Sports
Craig Fitzgibbon, The Cronulla Sharks NRL
Cafe Reporter spoke with Craig Fitzgibbon on the eve of his fourth season as coach of the NRL’s Cronulla Sharks. “We have a certain way of doing things, I feel, at the Sharks. We have an internal philosophy that we use consistently, so we don’t get off track, and focus on four key areas. We don’t change too much. At the end of the day we’re a small community club in a big city, so we rely on that closeness,
Shaun Smith, Beverley Park Golf Club
Shaun Smith’s life, and certainly his career, has revolved around golf in one way or another; working his way through the ranks — from the pro shop to the clubhouse bar — he’s done everything but actually play professionally. “I was a golfer from a very young age, and I guess if you want to work in golf you’ve got a couple of choices: you either have to be good enough to be a golf professional, which I’m not, or
Richard Ballard – Farrier
A farrier is someone who specialises in equine foot care, but Richard Ballard prefers to think of himself as a podiatrist. An independent contractor engaged by the racing industry’s big names, like Edward Cumming of Myrtle House, Richard works to keep the shoes of racehorses in tip-top condition. “To be a farrier you’ve got to love horses,” says Richard, a self-professed animal lover who has also worked with donkeys, goats, sheep and even an elephant. “If you’re nervous, the horse
Kane Stannard
From the rugby league field to golf courses here and abroad, Kane Stannard’s life and work has revolved around turf. Cafe Reporter chatted with the course superintendent at Bexley Golf Course about greenkeeping, footy and food. “My greenkeeping career pretty much started off in high school. I was in Year 12 and my brother was in year 10, and he left to become an apprentice greenkeeper at a golf club at Tweed Coolangatta Golf Club up on Tweed Heads. I
Ivan Cleary
By D.R. Lennox “The lows are so painful that they make the highs so incredibly high, and that’s the opposite of what my personality is. I’m like a pretty level person, and yet I’m attracted to this thing called coaching that takes me to these ups and downs.” Although he didn’t grow up in or around rugby league – his dad was a Balmain Tigers fan; he and his two older brothers dabbled in all sports – Ivan Cleary has
Tom Carroll
By Howard Rich Tom Carroll logged an impressive 15 years full time on the professional surfing circuit, claiming victory on every continent, including back-to-back world titles, before venturing into the surf retail business. Not bad for someone whose schoolteacher told him he ‘would never be any good at anything and, most likely, would end up in the gutter’. “I had this great urge to prove that teacher wrong!” Tom proclaims. I ndeed, Tom has been described as ‘having the ability