Peter FitzSimons
Encyclopedia
Peter John FitzSimons AM
(born 29 June 1961 in Wahroonga, New South Wales
) is an Australian journalist and author, based in Sydney. He is a former radio presenter and national representative
rugby union
player.
, in the rural outskirts of Sydney. He was the seventh and last child of Beatrice Helen Booth (1920–1994) OAM
and Peter McCloy FitzSimons (1916–1992), a citrus fruit farmer who had seen active service in World War II as an AIF
artilleryman. He attended Peats Ridge Primary School, and Knox Grammar School
before accepting an American Field Service Scholarship to go to Ohio for a year. Upon return he earned an Arts degree at the University of Sydney
, majoring in government and political science.
in Sydney in the 1980s under the coaching of Alan Jones
. Between 1985 and 1989 he played with CA Brive
in France for four seasons, becoming the club's first ever foreign player. He played seven Tests at lock for Australia
between 1989 and 1990, debuting against France
in Strasbourg in November 1989, on the Wallabies 1989 tour of Europe. Five of his career international appearances were made against France. He is one of only two Wallabies ever sent from the field against the All Blacks, being sent off in a 1990 Bledisloe Cup match.
since 1988, and has been a sports columnist
for that publication since 1987. He also regularly appears on the Australian Foxtel
programme, The Back Page
, hosted by rugby league journalist Mike Gibson. For the Saturday edition of the Sydney Morning Herald, FitzSimons writes a column titled "The Fitz Files" which looks at all the happenings over the past seven days in sport. He writes a more general version of "The Fitz Files" on page two of The Sun-Herald
on Sundays, focusing on community activities and events in Sydney.
on Sydney radio station 2UE
. He was brought onto the 2UE breakfast show in an attempt to boost the program's dwindling ratings. Mike Carlton was vocal in his opposition to having an on-air partner, but the move paid dividends with an immediate audience increase. However, the Mike and Fitz Breakfast Show still trailed a long way behind the number one program on 2GB
, hosted by FitzSimons' former coach Alan Jones
. After two years on Breakfast with Mike and Fitz, FitzSimons hung up the headphones to become a stay-at-home dad and focus on his writing.
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
. In spite of some critical reviews by established historians, most of his books have sold well.
Today Show
host Lisa Wilkinson
. They have three children Jake, Louis and Billi. Fitzsimons has also identified himself as an atheist.
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.
and supports changes to the Australian flag
.
Order of Australia
The Order of Australia is an order of chivalry established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, "for the purpose of according recognition to Australian citizens and other persons for achievement or for meritorious service"...
(born 29 June 1961 in Wahroonga, New South Wales
Wahroonga, New South Wales
Wahroonga is a suburb on the Upper North Shore of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Wahroonga is located 22 kilometres north-west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of Ku-ring-gai Council and Hornsby Shire....
) is an Australian journalist and author, based in Sydney. He is a former radio presenter and national representative
Australia national rugby union team
The Australian national rugby union team is the representative side of Australia in rugby union. The national team is nicknamed the Wallabies and competes annually with New Zealand and South Africa in the Tri-Nations Series, in which they also contest the Bledisloe Cup with New Zealand and the...
rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
player.
Early life
FitzSimons grew up in Peats Ridge, New South WalesPeats Ridge, New South Wales
Peats Ridge is a suburb located in the Central Coast region of New South Wales, Australia, as part of the Gosford City Council local government area....
, in the rural outskirts of Sydney. He was the seventh and last child of Beatrice Helen Booth (1920–1994) OAM
Order of Australia
The Order of Australia is an order of chivalry established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, "for the purpose of according recognition to Australian citizens and other persons for achievement or for meritorious service"...
and Peter McCloy FitzSimons (1916–1992), a citrus fruit farmer who had seen active service in World War II as an AIF
Second Australian Imperial Force
The Second Australian Imperial Force was the name given to the volunteer personnel of the Australian Army in World War II. Under the Defence Act , neither the part-time Militia nor the full-time Permanent Military Force could serve outside Australia or its territories unless they volunteered to...
artilleryman. He attended Peats Ridge Primary School, and Knox Grammar School
Knox Grammar School
Knox Grammar School is an independent, Uniting Church, day and boarding school for boys, located in Wahroonga, an upper North Shore suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia....
before accepting an American Field Service Scholarship to go to Ohio for a year. Upon return he earned an Arts degree at the University of Sydney
University of Sydney
The University of Sydney is a public university located in Sydney, New South Wales. The main campus spreads across the suburbs of Camperdown and Darlington on the southwestern outskirts of the Sydney CBD. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and Oceania...
