FNQ’s sports talents turned players in business industry
Grit and determination on the sporting field has resulted in these FNQ business owners in finding success in their lucrative ventures. MEET THESE BIGWIGS
Cairns
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Playing sport can help build the life skills necessary to build multimillion-dollar franchises, just ask these bigwigs who went from being players on the field to being players in the business world.
Aaron Finn
From sending the footy skyward to sending helicopters, Finn’s journey from Aussie rules to managing director of North Australia’s most prominent helicopter operation is quite impressive.
The Nautilus Aviation head honcho started his playing days for St Augustine’s College in Kyabram, regional Victoria.
He also played club footy for Kyabram and Lancaster football clubs before making the move up to FNQ about 21 years ago.
“We started with Nautilus back in 2012, back then we had one helicopter and I was the entire workforce,” Finn said.
“Pre-Covid, we had 54 helicopters and 118 staff.”
Recently adding five more helicopters valued at $20 million, you could say things are looking up from Finn’s days hitting the turf in Kyabram.
A broken pelvis after falling from a roof saw Finn hang up the boots a while back, but he hasn’t forgotten his roots in local footy.
He coached colts teams for the Centrals Trinity Beach Bulldogs and serves as their current treasurer, with his son also donning the red whit and blue.
“In some respects they’re [sport and business] are very similar – they’re team-oriented and in any workplace you need a great team to make things happen,” Finn said.
“I like to apply the same sort of rules, whether it’s on the footy field or in the workplace where you help your teammate out and you’ve got a common goal.
“It’s the little one percenters that get you across the line at the end of the day and keep everyone involved and progressive to try and improve.”
Kyle Richardson
Being one of the state’s premiere hockey players helped shape Richardson’s life, as his own experience with injuries led to him building one of Cairns’ leading healthcare providers.
The owner of FNQ Podiatry and Orthotics started his hockey career with the Trinity Stingers in Cairns, before heading to Brisbane to play for Bulimba for nine years while studying.
His skill with the stick had Richardson representing Queensland in under-18 and under-21 tournaments and was named to the Queensland Blades squad in the Australian Hockey League.
“It was full-on training for six days a week with the club and representative stuff down there, it was a part time job while studying full time,” Richardson said.
A string of injuries end up leading the midfielder down the path of opening his own podiatry practice, which he did in Cairns in 2015.
“I decided to take a leap and set up practice up here,” Richardson said.
“We’ve got three clinics now (in Cairns) … we’re also up on the Tablelands in Mareeba.
“We’ve got 14 staff, we’re very happy and lucky with how it’s turned out.”
Richardson attributed his quick expansion to the demand for his practice’s specialty in sport-related injuries.
“We still deal with all aspects of podiatry, but our main caseload is the sports side of it,”
“I guess that’s tied in with that history of being an athlete and knowing how much an injury sucks.”
Mark Dalle Cort
With the aim to always go into owning an aquatic centre, Dalle Cort picked the opportune time and location to get his operation off the ground.
After moving to Cairns in 2010 to play for the Northern Pride, the 39-year-old knew it was time get into the ‘family business’.
“I grew up in swimschool, my mum’s always owned aquatic centres and that’s why I continued with my sporting career, it was always something I’d transition into when I retire,” Dalle Cort said.
“My brother has a swimschool in Bentley Park … when I moved back from overseas, I started teaching swimming for him.”
Prior to his playing days with the pride, the centre back rower/winger played footy for the Cowboys and Knights in the NRL, as well as the Celtic Crusaders in the UK-based Super League.
Dalle Cort said it was hard at first to leave his playing days behind him to start his business – Little Snappers.
“Most people would say the same in transition – you miss the boys,” he said.
“You miss the laughs at training, the camaraderie.
“It was challenging, but then business was so busy it was chewing up so much time I didn’t really have time to think about the negative side of it.”
Little Snappers Swim School has separately owned centres across Queensland, including Cairns, Townsville and the Gold Coast.
“We’ve sort of adjusted the model a bit where it’s not franchising anymore, we’re doing more corporate and commercial facilities across outer suburbs in south east Queensland,” Dalle Cort said.
While his league days are well and truly over, Dalle Cort still keeps the lessons he learnt on the field and implements them in his business life.
“There’s no doubt that sport is very adaptable to the business world,” he said.
“When it comes to leadership, working with a team and work ethic mentality … you’re never late to training.
“You’re always giving 100 per cent whether you’re tired, fatigued – it’s always 100 per cent.
“Sport also teaches resilience, business is never a smooth road and no two days are the same.”
Other former FNQ sporting names turned business bigwigs
Zenon Caravella
The A-League star has taken his finesse on the pitch far and wide for clubs both in Australia and Europe.
Playing centre midfield for the New Zealand Knights, Gold Coast United, Newcastle Jets and Adelaide United among others, Caravella has more than 250 professional games to his name.
In 2016, Caravella was acknowledged with an Outstanding Contribution to the A-League award in recognition of his longstanding commitment for football.
