The Lieutenant Governor

Dr Richard ‘Harry’ Harris SC OAM, Lieutenant Governor of South Australia, is a former Adelaide-based specialist anaesthetist.

A third-generation doctor, Dr Harris completed his Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery at Flinders University in 1988.

After completing his anaesthesia training in the UK, Adelaide, and New Zealand, he joined Specialist Anaesthetic Services practice in 1998.

During his three-decade career, Dr Harris worked in a variety of critical care and aeromedical retrieval environments in Australia, the UK, Vanuatu, and New Zealand.

In 2012, Dr Harris started working with the South Australian Ambulance Service (SAAS) MedSTAR and served as the medical lead for the South Australian Urban Search and Rescue Task Force.

An experienced medical retrieval expert and accomplished cave diver, Dr Harris shot to international repute after taking part in an international rescue operation in July 2018 to rescue 12 boys and their soccer coach from the flooded Tham Luang Nang Non cave in Thailand.

Combining his skills as an anaesthetist and diver, Dr Harris helped guide the boys through nearly 2.5 kilometres of zero visibility water.

For his role in the Thailand cave rescue, Dr Harris received the Star of Courage, Australia’s second highest civilian award for bravery, and the Medal of the Order of Australia.

Dr Harris was the joint 2019 Australian of the Year with his dive partner Dr Craig Challen.

He retired as an anaesthetist in 2022 and now works primarily as a speaker, author, and film maker.