, majoring in government and political science.
Rugby
FitzSimons' club rugby was played first with the Sydney University rugby club and then with the Manly RUFCManly RUFC
Manly Rugby Union Football Club are a rugby union club based in Manly, a suburb of Sydney, New South Wales. The club was formed in 1906 and competes in the New South Wales Rugby Union competitions, the Shute Shield and Tooheys New Cup. Manly, known as the Marlins, play their home games at Manly...
in Sydney in the 1980s under the coaching of Alan Jones
Alan Jones (radio broadcaster)
Alan Belford Jones AO is an Australian radio broadcaster, former rugby union and rugby league coach and administrator.Jones hosts Sydney's most popular breakfast radio program, on radio station 2GB...
. Between 1985 and 1989 he played with CA Brive
CA Brive
Club Athlétique Brive Corrèze Limousin is a French rugby union team founded in 1910 and based in Brive-la-Gaillarde in the département of Corrèze of the Limousin région . They wear black and white and play in the Stade Amédée-Domenech .- History :The club was created on 15 March 1910 established on...
in France for four seasons, becoming the club's first ever foreign player. He played seven Tests at lock for Australia
Australia national rugby union team
The Australian national rugby union team is the representative side of Australia in rugby union. The national team is nicknamed the Wallabies and competes annually with New Zealand and South Africa in the Tri-Nations Series, in which they also contest the Bledisloe Cup with New Zealand and the...
between 1989 and 1990, debuting against France
France national rugby union team
The France national rugby union team represents France in rugby union. They compete annually against England, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales in the Six Nations Championship. They have won the championship outright sixteen times, shared it a further eight times, and have completed nine grand slams...
in Strasbourg in November 1989, on the Wallabies 1989 tour of Europe. Five of his career international appearances were made against France. He is one of only two Wallabies ever sent from the field against the All Blacks, being sent off in a 1990 Bledisloe Cup match.
Journalist
FitzSimons has written for The Sydney Morning HeraldThe Sydney Morning Herald
The Sydney Morning Herald is a daily broadsheet newspaper published by Fairfax Media in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1831 as the Sydney Herald, the SMH is the oldest continuously published newspaper in Australia. The newspaper is published six days a week. The newspaper's Sunday counterpart, The...
since 1988, and has been a sports columnist
Columnist
A columnist is a journalist who writes for publication in a series, creating an article that usually offers commentary and opinions. Columns appear in newspapers, magazines and other publications, including blogs....
for that publication since 1987. He also regularly appears on the Australian Foxtel
Foxtel
Foxtel is an Australian pay television company, operating cable, direct broadcast satellite television and IPTV services. It was formed in 1995 through a joint venture established between Telstra and News Corporation....
programme, The Back Page
The Back Page
The Back Page is a comedy film directed by and starring Fatty Arbuckle. The title satirizes the famous play and 1931 film The Front Page.-Cast:* Virginia Brooks - The Editor's Daughter* Wheeler Oakman* George MacFarlane* Ethel Davis...
, hosted by rugby league journalist Mike Gibson. For the Saturday edition of the Sydney Morning Herald, FitzSimons writes a column titled "The Fitz Files" which looks at all the happenings over the past seven days in sport. He writes a more general version of "The Fitz Files" on page two of The Sun-Herald
The Sun-Herald
The Sun-Herald is an Australian tabloid newspaper published on Sundays in Sydney by Fairfax Media. It is the Sunday counterpart of The Sydney Morning Herald. In the 6 months to September 2005, The Sun-Herald had a circulation of 515,000...
on Sundays, focusing on community activities and events in Sydney.
Radio
In January 2006 he began co-hosting a breakfast radio program with Mike CarltonMike Carlton
Mike Carlton is an Australian media commentator and broadcaster. He formerly co-hosted the daily breakfast program on Sydney radio station 2UE with Peter FitzSimons and later Sandy Aloisi. He is a columnist for The Sydney Morning Herald, having been sacked from the position on 29 August 2008, for...
on Sydney radio station 2UE
2UE
2UE is a commercial radio station in Sydney, Australia owned by Fairfax Media. It is Sydney's and Australia's oldest commercial radio station, first broadcasting on 26 January 1925 on 1025 kHz AM before moving to 950 kHz in 1935 when virtually all Australian radio stations were assigned new...
