Graham “Skroo’’ Turner close to being a billionaire thanks to Flight Centre stocks
A BOOST in Flight Centre stocks has put this man tantalisingly close to becoming Brisbane’s newest billionaire.
QLD Business
Don't miss out on the headlines from QLD Business. Followed categories will be added to My News.
NEARLY THERE
Graham “Skroo’’ Turner is tantalisingly close to becoming Brisbane’s newest billionaire.
The Flight Centre supremo’s holding in the travel group is now worth more than $913 million as the stock hits record highs.
It closed at $59.72 on Tuesday but will have to reach $65.60 for Turner to join the billionaire’s club.
Meanwhile, he’s been mixing work and pleasure in Europe recently.
After some holiday downtime, Turner was focusing on budgets in London last week amid speculation that he might get behind the wheel of a Topdeck bus to help celebrate the company’s 45th anniversary.
He co-founded the bus line and travel service in London in 1973.
Turner is in Dubrovnik this week for a conference with about 90 of the top selling Topdeck travel agents from around the world.
We understand he packed his heavy vehicle license so a sentimental whirl on the bus might just be on the cards.
Turner and his wife Jude headed a list of Queensland’s most generous philanthropists of 2017.
The couple donated or pledged more than $20 million last year, including $18.5 million from their Turner Family Foundation, for a joint venture with the University of Queensland to open a conservation centre to breed, rehabilitate and release local rare and endangered native wildlife in the Scenic Rim.
SWINGING LEGENDS
Brisbane developer Liz Pidgeon has forked out about $1000 to play a round of golf with tennis legend Pat Rafter this week.
Anatolia Constructions boss Kane Roberts has coughed up a similar amount to practice his swing with Wally Lewis and Paralympic swimmer Brenden Hall.
Meanwhile, Blurb Consulting chief Ian Perkins will be strolling the links nearby with fast bowler Mitchell Starc.
They’re all taking part in the inaugural Walking With Legends Charity Golf Classic, which kicks off this Friday at the Brisbane Golf Club.
It’s the first joint initiative of two child-focused charities, Aspirations4Kids in Sport and Cystic Fibrosis Queensland.
Organisers hope to raise about $30,000, with a good chunk of that money aimed at getting trampolines in to schools.
Ten sporting greats have volunteered their time, including Andrew Slack, Wayne Grady, Ian Healy, Allan Border, Nikki Hudson and Alyssa Healy.
Melbourne developer Ian Roberts was the first to strike during the online auction, snaring Grady, Border and Ian Healy.
Roberts is so enamoured with the idea that he’s even flying eight of his mates up for the day to play.
So far the event has attracted 27 teams of four, some of which will include the sporting identities, but there’s room for 32 teams, Aspirations head Julie-Anne Dietz told City Beat yesterday.
After cruising around the 18 holes, participants will be wined and dined at the club. The winner will take home the newly created Patterson Hall Cup trophy.
Dietz and her counterpart at Cystic Fibrosis, Petrina Fraccaro, plan to make the golf day an annual event.
Next year, they expect to host a Calcutta dinner to allow the auction to play out in real time, rather than the silent variety online.
Don’t be surprised to see Pidgeon back out there again in 2019. After all, the Cornerstone Properties top gun sits on the Aspirations board, which is chaired by Ian Healy.
DEAL OR NO DEAL
More than 1000 entrepreneurs and investors are expected to pack The Tivoli in Brisbane on Wednesday night to kick off the much-hyped Myriad conference.
The launch party is sponsored by Red Bull, presumably to fuel all that deal-making in to the wee hours of the morning.
It’s the first official event of the three-day gathering following the arrival on Monday of a plane load of Silicon Valley bigshots keen to explore start-up investment opportunities.
The State Government, which underwrote part of the cost of the flight, touted the journey as an incubator for the sharing of great ideas.
But a City Beat spy on the 747 tells us it was really just one big piss up after the seatbelt sign went off.
Why global money is rethinking ‘anything but China’ trade
Big investors are preparing to play in China again, but the wild swings are not for the faint hearted.
‘Devastating’: Greyhound’s ghastly track injury, death reignites racing debate
The death of a greyhound following a neck-breaking crash at a Qld meet has attracted the furore of anti-racing advocates, but industry chiefs insist it was a “freak” accident on “one of the best tracks” in the state. *Distressing content.