Sam Riley’s battle with swim school ends in liquidation

Olympic swimming champion Sam Riley’s long battle with a Brisbane swim school has resulted in liquidators being appointed to the company.

OLYMPIC swimming champion Sam Riley’s long running battle with a Brisbane swim school has reached a climax of sorts with liquidators appointed to the operation this week.

Bill Cotter, of Robson Cotter Insolvency, will handle the winding up of the company, Summer School, which the Supreme Court says owes Riley almost $70,000.

Ex-Olympic Swimmer Sam Riley. Picture: Nigel Hallett

Summer Swim School’s owner Alex Brown had disputed that debt and last month applied to the Federal Court to set aside the Supreme Court demand notice.

That case was dismissed last month with Brown ordered to pay Riley’s costs. Prior to Brown’s purchase of the school in 2014, the school traded as Sam Riley’s Swim School. Brown was found to have been incapable of properly managing the business when he was struck down with meningsitis and was hospitalised. Riley and Brown were not contactable yesterday. Further action in the Supreme Court by Brown is pending.

COOKING WITH GAS

WE are told cattle have been contributing to global warming for eons as they expire gases from both ends.

Now apparently there is a way to tuck into your favourite steak without attracting tut tuts from the greenie brigade.

Queensland beef company NAPCo yesterday launched what it calls Australia’s first “carbon neutral” beef at swish Southbank nosh spot Stokehouse. Guests tucked into carbon free beef pastrami, scotch fillet, and shaved tongue. Even the dessert had a meat theme billing itself as “beef fat butterscotch tart.”

Nicholas Henderson and Ross Bratt are working towards making their cattle station west of Roma carbon neutral. Picture: Lachie Millard

NAPCo chief executive Phillip Cummins says the beef, to be sold under the Five Founders label, will be sold throughout Asia and Australia in restaurants and flash supermarkets.

Cummins says reducing a cow’s methane output, which we are told is mainly expired through burping and not the other end, is a combination of genetics and diet. Cattle that are bred to have a short life span will have a lower carbon footprint.

In the area of diet, NAPCo is using a CSIRO designed food additive derived from an algae that reduces the amount of gas in the stomach.

On a side note, your diarist didn’t get to taste the lovely food as he left early when told the meal would drag on past 4pm. Who said the long lunch was dead in the beef trade?

HALF CENTURY CELEBRATION

A COMPANY that started life putting down bore holes for Queensland peanut farmers and grew into one of the country’s largest providers of drilling services for the mining and energy sector, celebrated its half century last night.

Mitchell Services, founded in 1969 by Peter and Deidre Mitchell, is now a $120 million business with 400 staff and 70 drill rigs across Australia. “Dee (Deidre) and I started with one rig drilling water bores for peanut farmers,” said Peter. “We’re very proud to see Mitchell stronger than ever half a century later.”

The event was marked with a shindig at Howard Smith Wharves. Nathan Mitchell, the founders’ son and now company chairman, said the company has lived through the industry’s ups and downs with 2019 considered a “breakthrough year.”

WOMEN OF LEAGUE

BRISBANE’S business community is getting behind the Brisbane Broncos NRLW team with a dinner at Broncos Leagues Club next Thursday night.

Olympic swimming champion Tracy Stockwell, trailblazing female jockey Pam O’Neill and Broncos NRLW captain Ali Brigginshaw will be the guest speakers, all telling their stories of breaking ground in their chosen fields.

Olympic swimming champion Tracey Stockwell.

The guest list includes Broncos chief executive Paul White, Jemma Elder, boss of Personalised Plates Queensland (and partner of Gorden Tallis), Louise Bellchambers, national operations manager of the Shingle Inn, and OzHarvest state manager Amy Cobb.

Corporate support has been building behind the Broncos NRLW team after their win in the inaugural premiership last year.