Illawarra’s 20 most powerful and influential people list revealed
They play a role in shaping our everyday lives – whether in political arenas, on sporting fields, the music industry or in real estate. But who are they? See the full list of the Illawarra’s most powerful people and find out why they are making an impact in the community.
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They play a role in shaping our everyday lives – whether in political arenas, on sporting fields, the music industry or in real estate. But who are they? See the full list of the Illawarra’s most powerful people and find out why they are making an impact in the community.
1. Gordon Bradbery
Gordon Bradbery AM has been the Lord Mayor of Wollongong since 2011, and comes from a strong community background.
A previous Uniting Church Minister, he spent 15 years at the Wollongong Mission of the Uniting Church and has been heavily involved in mental health, aged care and homelessness charities and organisations.
He first came to Wollongong in 1978 when he studied psychology and sociology at the University of Wollongong. He returned in 1996 when he was appointed to the church in the mall in 1996.
In 2012, he was elected as Lord Mayor and since then, has seen major change in the local landscape.
“Perhaps the greatest thing is that Wollongong has now emerged as a great regional city rather than a grimy city of dust and smoke,” he said.
“There’s been a renewal of the city and an intensification of development since 2012 to the value of about $1.6 billion dollars, which is a sizeable amount of investment in Wollongong.”
Some of his proudest achievements while serving in council include bringing council’s budget back under control, completing the Fowlers Road extension and the redevelopment of Wollongong’s iconic Blue Mile.
2. Marianne Saliba
Marianne Saliba has had a long love affair with the Shellharbour region, choosing to live and raise her children in the suburbs she grew up in.
Ms Saliba has been Mayor of Shellharbour since 2012, and prior to her current position, was a member of the NSW Legislative Assembly from 1999 to 2007, representing the now abolished electorate of Illawarra.
For Ms Saliba, her whole time on Shellharbour Council has been “amazing”, categorised by several achievements, including drastically improving the financial position of the council.
“For me personally, as well as our community we’ve been able to achieve so much,” she said.
“We’ve dealt with the tough stuff, getting people into jobs, putting roofs over people’s heads, now we are focusing on things like the arts, culture, festivals.”
Ms Saliba said it was exciting to be on council at the time of such enormous change for the region, with the development of a new suburb, Waterfront at Shellcove.
“This is becoming a really exciting place not just for people who live here, but for people who want to visit from right across the country and even overseas,” she said.
3. Dr Justin Yerbury
The fight against motor neurone disease has always been a personal one for University of Wollongong researcher Dr Justin Yerbury.
Dr Yerbury lost his mother Pauline, sister Sarah, and other relatives to the disease, prompting him to give up his career as a pro-basketballer and turn to science to find answers about the cruel disease.
By the time he too developed symptoms in 2016, he was a world-renowned expert in MND (motor neurone disease) research.
While he now requires an electric wheelchair to get around, needs a ventilator to help him breath, and communicates by lip reading and using voice software co-ordinated by eye-gaze on his laptop computer, his fight to try and unlock the cause and cure for the disease hasn’t stopped.
In January, Dr Yerbury told the Illawarra Star his research focused on determining the cause of the disorder and aimed to increase our understanding of the molecular processes that result in MND.
“Time will tell how our work has influenced discovery,” he said.
“Our overall aim is to use our knowledge and understanding to find effective drugs, and we are actively pursuing a few leads.”
4. Peter Newell
A retired daily newspaper editor and CEO, Peter Newell OAM has been associated with registered clubs for almost his entire life.
In 2019, Mr Newell retired as Chairman of the Illawarra Steelers, where he had been a director for 24 years, as well as the ClubsNSW chairman, which he’d held since 2004.
Mr Newell started his role with ClubsNSW less than three months after the devastating tsunami struck across South-East Asia. Under Peter’s stewardship, the club industry raised millions of dollars to help displaced Indonesians.
He was instrumental in the formation of the Illawarra Steelers - a Foundation Gold member, was elected to the board in 1989, went on to become chairman in 1996 and played a pivotal role in the formation of the St George Illawarra Dragons, which he was later recognised for with an Order of Australia medal.
At the time of his retirement form the Steelers board, Mr Newell told the Illawarra Star he was most proud of the role he played in the Super League war of the mid-1990s, when inflated player payments resulted in unsustainable financial pressures on some clubs, including Steelers.
In a bid to keep NRL games in the Illawarra, the Steelers ultimately chose to merge solely with St George to create the St George Illawarra Dragons.
