North West Melbourne’s top 15 most famous: Aziz Behich, Eddie McGuire, Jamie Maclaren
They’re people who call Melbourne’s north western suburbs home — but their star power spreads far and wide. See who made the list.
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Melbourne’s north western suburbs have proven fertile breeding grounds for some of the nation’s high achiever.
Some do it on the sporting field, others in the political arena but all of them have made a name for themselves since spreading their wings from Melbourne’s north western suburbs
See our list of north west Melbourne’s biggest movers and shakers as well as some figures who left a lasting legacy on the area.
AZIZ BEHICH
From the fields of Meadow Park and Hume City to the ultimate stage with the Socceroos, there is not much Behich has not achieved on the soccer pitch.
In the lead-up to the World Cup, Behich mentioned how “crazy” it was that a boy from Broadmeadows had made it to soccer’s biggest event.
From his early days in Broadmeadows and Essendon, Behich has carved out a career in Europe, plying his trade with Dundee United while he was the starting left-back in Graham Arnold’s side in the Qatar World Cup.
FRANK MCGUIRE
Frank McGuire ended a decade-long political career as the ALP MP for the seat of Broadmeadows at the recent state election but the former journalist left his position with some parting words.
The popular member replaced former Premier John Brumby in 2011 and won re-election in 2018 before a factional fallout saw him ousted.
The retired member, who championed Broadmeadows and the north, left with some searing words about his former party.
“Performance, results and big-picture ideas did not count, because Broadmeadows is a safe seat, too valuable in the eyes of factional powerbrokers not to control in a numbers game with a winner-takes-all sense of entitlement,” he said at the time.
“This sends a disturbing message to the next generation of community advocates who are independently minded and forthright. It also denies democracy.”
CATHERINE CUMMING
The former independent MP certainly caught the state’s attention when she called for Premier Daniel Andrews to be turned into “red mist” during the election.
While police decided to take no further action with the comments, Dr Cumming was the talk of Melbourne during the state election.
Now, the interest lies in what the former Maribyrnong mayor will do after her stint in state politics.
ANTHONY TRAN
Anthony Tran rose to fame late in 2021 when he became Maribyrnong’s youngest mayor in its history at just 22.
Cr Tran, the son of Vietnamese refugees, was deputy mayor from 2020 to 2021 before taking the main role which he held until November.
“This is the highlight of my short life and an honour to be given this responsibility,” Cr Tran said at the time.
“I hope my election will inspire other young people — and especially those from diverse backgrounds — to also step up and take their place in the world, whether in sport, entertainment or politics.”
SARAH CARTER
Local government is quite the commitment and there is no higher honour in the field than being elected mayor. Just ask Sarah Carter, who was recently elected Maribyrnong mayor for the third time.
Cr Carter’s term was announced in November and is her third mayoral term in 15 years of local government.
“For all the joy that being appointed mayor brings me, it is a great responsibility to undertake and one that I do not take lightly,” Cr Carter said.
“I want to express my sincere gratitude to my fellow councillors for putting their faith in me for the third time. It’s a great source of pride to me to be the first woman in the council’s history to achieve this feat.”
JUDITH DURHAM
Many know her as the singer who took a unique sound to the world but Judith Durham’s story began in Essendon on Mount Alexander Rd.
Durham AO lived there for six years before moving with her family but the Victorian never forgot her roots even after she rose to fame with The Seekers.
After an amazing career in the music industry, Durham died earlier this year at the age of 79 and was remembered as a “national treasure” and given a state funeral.
PETER HAFFENDEN
There was arguably no greater influence on the Footscray and Maribyrnong art scene than Peter Haffenden.
A community titan and long-time director of the Living Museum of the West, Mr Haffenden was involved in several art projects until he lost a battle with cancer earlier this year.
Mr Haffenden’s impact on the community was realised as several tributes poured in for the “much-loved” community figure.
“To me, Peter will always be remembered as a man who provided wisdom to a young person who needed it most,” Maribyrnong’s Cr Anthony Tran said at the time.
“He’s someone who should be commemorated for his work.”
ERIC BANA
Could we do this list without including arguably the biggest name from Broadmeadows?
Bana has had a storeyed Hollywood career from headline roles in the Hulk, Jane Harper’s The Dry, to Black Hawk Down and Aussie classic, The Castle.
The actor still finds time to return home and was spotted early this year in the Dandenong Ranges shooting one of his newest films, Force of Nature.
The Aussie heart-throb is making showbiz a family affair with his daughter Sophia following in his footsteps after recently auditioning for some major Australian shows, including Heartbreak.
EDDIE MCGUIRE
The former Collingwood president was once known as “Eddie Everywhere” and it is hard to leave him out of this list as the boy from Broadmeadows who made it to the big time.
Even without the top role of president at of one of Australia’s biggest football clubs, McGuire still found a way to make it into the headlines this year.
Perhaps still most notable for his media work, the boy from Broadie showed his blue sky thinking when he urged North Melbourne to become the new Tasmanian AFL team earlier this year.
JAMIE MACLAREN
The second Socceroo on this list, many people forget that Maclaren’s journey to the green and gold jersey began in the modest surrounds of Sunbury.
The striker began his junior career at Sunbury United before he began a pathway that took him to Perth Glory, Brisbane Roar, overseas and back to Melbourne City where he became the A-League best attacker.
Maclaren was recently part of the Socceroos’ World Cup squad that went to Qatar.
“It’s a great feeling to know we had such an impact,” he said after returning home.
“It’s been the best finish that the Socceroos have had at a World Cup, now that is the standard for the younger generation coming through to drive and really uphold those standards.”
SHANNON BENNETT
One of Australia’s best known food personalities, Bennett hails from Westmeadows.
From his appearances on MasterChef to his work at Vue de monde, Bennett is one of the leading forces in the Australian food industry.
He’s recently traded the hustle and bustle of Melbourne for the tranquillity of Byron Bay but his influence can still be seen in the Melbourne food scene like this Essendon dessert bar.
DANE SWAN
Another Westmeadows’ alumni, Dane Swan has remained as one of Australia’s polarising personalities since he retired from the AFL.
The Brownlow medallist has stayed true to his Westmeadows’ roots and even turned out for his boyhood club in the EDFL in recent years.
The former Collingwood footballer has been busy in 2022 as well after selling his Kingsville house, reportedly saving a woman’s life in a restaurant and being struck down by an “alarming illness” in Mexico.
ANDREJA PEJIC
From her working class roots in Broadmeadows, Pejic has become one of the most recognisable trans models and personalities worldwide.
Since undergoing reassignment surgery in 2014, Pejic has graced the covers of the world’s biggest magazines including making history as the first openly transgender model to do a Vogue shoot and profile.
Pejic has kept in touch with her beginnings in Broadmeadows including when she teamed up with Dane Swan during the infamous council split vote in 2015.
MARK BLICAVS
For a small area, Sunbury has delivered on the sporting front with Blicavs becoming a premiership player at Geelong after starting out at the Sunbury Lions Football Club. It must have been quite a team because Blicavs’ premiership teammates Cameron and Zach Guthrie also hail from the Sunbury Lions.
For a player who spent most of his junior career in athletics, Geelong have certainly got their money’s worth from the 31-year-old who has claimed two best and fairests, All-Australian selection and the premiership.
Blicavs could be Sunbury’s most successful athlete but he’d face a strong argument from within his own family.
Which brings us to …
SARA BLICAVS
Sara Blicavs had a handy year in basketball after representing Australia in the World Cup on home soil as the Opals claimed third place.
Her resume as one of the WNBL’s best players is assured; she’s a two-time WNBL champion and a WNBL-second team representative.
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