Harry Boan

Henry Boan (1860–1941) was an Australian businessman and politician, who was best known for establishing the Boans department store in Perth, Western Australia.

Boan was born at Jones Creek near Dunolly, Victoria on 4 November 1860. He was the son of English born Jewish parents Thomas, a miner and road contractor, and Rachel Isaacs. Thomas and Rachel had previously lived in California before coming to Australia in about 1850 in relatively poor circumstances. When Harry was about 16 he left home and worked as a messenger in Flegeltaub's Ballarat warehouse on wages of 10s. per week including lodging. He was later promoted to a position of town-traveller at £2 10s. per week but soon resigned. From here he moved between jobs in Melbourne and later Sydney, Brisbane, Toowoomba and Charters Towers including positions at 'Anthony Hordern's' and 'David Jones's'. The business expanded rapidly and soon became the leading drapery in the prosperous town. However, by the mid-1890s Broken Hill was suffering a downturn, and in 1895 Harry sold his share of the business to Ernest. In February the following year however, he resigned from parliament after he was criticised for allowing the State Savings Bank (which was taken over in 1931 by the Commonwealth Bank) to open a branch in his store. The store was floated as a limited company shortly after and he moved to England, living there between 1918 and 1920. Boan returned to Perth in about 1920 and was re-elected to the Legislative Council in November 1922; he did not renominate in 1924.

After his retirement from politics, Boan's consuming passion was horse-racing and hunting. He established a successful racing stud which produced many winners and which won the 1910 AJC Derby with 'Tanami'. Other successful horses included 'Maltfield' and 'Maltblossom'.

He served as president of the board of the Children's Hospital and made frequent generous donations.

The iconic Boans store finally closed on 12 April 1986 after the property was purchased by the Myer Group to make way for a $60 million site redevelopment. The footbridge over Wellington Street between the Perth City Train Station and Myer was named the Harry Boan Footbridge by Landgate's Geographic Names Committee in 1988.