Peter FitzSimons AM Travels from NSW
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Peter FitzSimons AM's Biography
He is the
biographer not only of World Cup winning Wallaby captains, Nick Farr-Jones and
John Eales, but also former Opposition Leader Kim Beazley, boxer Les Darcy,
aviator Sir Charles Kingsford Smith, war heroine Nancy Wake and Antarctic
explorer Sir Douglas Mawson. In 2001 he was Australia’s biggest selling
non-fiction author, and duplicated that feat in 2004, with his book on Kokoda.
He has been Australia’s best-selling non-fiction author in the last decade and
in November 2013 released his current best-seller on Ned Kelly.
The most popular
after-dinner speaker in Australia, he is married to Today Show co-host Lisa
Wilkinson and they have three children.
Born on a farm in
Peat’s Ridge, Peter went to Knox Grammar School, before accepting an American
Field Service Scholarship to go to Ohio for a year. He returned to complete an
Arts degree at Sydney University majoring in government and political science.
In 1984 he broke into the Wallabies under the coaching of Alan Jones, then
lived in France and Italy playing rugby for the next five years whilst learning
both languages as well as Spanish. Upon his return to Australia he again played
for the Wallabies, under Bob Dwyer, going on to play seven Tests.
In 1989 he joined
The Sydney Morning Herald full-time, and has been one of their most popular
columnists since. Andrew Denton has called him “Australia’s finest sports
journalist.”
Peter boasts an
impressive list of interview credits including ex-president George Bush, Sir
Edmund Hillary, Jodie Foster, Nicki Lauda, Joe Montana and Carl Lewis as well
as all the major Australian sporting figures from Shane Gould to Lionel Rose to
Herb Elliot. He has interviewed every Australian Prime Minister from Gough
Whitlam through to Julia Gillard.
He has the
distinction of being the only Wallaby sent from the field in a match against
the All Blacks – unjustly, he swears. He was co-host of the Today Show 15 years
before his wife, Lisa Wilkinson – even if it did last for only a day. He has
fought a Sumo wrestler at the Opera House, danced on ice with Torville and
Dean, told Alan Jones to his face that he is dead freaking wrong and opened a
door for the redoubtable Germaine Greer and lived to tell the tale!
He has also
written the biographies of former Australian Labor Party leader Kim Beazley,
Wallaby captains, Nick Farr-Jones and John Eales, WWII resistance fighter Nancy
Wake and sportsmen Steve Waugh and Les Darcy.
FitzSimons'
published works include:
Kokoda, which recounts the numerous battles between Australian and Japanese Troops on the Kokoda Track during World War II.
Tobruk, which
tells the story of The Rats of Tobruk as they fought during World War II
against Italian troops, then later the Afrika Korps, as they were led by
then-General Erwin Rommel.
Charles Kingsford
Smith and those Magnificent Men, a biography of aviator Sir Charles Kingsford
Smith.
A Simpler Time a
childhood memoir which relates his family history and honours the memory of his
father and mother.
Batavia - on the
fate of the ship Batavia.
Peter FitzSimons
was named a Member of the Order of Australia for service to literature as a
biographer, sports journalist and commentator, and to the community through
contributions to conservation, disability care, social welfare and sporting
organisations.