Dick Smith has a true blue 80th birthday bash

Folksy entrepreneur Dick Smith celebrated 80 years around the sun with about 200 of his closest friends at the Miramare Gardens in Terrey Hills on Monday evening.

True Blue Dick Smith celebrates his 80th trip around the sun.Credit: John Shakespeare

Once upon a time, a celebration of Dick might’ve been a hotter ticket among the nation’s political and business elite. But Smith’s grumbling about immigration being too high has made him a little unfashionable in some quarters.

Those who did make it out to the northern beaches hinterland were treated to a celebration of two things close to Smith’s heart – adventure, and old school Australiana. So a crowd of mountaineers and aviators toasted Smith’s passion for flying, while country singer John Williamson – remember him – provided entertainment, including a stirring rendition of his hit True Blue. That’s the same song he played at Steve Irwin’s funeral.

Smith’s pals at the party included colourful racing identity John Singleton, fresh from calling it quits with his seventh wife.

“He’s been a good friend to me,” Smith told CBD.

Also in the mix were Peter Ritchie, the man who brought Maccas to these shores, and Ian “Macca” McNamara, host of Dick’s favourite radio show, Australia All Over on the ABC, who recently received a complaint at the public broadcaster for airing views on immigration oddly similar to Smith.

BISHOP’S BEAU

As the team that broke news of Julie Bishop’s break-up with her long-term handbag David Panton, CBD is delighted to bring news that things are looking up again on the romantic front for the former foreign minister.

The guest list for the Australian Grand Prix’s Glamour on the Grid event – race organisers are really leaning into the woman-friendly thing this year – features Bishop and “partner” Steve Gray.

Now, this Gray fellow is something of an enigma. We were unable to turn up anything on the man and Bishop was certainly in no mood on Tuesday to put us in the picture. Although she does appear to have put him in a few pictures of her own on Instagram lately.

Picture of Julie Bishop and Steve Gray on holiday from her social media.Credit: Instagram

For people of Bishop’s class, the real relationship milestone is when the new beau gets lounge access. Panton discovered he’d been punted from Virgin’s exclusive Beyond Lounge shortly after his break-up with Bishop. So we’re just waiting until Gray gets the pre-flight hard launch.

But if you were thinking of nipping down to Albert Park on Wednesday evening hoping to glimpse the couple in person – don’t bother. The former minister and Liberal leadership aspirant tells us that she’s in her home town, Perth, that evening and won’t be attending the event.

LEGAL LOSS

In sad news, mega law firm HWL Ebsworth’s managing partner Juan Martinez died suddenly on Monday evening, aged 64.

“Juan was an inestimable leader of our firm and a giant of the Australian legal profession. Our thoughts and condolences are with Juan’s family, friends, and colleagues as they process this devastating news,” the firm said in a statement on Tuesday.

Under Martinez’ watch, HWL Ebsworth became Australia’s largest legal partnership. He also had a habit of keeping journalists busy. In 2019, the NSW Supreme Court awarded former partner Tim Griffiths $450,000 after finding that Martinez had unlawfully sacked him.

A year later, the firm made headlines thanks to Martinez’s stiff opposition to letting staff work from home during COVID-19 waves. That resulted in an Australian Financial Review headline: “No Juan can go home” – which prompted Martinez to make a racial discrimination complaint to the Australian Human Rights Commission. It was thrown out.

NAT’S ENOUGH

Canberra’s press gallery smelt beer in the water this week when word spread through Parliament House that there were to be drinks in the Nationals’ party room on Wednesday evening.

The last thing the junior coalition partner (with the hard-drinking reputation) needs right now is more stories featuring their MPs and alcoholic beverages – not after the recent exploits of Barnaby Joyce and Perin Davey.

But it fell to one of the party’s newbies, Nicholls MP Sam Birrell, to call for calm, explaining that the Nats had let Grain Producers Australia use the room for the evening, with not a single MP from the party present.

And if we detected the slightest hint of exasperation from Birrell about the coverage his party has received of late, that’s perhaps understandable.

But they might just have to suck it up for a little while yet.

BOARD TO DEATH

CBD has kept a close eye on the NSW Jewish Board of Deputies since the organisation entered its “turbulence era” with the abrupt and still unexplained departure of chief executive Darren Bark last July, followed by a bit of a staff exodus. Bark, a firm favourite among state and federal MPs, remained a divisive figure within the Jewish community throughout the whole episode.

Now, depending on who you ask, things at the board have stabilised – or the turbulence continues. But CBD can report that Michael Gencher, brought in as Bark’s interim replacement, has now moved on, with the board set to reveal its new chief executive by the end of the week.

Also out is former Clubs NSW boss Josh Landis, who was sacked from the pokies lobby group after having a crack at former premier Dom Perrottet’s “Catholic gut” before last year’s state election. Landis was doing a bit of casual work but has recently taken a job as national managing director at lobby shop Horizon.

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