Many Western Australians have made a national and even international impression in their sporting pursuits, and a handful has also had a national impact in the business world.
Champion athlete Herb Elliott and AFL star Mike Fitzpatrick are two high achievers who stand above the pack.
Mr Elliott was one of the world’s greatest middle distance runners, setting three world records and winning the 1,500 metres gold medal at the 1960 Olympics before retiring at the age of 22.
During his business career he was chief executive of Puma Australia before being promoted in 1995 to president of Puma North America.
Most recently he was appointed a non-executive director of Andrew Forrest’s Fortescue Metals Group.
The common link between the two men is that Mr Forrest is chairman of Athletics Australia while Mr Elliott is a director.
Mike Fitzpatrick was one of the greats of Aussie Rules, initially playing for Subiaco before moving to Carlton, where he won the fairest and best award in 1979 and led the club to premierships in 1981 and 1982.
He was a director of investment bank CS First Boston before establishing Hastings Funds Management in 1994.
Mr Fitzpatrick, who was appointed to the AFL Commission last year, is due to retire from Hastings in mid 2005.
Former Fremantle Dockers player Peter Mann never reached the same heights as Mr Fitzpatrick as a player but could be a future contender for the same business heights.
Mr Mann is close to completing an MBA in Melbourne and is due to join top-notch management consulting firm Boston Consulting Group in 2005.
Simon Beasley is another Aussie Rules player, via Swan Districts and Footscray, to make an impression in the finance world.
He worked as a stockbroker for 22 years before being sacked from CS First Boston in 1999 for “breaches of compliance”.
At the time he was also a director and shareholder in Canberra-based betting agency Capital Sports, which he sold out of in mid 2001.
Mr Beasley is now able to focus full time on his love of horses and betting, having commenced as an on-course bookmaker in Melbourne in December 2001.
He last made the news last year when he complained about unpaid debts racked up by current AFL players.