“In doing that we were able to keep world-class rugby league right here in Wollongong,” Mr Newell said. “I’m very proud of that.”
5. Adam Zarth
Adam Zarth was appointed executive director of the Illawarra Business Chamber in 2018, gaining an appreciation for the region while working as chief of staff for John Ajaka for three years.
Over the course of his career, Mr Zarth has worked in state government as a public policy consultant, as well as in the private sector and with a non-government organisation in London.
As executive director of the business chamber, Mr Zarth is responsible for broadcasting the concerns of businesses in the Illawarra and on the south coast to the government, in an effort to improve conditions for workers and business owners.
Given the recent bushfire crisis and now the coronavirus pandemic, Mr Zarth said businesses in the region were exceptionally stressed, and relying on the chamber to pass on their concerns.
“People on the south coast in particular are worried they will be forgotten about post bushfires given everything that’s happening now,” he said.
“It’s our job to try and make sure those in that position are kept front of mind.”
Having moved to the region two years ago, Mr Zarth said Wollongong was one of the best place in the state.
“It’s undiscovered for many and the Illawarra is such a diverse region,” he said.
“It’s great time to be in the Illawarra because we survive on our own merits, we rely particularly on private investment unlike other areas.
6. Bruce Gordon
Wollongong media mogul Bruce Gordon is the owner of the WIN corporation.
Mr Gordon, who has an estimated wealth of more than $700 million, splits his time between Bermuda and Wollongong, and ranked in at 134 on the Australian Financial Review’s 2019 Rich List.
Mr Gordon, now 91, started out juggling fruit in the depression to attract customers to his father’s fruit stall and then became a stage magician at Sydney’s Tivoli theatre.
He later became a television executive and leveraged his show business and media contacts to build a regional television empire that propelled him to billionaire status.
7. Gwenda Markwell
Gwenda Markwell is the leading trainer at Kembla Grange, having won the Champion Local Trainer of the Year for the past sixteen years, as well as also being the Kembla Grange Champion Trainer of The Year.
In the 2017-2018 season, Ms Markwell beat well-known trainers Chris Waller, Peter Snowden and James Cummings.
For almost 20 years, Ms Markwell has been training, and has continually prepared, a string of provincial and metropolitan winning horses, including Angel of Truth and THE MAN.
She was also named the 2011/12 NSW Provincial Trainer Of The Year and trained the 2012-13 Provincial Horse of The Year-Rolling Pin.
8. Scott Mileto, Ben Abrahams and Luke Symons
In 2017 Scott Mileto, Ben Abraham and Luke Symons were working in hospitality when they bought Wollongong whiskey bar Howlin’ Wolf.
Eighteen months later, the trio took over one of Wollongong’s most popular bars - Dagwood, before building their own Births & Deaths with fourth partner Jarrad Huk.
Late last year, the group also took over Globe Lane bar, Little Prince.
In June last year, the group also opened the popular not-for-profit, pay it forward, pop-up dining service called Good Times Only, focused on providing meals to those who are homeless or doing it tough.
9. Evan Quarmby
Superintendent Evan Quarmby began his new role as Commander of Wollongong District on late last year, after moving from Albury to the NSW south coast.
A veteran police officer, Superintendent Quarmby first joined the cops over 30 years ago, with the intention of helping people and making a difference in the community.
Beginning his career with the NSW Police Force in July 1988, he was initially stationed in Macquarie Fields performing general duties. He spent the next eight years in general duties in remote parts of the Western Region, using his country upbringing to embrace the unique needs of rural policing.
Making the sea-change to Wollongong, Superintendent Quarmby said his focus was firmly fixed on “preventing crime and disrupting criminals”, with a heavy focus on the sale and distribution of drugs.
10. Graeme Morrison
Graeme Morrison is one of Illawarra’s top criminal lawyers.
A partner at Morrisons Solicitors, Mr Morrison has been a practising criminal lawyer for 40 years.
After being admitted in the 1970s, he obtained regional experience with the Aboriginal Legal Service before working as a solicitor with Legal Aid in Wollongong.
Graeme then continued to practice criminal law in the Illawarra at a private firm, becoming a partner in 1983.
11. Marty Haynes
Marty Haynes, a radio presenter at i98fm, has a long history of supporting sick and disadvantaged children not just in the Illawarra, but across the country.
In 2005, he established a truck and motorbike convoy to raise money for sick children. Since then he’s assisted in raising more than $16 million that’s directly helped sick kids and their families.
