Sir James Winter Cruthers (20 December 1924 – 13 October 2015) was an Australian media business executive and philanthropist.
Early life and career Cruthers was born in 1924 and was educated at Claremont Central State School and Perth Technical College, leaving school at 16. He started work at the Daily News newspaper in Perth in 1939 and joined the forces in 1940. During the Second World War, he was a RAAF pilot.Words of Wisdom: Local Wisdom: The Events: Celebrate WA
After the war he became a cadet journalist at the Daily News, and was there when the paper hired Paul Rigby as a cartoonist.
In 1958, he was appointed as founding general manager of WA television station TVW Channel 7. He later was promoted chairman of the station.History & Corporate Structure
His chairmanships, included the Australian Film Commission and News American Publishing Inc, where he was personal adviser to Rupert Murdoch. In 1999, he was chairman of The Sunday Times newspaper.
Cruthers was a philanthropist, who established TVW Telethon and Perth's annual Christmas pageant.The TVW Telethon Institute for Child Health Research He supported many charitable groups, including the Lions Eye Institute (where he was a founding patron), UWA's Hackett Foundation,Office of Development – Hackett Patrons Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, the Association of the Blind (WA) Guide Dogs and the St George's Cathedral Restoration project.St Georges Cathedral – Key People He was the business representative on UWA's Berndt Museum of Anthropology's advisory board.Official Publications: Calendar – Other Boards and Committees
Cruthers and his wife Lady (Sheila) Cruthers were strong supporters of the arts. His wife was especially interested in twentieth-century art by Australian women, and the Cruthers Collection of Women's Art (CCWA) is a collection of artworks by Australian women artists from the 1890s to the present. Both have supported the National Gallery of Australia and the US National Portrait Gallery.foundation annual report 06.indd in June 2007, Cruthers and his wife donated the Cruthers Collection of Women's Art—more than 400 works by 155 Australian female artists including Grace Cossington Smith, Margaret Preston and Susan Norrie—to The University of Western Australia, where it is currently housed at the Lawrence Wilson Art Gallery.
In 1998 and 1999, Cruthers was conference patron of "small screen BIG PICTURE".
Death On 13 October 2015, Cruthers died at the age of 90.
Honours Cruthers was made a Knight Bachelor in the 1980 Birthday Honours.It's an Honour: Knight Bachelor He was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia in 2008.It's an Honour: AO
Cruthers received the honorary degree Doctor of Letters from University of Western Australia in 2005.Public Affairs – UWA Awards to leading West Australians
References