John Longley AM, CitWA

Museum Council Member
Term: 6 May 2019 – 5 May 2025

John Longley has had a long career in sailing, initially in dinghies and then in ocean racing. This led to his involvement in the America’s Cup, which saw him competing in five matches from 1974 to 1987, including being project manager and crewman on Australia II during the successful challenge for the Cup in 1983. He was subsequently charged with managing the build of Endeavour, a museum-standard replica of Captain James Cook's famous ship of discovery, HMB Endeavour. After the six-year build he continued to manage the project as the ship circumnavigated the globe visiting 149 ports. Mr Longley was a Board Member and later Chair of the Duyfken 1606 Foundation and managed Duyfken’s tour of Australia in 2006 that marked the 400th anniversary of the first recorded landing of a European ship on the continent. More recently, he was the Event Director of Perth 2011, World Sailing’s Olympic Classes World Championship, which attracted 1200 competitors from 80 nations. He was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in 1984, was the West Australian Citizen of the Year (Sport) in 2011 and has been inducted into the America’s Cup Hall of Fame.