The i98fm Illawarra Convoy event changed slightly in 2016 with the establishment of a The Illawarra Community Foundation to assist in supporting a range of Illawarra charities, providing direct financial support to individuals and families.
The convoy is held annually, and draws huge crowds to Illawarra. In 2019, the convoy raised a record $2.7 million.
12. Arthur Rorris
Arthur Rorris is the secretary of the south coast Labour Council, which is the peak union body in the Illawarra, covering the area from Helensburgh, south of Sydney to the Victorian border and across to the Southern Highlands and adjoining tablelands in the west.
Mr Rorris has a long history in the Illawarra and has been secretary of the Labour Council for more than 20 years, having been appointed the role in 1998.
He is a graduate of the University of Wollongong.
13. Ben Tillman, Balunn Jones and Adam Smith
Ben Tillman, Adam Smith and Balunn Jones put Wollongong back on the map as a live music hub after years of the coastal city being bypassed by bands.
The trio established the much-loved Yours and Owls festival, which runs annually at Stuart Park in Wollongong.
Yours and Owls started as a hole in the wall coffee shop on Kembla Street, before it evolved into a gallery and restaurant space, and then live music venue.
The Yours and Owls brand then shifted from a physical space to an array of projects, including pop-up gigs, music festivals and a record label.
14. Danny and Sylvia Wilson
Sylvia Wilson and her husband, Danny, are the co-founders of the worlds largest dog training company, Bark Busters.
Originally from the Illawarra, they have spent the past 18 years training dog trainers, dog owners, and dogs in hundreds of cities across eight countries.
Bark Busters was established in 1989, after Sylvia pledged to save a huge number of dogs being euthanised due to behavioural issues with a successful training method.
15. Jeremy Hodder
Jeremy Hodder is one of the Illawarra’s leading real estate agents.
Now working with McGrath in Wollongong, Mr Hodder has been a real estate agent and auctioneer for 18 years.
Last year, Mr Hodder secured a position in the Real Estate Business Top 100 Agents 2019 list, ranking at number 24, up 32 places on his 2018 ranking.
In 2019, Mr Hodder set a new suburb record for Coledale, after clocking a $3,550,000 sale.
17. Paul McGregor
Born in Dapto, Paul “Mary” McGregor has been at the helm of the Dragons since 2014.
He spent his entire playing career at the club when he was signed by the Steelers aged 23 in 1991.
He made his first grade debut against the Panthers at WIN Stadium in ’91 and also played for NSW 14 times between 1992 and 1998, and the Kangaroos.
The centre was the foundation captain for the St George Illawarra Dragons as a joint venture and in 2011 was named in the Illawarra team of the century.
18. Tania Brown
Tania Brown is a well-known face in the Illawarra.
As well as Deputy Lord Mayor of Wollongong, Ms Brown is the chief operating officer at the University of Wollongong’s SMART Infrastructure Facility with responsibility for the day to day operations of this $62 million facility.
Prior to joining the University of Wollongong in 2009, Ms Brown spent 13 years working for state and federal governments. Her role as a senior ministerial policy adviser saw her dealing with the development, implementation and communication of government policies in a range of areas.
At present, she is director of the Illawarra Steelers Club and a board member for Destination Wollongong.
19. Glenda Papac
Director of Illawarra Women In Business, Glenda Papac, was named last week named the 2020 Wollongong Electorate Woman of the Year.
Ms Papac has been the director of Illawarra Women In Business (IWIB) since its creation in 2007.
For more than a decade under the leadership of Ms Papac, IWIB has grown to become the largest professional and business women’s network in the Illawarra. IWIB fosters women to learn, share ideas and collaborate with others for mutual success.
Ms Papac has been a member of the Salvation Army Illawarra Advisory Board since
2009, and a director on the board of Horizon Credit Union since 2010. She has also been a member of Illawarra Local Venues Council since March 2012.
19. Mark Sleigh
As general manager of Destination Wollongong, Mark Sleigh is at the forefront of building the region’s visitor economy by positioning Wollongong and its surrounds as a premier regional tourism, events and conference destination.
Mr Sleigh has worked in both the private and public sector.
He champions the role visitors play in the Illawarra, and has been instrumental in bringing huge events, including the Corona Sunsets Festival to Wollongong.
20. Michael Stoddart
Michael Stoddart is the chief magistrate at Wollongong Local Court.
Magistrate Stoddart has worked at Wollongong Local Curt for several years and is a well-known face in the Illawarra court scene.