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People

February

Forever Projects founder Mark Dombkins.

Tech heavyweights back ‘tenacious’ unlikely social entrepreneur

Airtree Ventures, Canva and OIF are among supporters of Forever Projects, a charity started by Wollongong maths teacher Mark Dombkins that is running like a start-up.

The Australian Club’s grand facade.

Joe Longo to speak at men-only Australia Club

His attendance is part of a long tradition, several of his predecessors also having given speeches at the institution

January

Pratt’s granddaughter married in lavish Raheen wedding

The lavish garden wedding at the Pratt family mansion took place on the same day another branch of the clan were fighting it out over the $23 billion family empire.

AFT

As wealth whisperers help the rich, one rebel gave it all away

A service industry has sprung up to help wealthy families preserve their fortune through the generations, but Austrian heiress Marlene Engelhorn had other ideas.

Payapps co-founder Geoff Tarrant is better known for his investment banking career than his success as a co-founder.

How this reluctant CEO sold his company for $600m

When Payapps co-founder Geoff Tarrant was selling his software company early last year, he was given some sage advice: ‘it’s not Canva’.

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The wealth gap between Elon Musk and second-ranked Jeff Bezos has never been bigger.

Musk added more wealth than Greece last year as richest breach $16trn

Elon Musk stretched his lead over Jeff Bezos as the world’s richest last year, but there were some notable losers, including the French.

December 2024

Reed Hastings, the billionaire co-founder and former chief executive of Netflix.

The year’s biggest gift is $1.8b, and it’s not from Buffett

Netflix co-founder Reed Hastings tops the list of the 12 biggest gifts of 2024, thanks to a $US1.1 billion donation to his education foundation.

The Year of Brilliant Jerks: Rear Window’s year in review

Trump, Ellison, White, Adgemis, Gupta and that Rinehart portrait. For Rear Window, the end of shame and pretense added up to a ripping year of stories.

Naomi Simson started RedBalloon in 2001 and has become one of the country’s most recognisable founders.

‘A man is not a plan’: How Naomi Simson created an experiences empire

Naomi Simson founded RedBalloon in 2001 on a shoestring budget. Now she’s looking to expand the company into the international market.

Keith Urban: didn’t mind the cameras

The drama at Anthony Pratt’s New York party

Actor Chris Rock stormed out of the New York shindig, but singer Keith Urban got the joint jumping.

Visy’s Anthony Pratt (centre) pictured with then Victorian premier Daniel Andrews and federal Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek at Visy’s Coolaroo plant last year.

Dan Andrews makes Anthony Pratt’s New York party

Rich Lister Anthony Pratt has wasted no time getting settled into his new home.

Zeller founder Ben Pfisterer says he “learnt the craft of trying to get stuff done” when he tried pioneering contactless payments at NAB.

‘Find what makes you happy’: From zero to $1b in two years

Zeller’s Ben Pfisterer brought Square to Australia after stints at Jetstar, NAB and Visa. He has based his career on one piece of advice – from his parents.

November 2024

Australia’s wealthiest women and those leading philanthropic foundations gathered in Canberra on Thursday to boost female giving.

Australia’s wealthiest women join forces to supercharge philanthropy

Women from Australia’s biggest philanthropic donors met in Canberra on Thursday for She Gives’ first roundtable, including Fiona Geminder and the Fox family.

Lonely Planet founders Tony and Maureen Wheeler.

Lonely Planet founders not content with giving away half their wealth

Tony and Maureen Wheeler are doubling down on their commitment to Melbourne’s Wheeler Centre with a big commitment to match donations.

Dom Pym has founded more than 22 companies, but you probably only know him as the guy who built neobank Up.

‘If we lose everything, we can just get a regular job’

From a childhood that was “pretty tough” in parts, Dom Pym founded 22 companies including neobank Up, which he sold for $116 million. Now he wants to elevate Australia’s venture ecosystem.

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Imagine this but spookier: the Cannon-Brooke mansion is Double Bay’s favourite trick-or-treat haunt

Cannon-Brookes mansion hosts Double Bay Halloween

On Thursday evening, hundreds of pint-sized local ghouls descended upon the erstwhile couple’s estate, to partake of candy.

AFR composite

Chanticleer’s 10 legends of marvellous Melbourne

Melbourne has always been Chanticleer’s spiritual home. As part of the column’s 50-year celebrations, we name 10 big characters from the past five decades. 

October 2024

How these Young Rich Listers celebrated their own 21st birthdays

To mark the 21st anniversary of the list, we ask notable Young Rich Listers past and present what their lives were like at 21.

From left: Melanie Perkins and Cliff Obrecht; Natasha Oakley (front); Georgia Contos; James and Robbie Ferguson.

Australia’s richest people 40 and under break record

The Young Rich List, now in its 21st year, set a new high for total wealth of $41.7 billion in 2024, dominated by technology entrepreneurs and retailers.

Crypto billionaire Tim Heath has an estimated worth of $2.27 billion.

Crypto casino Rich Lister victim of attempted kidnapping

Billionaire Tim Heath was attacked in his home in Estonia in July by a group of foreign nationals who attempted to abduct him.

Original URL: https://www.afr.com/wealth/people