Novak’s brief taste of luxury before hotel hell
Before being held in detention, Novak Djokovic was able to enjoy airport hospitality that’s been offered to the likes of Prince Harry, Meghan Markle and Katy Perry.
Victoria
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The world’s eyes are focused on Melbourne as the blame game from Novak Djokovic’s detention plays out.
The world number one arrived into Melbourne late Wednesday on an Emirates flight from Dubai ahead of the Australian Open.
His vaccination status has sent the country into a tail spin.
Djokovic battle with Border Force could have played out at the Melbourne Airport International terminal but instead he was whisked away to the exclusive surrounds of Melbourne Jet Base with his entourage, including coach and Wimbledon champion Goran Ivanisevic.
Djokovic joins a long line of stars and dignitaries who have enjoyed the creature comforts of Melbourne Jet Base.
Justin Bieber, Kobe Bryant, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, Celine Dion, Katy Perry and numerous AFL players have all passed through the jet base.
Melbourne Jet Base is the brainchild of former Essendon Chairman now Australian Grand Prix boss Paul Little.
Little houses his top of the range Gulfstream G650ER at the base, which retails for around $65m, as does Crown Resorts, which uses the jet base to hangar its Global Express aircraft.
The Prime Minister uses Melbourne Jet Base too to park the government aircraft on his trips to Melbourne.
Benefits of Little’s creation are 24/7 departure and arrival whereas nearby Essendon has curfews on aircraft.
Meeting rooms, dining experiences and refreshing amenities are available also.
The former Toll boss is now eyeing off other locations to build around the country.
AFL’S COVID REDESIGN
The AFL is becoming Covid conscious redesigning its Melbourne base in accordance with the crippling virus.
Works have begun on the League’s Docklands base where all the heavyweights gathered to make decisions that determine the future of Australia’s greatest game.
Our insider tells Sheahan Ink the bosses have requested architects to make headquarters ‘Covid friendly’ with open meeting rooms as well as bigger kitchens and common areas for dining.
Staff numbers working at the AFL’s head office have dwindled since Covid hit our doorstep.
Chief Gill McLachlan gave a stark warning to a conference of sporting code chiefs declaring: “2022 will be our toughest season yet.”
“It’s in the living room and the kitchen and it’s setting up camp in the backyard. It is the house guest that will never leave,” McLachlan said.
The AFL’s new digs are expected to be finalised and ready to use by April.
MELBOURNE’S HIGH-FLYERS
High-flyer Colin DeLutis has just outlaid some $40m on a new ride to add to his Rolls Royce SUV, Ferrari and Bentley convertible.
But his new purchase won’t fit in the garage of his Toorak mansion.
DeLutis, who is the former Carlton vice president, executive chairman and founder of DeGroup and founder of Westco jeans, is rumoured to be worth in excess of $500m, so a new intercontinental jet that is currently in production at the company’s Vancouver headquarters looks to be a wise investment.
The new ride, according to friends of the rich lister, could be a $46m Bombardier GLEX 5500 which can ferry he and his family and a few friends from Melbourne to Hawaii in luxury in around nine hours.
The hotel with wings can seat nine passengers and has the option of a separate business cabin for those wanting to determine share prices and buy up acquisitions.
The jet will be housed at Lindsay Fox’s Essendon Fields private jet base after he struck a deal with motorbike ace and jet charter boss Mick Doohan to hangar his plane.
Ex Carlton chairman and the late Dick Pratt’s personal pilots will fly DeLutis and his entourage around the world at a hefty cost.
It was the late billionaire Pratt who encouraged a younger DeLutis to invest in his own personal plane once he was happy writing cheques of $100,000 to fly the globe.
DeLutis joins the select club of Melbourne’s wealthy who have their own jets: Fiona Geminder of the Pratt dynasty, Heloise Pratt’s ex husband Alex Waislitz, former Crown board member Harold Mitchell, the Gandel family, Solomon Lew, Lindsay Fox, Zac Fried & Jonathan Munz.
Colin Delutis will take delivery of his jet this April.
We reached out to the 64-year-old who is currently holidaying on the Gold Coast minus his mobile phone.
WARNER BATS FOR BOXER
Aussie cricket sensation David Warner is sporting an interesting sticker across the bottom of his willow.
The Aussie batsman whacked a sticker on his bat supporting his good friend Anthony Mundine’s charitable business concept, which helps Indigenous kids enter into the workforce.
It’s an unusual coupling that was brought about through mutual friend Fred Gosh who founded Mundine Gosh Management (MGM) through the late Phil Hughes.
The Aussie opener provided a quote to Sheahan Ink during the week.
“I love what Gosh and Choc (Mundine) do for the community and I‘ve been a mate of Gosh’s for a long time,” he said.
Boxer Mundine responded in the kindest possible way to Warner’s generosity.
“Much love and respect my brother Dave for sporting the sticker,” Mundine said.
“He knows that we are both real and passionate about making change.”
MGM’s goal is to alleviate poverty, hardship and create economic equality for all Australians in need regardless of race, creed or social status.
SHEAHAN INK’S SECRET SHORTS
*People are sick of waiting in their cars for hours on end in order to get a PCR test to check their Covid status, but one former footballer thought of ingenious way to avoid the queue.
He arrived at his local testing station to find a predicted four hour wait time, so chose instead to walk into the testing station and reveal a scar down the centre of his chest to staff.
The 15cm scar is from heart surgery a few years ago, but testers agreed to a swab within 10 minutes on the proviso he show his scar to any irate drivers demanding answers.
The footballer was in and out within 15 minutes.
*An AFL star is looking to regain his hair by succumbing to treatment.
The ball winner is keen to rejuvenate his blonde locks, turning to a well known company for advice in order to boost his confidence.
The situation is far from dire but he wants to make sure the hair he has, he keeps as well as trying to kick start some regrowth.
It’s a touchy subject with many AFL players doing their utmost to keep their treatment anonymous for fear of criticism and potential embarrassment.
*Melbourne premiership captain Max Gawn took to Twitter in the past week to deliver his frank assessment of sports coverage in Australia.
The sports lover thinks media bosses may want to look at going back to the future in their coverage of tennis, cricket and the big bash returning the respective sports to their traditional network homes.
To whom it may concern,
— Max Gawn (@gawndog37) January 3, 2022
9, give tennis back to 7
7, give cricket back to 9
7, give big bash back to 10
10, get Brett Kirk back.
Thanks ðŸ™
We assume Gawn is happy with the AFL on Fox Footy and Seven.
*The world’s best fighter has just signed a multimillion dollar deal to fight on top of Dubai’s Burj Al Arab hotel 210 metres above sea level.
Floyd Mayweather will fight an exhibition bout on February 20 with his opponent yet to be announced. In 2005 tennis star Roger Federer played a match against rival Andre Agassi on the helipad which is where Mayweather will throw his punches.
The hotel was built back in 1999 at a cost of $1b.
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