The 38-year-old continued his passion for football through the founding of the Caravella Football Academy in Cairns – a nursery dedicated to nurturing the future of FNQ football stars under the guidance of one of its best.
Bob Manning OAM
The Cairns Mayor does not hide it, he’s a mad league fan.
The 76-year-old has two Foley Shield victories for Cairns to his name from 1966 and 1971.
Playing at fullback, “Butch” Manning donned the jersey once again in 2017 for a charity exhibition match, leading the aptly named Mayor’s Meerkats.
He was back at it again in 2019, playing in a Legends of League exhibition game.
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Darren Halpin
The Halpin Partners head honcho is a well-known figure when it comes to big-brand developments in the Far North, but his passions weren’t always in that realm.
While growing up in Innisfail, Halpin played his fair share of cricket for the club during the early stages of his life.
After moving up to Cairns about 20 years ago, the Paradise Palms boss took up the bat and ball for Rovers and became a key member of their club, mixing business with pleasure as the club’s treasurer.
The businessman even took his love for cricket to the next level in recent years, becoming the owner of Barrier Reef Big Bash team the Halpin Hurricanes.
Marie Eribo
The seasoned World Cycling Championships veteran is as much of a speedster nowadays as she was during her years in the pros.
Eribo competed in races across Europe and the United States, including the Tour de France in the 1980s.
She also has four gold medals from the Irish National Cycling Championships from 1990 and 1992 at Baltinglass and Cork respectively.
Eribo lives in Cairns, having owned and operated Cairns Bicycle Works in Earlville for 18 years.
Mark Beecroft
Hiring from within is easy when you have a resume as strong as Beecroft’s.
The Cairns Taipans CEO started his days in FNQ basketball with the Cairns Marlins in the NBL1.
There, he played and helped lead the team to win a state title in their 1996-97 season, which ultimately ended with a loss in the national final.
Beecroft then went on to be the FNQ coaching director for Basketball Queensland in the late 90s.
From there, he served as coach of the Marlins in the mid 2000s as well as assistant coach of the Taipans in that time.
Under his leadership, the Marlins qualified for the national titles in 2001, which were postponed due to the collapse of Ansett.
They would return to the national stage in 2004 and 2005, winning an ABA title in the former.
During his tenure, the Marlins also won two QABL titles.
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Shane Knuth
Before being the outspoken Member for Hill, Knuth was a force on the rugby league field.
The Tully-born and raised politician played 97 1st grade games for Redcliffe.
He was with Redcliffe in their 1987 season when the side fell short of a Brisbane Rugby League A grade premiership, losing ultimately to Brothers.
Knuth also played in the Townsville District Rugby football League for the Charters Towers Miners, helping to lead them to a premiership in 1996 over Townsville Brothers.
He also represented North Queensland in 13 games, and was named to the Queensland under-15s, under-18s and under-21s teams as well as Australia’s under-19s squad.
Wayne Mawer
Like a fine wine and good cheese, the combination of Mawer and water skiing was a match made in heaven.
The Cairns-raised skier had world titles in water ski racing spread across the IWSF World Water Ski Racing Championship, the World Wakeboarding Association World Championship and the World Wake Boarding Association World Championship.
Having conquered the world of water skiing multiple times, Mawer hung up the wetsuit in favour of the hammer and measuring tape to start up construction business – Elite Home Builders with his wife Natalie.
Melody Ward
The skilled boxer has an Australian title to her name among plenty of fighting victories.
Ward ultimately pivoted into the realm of personal training, with focuses on using fitness to help manage chronic illness.
The Muay Thai enthusiast lends her services to multiple fitness groups and gyms across Cairns.
Nate Myles
The Cairns-born, Gordonvale-raised NRL journeyman suited up to play for the Canterbury Bulldogs, Sydney Roosters, Gold Coast Titans, Manly Sea Eagles and capped his career with the Melbourne Storm.
Across his tenure, the 36-year-old prop represented Queensland 32 times in the State of Origin, played three times for the Prime Minister’s XIII, represented Australia nine times and was an NRL All Star in 2010.
Myles has continued his love for fitness after his playing days, owning multiple F45 gyms including in Cairns.
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Michael Thwaite
The 38-year-old Cairns-raised defensive midfielder has an esteemed soccer resume that’s highlighted by 24 games for Australia including under-20 and under-23 level.
Thwaite started his illustrious playing career at the Edge Hill Saints, before playing at Sydney University and spring-boarding across to Europe to play in numerous leagues across the continent.
With 19 years of professional football experience under his belt, Thwaite naturally geared his post-playing life towards helping others succeed in their playing journeys, starting That’s Football – a player mentoring business based on the Gold Coast.
The former Socceroo hasn’t forgotten his roots, regularly visiting the Far North to run clinics.
Max O’Halloran
There was a time when the Division 7 Cairns Regional councillor preferred getting among it on an oval rather than a meeting room.
The 69-year-old Tidal Seafood Traders owner played Aussie rules initially for Ulverstone in Tasmania, before getting the call-up to play for Footscray in the VFL in the early 70s before joining up with Carlton for five games.
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