Chris Hemsworth, Arthur Laundy, Adam Gilchrist on Byron Bay rich list
Public servants and company CEOs are raking in the cash across the Byron Shire. Here’s how much they earn as rich listers.
Byron Shire
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Big business means big money, and for some of the north coast’s public servants and private business owners it means a big salary too.
Not only are some of the region’s CEOs taking home pays higher than former Premier Gladys Berejiklian’s $407,980, but Scott Morrison’s $549,250 gross remuneration too.
It was far above the average wage earned in regional Australia: 2018 Census data shows Byron residents took home a median wage of $35,241.
These are some of the top earners across Byron from the public and private sectors.
Private sector business owners and executives have been ranked according to revenue generated by their companies or reported company pay out.
Public servants have been ranked according to their annual wage.
Private
9. Laundy Family
Hotel tsar Arthur Laundy and his family are carving out a pivotal role in Byron’s future as they purchase several key properties in the region.
Patriarch Arthur Laundy’s wealth is valued at $1.4 billion, according to The Australian in March.
According to modelling reports from Dun and Bradstreet, Laundy Hotels Pty Ltd earnt US$12.52 million in 2020.
In September 2020, the family bought the legendary Byron business The Farm with business partner Fraser Short.
The pair also acquired the Illawong Hotel at Evans Head for about $15 million in March this year and the nearby Lennox Hotel for more than $40 million in February.
8. Scott Emery
Mr Emery made the deal of a generation when he bought the popular Byron watering hole, The Great Northern Hotel, for $80 million in June this year.
Mr Emery is a non-executive director of MoneyMe and founder and managing director of commercial building company Yarra Valley Commercial.
The ventures brought an estimated US$46.17 million in revenue through the door in the past year, according to modelling reports from Dun and Bradstreet.
The sale of The Great Northern was deemed one of the biggest in Byron’s history.
7. Adam Gilchrist
From humble beginnings to a worldwide gym franchise acclaimed by celebrities like Mark Wahlberg, it is no surprise this billionaire occasionally calls Byron home too.
A certified rich-lister, it is estimated Mr Gilchrist’s net worth in 2021 could exceed $600 million, according to the Australian Financial Review.
F45 Training Holdings Inc is listed as earning an estimated $26.8 million in the second quarter of the last financial year.
The business has an estimated revenue of US$82.31 million per year, according to modelling reports from Dun and Bradstreet.
The gym founder and his wife purchased a $18.8 million Wategos holiday home in 2019, just weeks after Mark Wahlberg bought into the company.
His grandfather Eric Gilchrist also owned one of the first Marine Parade subdivisions in the region.
6. Chris Hemsworth
Perhaps Byron Bay’s most famous celebrity also rates as one of its biggest earners.
Mr Hemsworth reportedly received $20 million for the latest Thor instalment, Thor: Love and Thunder, according to Variety.
Hemsworth also made the cut on Australian Financial Review’s annual 2021 Young Rich List who reported the A-lister had an estimated $105 million to his name.
He and wife Elsa Pataky live at a Broken Head compound they had built after buying a block in 2014.
5. Justin Hemmes
The Merivale CEO is another Sydney hotelier making Byron his.
Mr Hemmes’ NSW hospitality empire will soon grow with the addition of the former Cheeky Monkeys on Jonson St, bought for an estimated $13.5 million.
The Financial Review listed Hemmes’ as having a $1.2 billion fortune in 2021.
According to modelling reports from Dun and Bradstreet, an investment in regional pubs also put the Hemmes Trading Pty Limited at US$186.60 million in 2020.
Mr Hemmes said at the time of the purchase that he had been visiting Byron since he was 10 and that it was a “place close to my heart”.
4. Anthony Scali
The head of Australian furniture brand Nick Scali is another who likes to enjoy the beauty and luxury of Byron.
The CEO’s company reached US$244 million in revenue in 2020 with Mr Scali pocketing an estimated $1.5 million according to the company’s annual statement.
Mr Scali bought a Byron Shire property in Wilsons Creek for a reported $4.2 million in 2018.
The hinterland haven is just one of Mr Scali’s weekenders, with the furniture mogul also purchasing a Palm Beach property on Iluka Rd for $9 million.
3. Brian Singer
It makes sense the founder of one of Australia’s most iconic surf brands would call Byron home.
Rip Curl founder Brian Singer sold the brand to New Zealand specialist outdoor retailer Kathmandu in a $350 million deal in 2019.
The sale resulted in co-founder Douglas Warbrick receiving about $41 million and Mr Singer $58 million, according to the Sydney Morning Herald.
Prior to the sale, Rip Curl’s 2019 revenue was $455 million.
In 2020, Mr Singer bought recruitment industry boss Geoff Morgan’s Wategos Beach property for an estimated $22 million.
2. Scott Didier
A choice to invest in Byron real estate was another wise business move for Scott Didier.
The founder and chief executive of ASX-listed Johns Lyng Group earnt $1.1 million in his managing director role this year.
The building company earnt a revenue of $568.4 million in the 2021 Financial Year according to company statements, an increase of 14.8 per cent from 2020.
Mr Didier bought the Great Northern Hotel alongside Mr Emery.
1. Stephen Ring
The former Swisse Vitamins founding shareholder decided to spend his impressive payout wisely on a top spot in Byron.
Mr Ring was one of three business partners who became some of Melbourne’s richest men when they sold 83 per cent of the Australian company to Hong Kong based Biostime for $1.67 billion in late 2015.
It is speculated by Sydney Morning Herald that Mr Ring pocketed $1 billion selling the business his father started in the 1970s.
He also is the owner of an impressive Wategos beachfront property, bought in 2018 from Skilled Group former boss and art collector Greg Hargreave.
Public
6. Tamara Smith
The State Greens MP for the Ballina electorate has served Byron residents since 2015.
At the time, Ms Smith became the first woman to hold the seat of Ballina and the first Greens MP in a regional seat in any Parliament of Australia.
She receives an annual base salary of $169,192.
5. Justine Elliot
The Federal MP for the Richmond electorate, which covers Byron Shire, has served in the House of Representatives since the 2004 Federal election.
She receives an annual base salary of $211,250.
4. Byron Bay principals
According to NSW Department of Education, principals of large high schools can earn up to $185,242.
Byron’s only public high school is Byron Bay High School, run by Janine Marcus.
Ms Marcus stepped into the role of Byron Bay High School principal in 2017 after teaching for 17 years.
3. Byron Shire Council General Manager Mark Arnold
The Byron Shire Council general manager is the most senior staff member of council, responsible for council organisation and day to day management.
During the July 1 2020 and June 30 2021 period, Mr Arnold’s remuneration package was $300,204.
2. Magistrate Karen Stafford
A member of the Local Court of NSW since 2012, Magistrate Karen Stafford oversees justice at Byron’s courthouse.
Ms Stafford’s remuneration sits at $346,560 as set under the Statutory and Other Offices Remuneration Act 1975.
1. Byron Shire Council senior staff
The council’s remaining senior staff include sustainable environment and economy director, infrastructure services director and corporate and community services director.
During the July 1 2020 and June 30 2021 period, these staff received remuneration of $692,661.
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