Louis Hailey was a standout on the Queensland regional and Australian national field hockey teams during the second half of the 1950s. During his career, he represented his country twice at the Olympic Games, with Australia coming in fifth in 1956 and sixth in 1960. He earned numerous distinctions for his efforts, including a Hockey Australia Award of Merit, being named as the goalkeeper for the Queensland Team of the Century, and induction into the Order of Australia, as well as, in 2002, the Hockey Queensland Hall of Fame. From 1969 through 1988 he served as a selector for the Australian national team. By career he was an architect.
Australia