: LP, Cassette |
| The Anzacs (with Judy Small, Eric Bogle, Nerys Evans and the Anzac Band & Singers) | Released: 1985 Label: Faces of Australia Series, ABC Records (TELP 1003) Formats: LP, Cassette |
| My Australia: The Very Best of Ted Egan | Released: 1986 Label: J&B Records (JB 248) Formats: LP, Cassette Compilation |
| The Aboriginals | Released: 1987 Label: Faces of Australia Series, ABC Records (TELP 1004) Formats: LP, Cassette |
| The Convicts | Released: 1989 Label: Faces of Australia Series, ABC Records (TELP 1005) Formats: LP, Cassette |
| This Land Australia | Released: 1989 Label: EMI (EMX 793212) Formats: LP, Cassette |
| Echoes in the Dust (with Andrew Langford) | Released: 1989 Label: The Original Dreamtime Art Gallery Formats: Cassette |
| Welcome to the Bush | Released: 1994 Label: Castle Communications Formats: CD |
| The Urupunga Frog (Australian Songs for Children) | Released: 1999 Label: Formats: CD |
| Packhorse Drover (with Bruce Simpson) | Released: 2000 Label: ABC Audio (0642557020) Formats: CD |
| The Drover's Boy - A Celebration of Australian Women (with Nerys Evans) | Released: 2002 Formats: CD |
| I.O.U | Released: 2002 Formats: CD |
| The Land Downunder | Released: 2003 Label: Evergreen Media (EVGR 002) Formats: 2×CD, digital |
| Such Is Life | Released: 2003 Label: EMI Music Distribution Formats: CD, digital |
| Saving the Best | Released: August 2010 Label: ABC Formats: CD, digital |

### Charting singles

| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album |
| Title | Year | AUS | Album |
| "Willie The Whingeing Pom" | 1973 | 93 | The Bangtail Muster |

### Books

* 1978 Outback Holiday (also by Mark Egan) ISBN 0-7295-0040-3
* 1979 A Drop of Rough Ted ISBN 0-9595744-0-9
* 1984 The Overlanders Songbook ISBN 0-909104-74-3
* 1987 The Aboriginals Songbook -Faces of Australia Series ASIN B000N7AKU0
* 1989 Shearers Songbook ISBN 0-909104-75-1
* 1991 Would I Lie to You? The Goanna Driver and Other Very True Stories ISBN 0-670-90460-0
* 1993 The Paperboys War Ted Egan An Autobiography ISBN 1-875703-08-X
* 1996 Justice All Their Own ISBN 0522846939
* 1997 Sitdown Up North Ted Egan An Autobiography ISBN 1-875703-23-3
* 1997 The Drover's Boy ISBN 0-85091-840-5
* 2003 The Land Downunder ISBN 0-9545726-0-2
* 2008 Due Inheritance ISBN 0-7295-0040-3
* 2011 Kutju Australia: An Australian Translation of Advance Australia Fair ISBN 9780980861921
* 2014 The ANZACS 100 Years On: in Story and Song ISBN 9780987381156
* 2019 Outback Songman: My Life ISBN 9781760871437

### Videos

* This Land Australia series (as presenter, narrator and interviewer)
   * Broome and the Pearl Coast
   * Cape York Peninsula: The Vanishing Frontier
   * Central Australia: The Eighth Wonder
   * Discovering a Rainforest
   * Gulf Country: The Road from Mt. Surprise
   * Hahndorf and the Barossa: Valleys of Hope
   * The Islands of Torres Strait
   * Mysterious Australia
   * Norfolk Island
   * Paddleboats of the Murray River
   * Railways of Yesteryear
   * Snowy Mountains
These are available individually and as boxed sets on DVD from Flashback Entertainment.

## Administrator of the Northern Territory

Egan was appointed Administrator of the Northern Territory by Governor-General Michael Jeffery effective 31 October 2003. He was sworn in on 18 November.
On 14 September 2005, he was awarded a one-year extension to his term of office by Jim Lloyd, the Federal Minister for Local Government, Territories and Roads. This was further extended for another year to serve until 30 October 2007.

## Television

Egan has presented and narrated 6 episodes of the 1989 series This Land Australia, a series devoted to iconic Australian people and places. He also wrote and performed the show's theme song of the same name. He has been a co-host of the lifestyle show The Great Outdoors.

## Honours

Egan was made a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in the 1993 Australia Day Honours List for services to the Aboriginal people, and for "an ongoing contribution to the literary heritage of Australia through song and verse".
In 2004, Egan was promoted to an Officer of the Order (AO) as acknowledgement of "the significance of [his] continuing contribution to the community culminating in his being sworn-in as the 18th Administrator of the Northern Territory".
Egan is listed among the "Australia's National Living Treasures" by the National Trust of Australia.
Ted was the recipient of the National Folk Festival's Lifetime Achievement Award in April 2015 at NFF's Opening Ceremony in Canberra. Egan performed four songs at the event, including one about pioneering women in Australia.

### ARIA Music Awards

The ARIA Music Awards are a set of annual ceremonies presented by Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA), which recognise excellence, innovation, and achievement across all genres of the music of Australia. They commenced in 1987.
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result | Ref. |
| 1990 | This Land Australia | Best Country Album | Nominated | |

### Australian Roll of Renown

The Australian Roll of Renown honours Australian and New Zealander musicians who have shaped the music industry by making a significant and lasting contribution to Country Music. It was inaugurated in 1976 and the inductee is announced at the Country Music Awards of Australia in Tamworth in January.
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
| 1995 | Ted Egan | Australian Roll of Renown | inductee |

### Country Music Awards of Australia

The Country Music Awards of Australia (CMAA) (also known as the Golden Guitar Awards) is an annual awards night held in January during the Tamworth Country Music Festival, celebrating recording excellence in the Australian country music industry. They have been held annually since 1973.
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
| 2000 | "The Drover's Boy" | Video Clip of the Year | Won |
| 2014 | Ted Egan | Lifetime Achievement Award | awarded |

### Tamworth Songwriters Awards

The Tamworth Songwriters Association (TSA) is an annual songwriting contest for original country songs, awarded in January at the Tamworth Country Music Festival. They commenced in 1986.
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result (wins only) |
| 1991 | Ted Egan | Songmaker Award | awarded |
| 2011 | "Queensland Opera" by Ted Egan | Comedy/Novelty Song of the Year | Won |
| 2011 | "The Laughing Game" by Ted Egan | Children's Song of the Year | Won |