Date of Birth: 04/05/1912
Place of Birth: Stanmore, New South Wales, Australia
Date of Death: 12/11/1998
Place of Death: Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Parliamentary Service
| Member of the NSW Legislative Council |
23 Apr 1958 |
05 Nov 1978 |
20 years 6 months 14 days |
A Member of the indirectly elected Council 1934 - 1978. Date of Election 21 November 1957 and 12 May 1970. Granted retention of title of 'Honourable' for life. |
Political Party Activity
Independent 1958 - 1959. Country Party. Joined in 1959, treasurer from 1971 until 1972, member of central executive from 1971
Qualifications, occupations and interests
Public relations and advertising executive. educated at Enmore and Cleveland Street High Schools; messenger boy and journalist from 1927 until 1931; publicity officer with New South Wales government in 1938; organising secretary with Lord Mayor's Patriotic and War Fund, New South Wales Division of Australian Comforts Fund from 1939 until 1942; committee member of New South Wales District Australian Journalists' Association from 1934 until 1936; secretary and treasurer of Press Gallery from 1936 until 1937; director of public relations in Victoria. Liberal Party in 1945; established a public relations business in 1946, Asher Joel Pty Ltd in 1957, later became managing director of Age Old Public Relations Limited in 1964; director of Commercial Advertising Services Pty Ltd in 1964; consultant for Mount Isa Mines, managing director of Carpentaria Newspapers Pty Ltd, publishers of North West Star, Mt Isa, Queensland; chairman of Mt Isa Television Pty Ltd; director of Paynter and Dixon Industries Limited, building consultants and contractors in 1966, Sureguard Holdings Limited; editor of Reveille in 1955; Fellow of Royal Commonwealth Society in 1959; Fellow of Royal Society of Arts; Fellow of the Advertising Institute of Australia, Fellow of the Australian Institute of Management, president of Australian Public Relations Institute; executive committee of Sydney Opera House Appeal in 1962, member of Sydney Opera House Trust; director of Royal North Shore Hospital in 1959; vice president of Surf Lifesaving Association of Australia in 1941; president of Anzac Memorial Forest in Israel; author in 1977; member of Australian Jockey Club, Sydney Turf Club, New South Wales Trotting Club, Royal Agricultural Society; Freemason. Recreational interests include fishing, gardening and aviculture.
Military Service
Joined 2nd Australian Imperial Forces in June 1942, transferred to Royal Australian Navy in 1942, lieutenant in Royal Australian Naval Volunteer Reserve in 1943, Royal Australian Navy public relations staff of General MacArthur from 1944 until 1945, New Guinea, Halmaheras, Phillipines, Bronze Star.
Honours Received
Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) 1956, Knighted 1971; Knight of the Order of the British Empire (KBE) in 1974
Membership of other Parliaments & Offices Held
Local Government Activity
Personal
Son of Harry Joel, printer, and Phoebe Jacobs. Married (1) Olga Helen Russell-Parish on 8 July 1937 and had issue, 2 sons. Married (2) Sybil Jacobs on 7 April 1949 and had issue, 1 daughter and 1 son. Jewish. Funeral at Northern Suburbs crematorium from the Great Synagogue, near Park Street, Sydney.
Additional Information
Personal papers in the Mitchell Library, State Library of New South Wales: Sir
Asher Joel - papers, 1953 - 1970 (MLMSS 3284); photographs in the Leaf Cat