. He was brought onto the 2UE breakfast show in an attempt to boost the program's dwindling ratings. Mike Carlton was vocal in his opposition to having an on-air partner, but the move paid dividends with an immediate audience increase. However, the Mike and Fitz Breakfast Show still trailed a long way behind the number one program on 2GB
2GB
2GB is a commercial radio station in Sydney, Australia broadcasting on 873 kHz, AM. It is one of Australia's most popular talk-back radio stations, and is the number one station in Sydney.-History:The station commenced broadcasting in August 1926...
, hosted by FitzSimons' former coach Alan Jones
Alan Jones (radio broadcaster)
Alan Belford Jones AO is an Australian radio broadcaster, former rugby union and rugby league coach and administrator.Jones hosts Sydney's most popular breakfast radio program, on radio station 2GB...
. After two years on Breakfast with Mike and Fitz, FitzSimons hung up the headphones to become a stay-at-home dad and focus on his writing.
Literature
FitzSimons' published works include:- Kokoda, which recounts the numerous battlesKokoda Track campaignThe Kokoda Track campaign or Kokoda Trail campaign was part of the Pacific War of World War II. The campaign consisted of a series of battles fought between July and November 1942 between Japanese and Allied—primarily Australian—forces in what was then the Australian territory of Papua...
between Australian and Japanese Troops on the Kokoda TrackKokoda TrackThe Kokoda Trail or Track is a single-file foot thoroughfare that runs overland — in a straight line — through the Owen Stanley Range in Papua New Guinea...
during World War II. - Tobruk, which tells the story of The Rats of TobrukThe Rats of TobrukThe Rats of Tobruk was the name given to the soldiers of the garrison who held the Libyan port of Tobruk against the Afrika Corps, during the Siege of Tobruk in World War II...
as they fought during World War II against Italian troops, then later the Afrika KorpsAfrika KorpsThe German Africa Corps , or the Afrika Korps as it was popularly called, was the German expeditionary force in Libya and Tunisia during the North African Campaign of World War II...
, as they were led by then-General Erwin RommelErwin RommelErwin Johannes Eugen Rommel , popularly known as the Desert Fox , was a German Field Marshal of World War II. He won the respect of both his own troops and the enemies he fought....
. - Charles Kingsford Smith and those Magnificent Men, a biography of aviator Sir Charles Kingsford SmithCharles Kingsford SmithSir Charles Edward Kingsford Smith MC, AFC , often called by his nickname Smithy, was an early Australian aviator. In 1928, he earned global fame when he made the first trans-Pacific flight from the United States to Australia...
. - A Simpler Time a childhood memoir which relates his family history and honours the memory of his father and mother.
- Batavia (2011, ISBN 9781864710403) on the fate of the ship BataviaBatavia (ship)Batavia was a ship of the Dutch East India Company . It was built in Amsterdam in 1628, and armed with 24 cast iron cannons and a number of bronze guns. Batavia was shipwrecked on her maiden voyage, and was made famous by the subsequent mutiny and massacre that took place among the survivors...
.
He has also written the biographies of former Australian Labor Party
Australian Labor Party
The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...
leader Kim Beazley
Kim Beazley
In the October 1998 election, Labor polled a majority of the two-party vote and received the largest swing to a first-term opposition since 1934. However, due to the uneven nature of the swing, Labor came up eight seats short of making Beazley Prime Minister....
, Wallaby captains, Nick Farr-Jones
Nick Farr-Jones
Nicholas Campbell Farr-Jones is a former Australian rugby union footballer. His position was scrum-half. He attended Newington College and St Andrew's College within the University of Sydney...
and John Eales
John Eales
John Eales AM is an Australian former rugby union player and the most successful captain in the history of Australian rugby.-Early life:...
, WWII resistance fighter Nancy Wake
Nancy Wake
Nancy Grace Augusta Wake, AC, GM , served as a British agent during the later part of World War II. She became a leading figure in the maquis groups of the French Resistance and was one of the Allies' most decorated servicewomen of the war.-Early life:Born in Roseneath, Wellington, New Zealand in...
and sportsmen Steve Waugh
Steve Waugh
Stephen Rodger "Steve" Waugh, AO is a former Australian cricketer and fraternal twin of cricketer Mark Waugh. A right-handed batsman, he was also a successful medium-pace bowler...
and Les Darcy
Les Darcy
James Leslie Darcy was an Australian boxer. He was a middleweight, but held the Australian Heavyweight Championship title at the same time....
. In spite of some critical reviews by established historians, most of his books have sold well.
Boards
He is or has been involved with several organisations as a patron or board member, including:- Patron of AFS Intercultural ProgramsAFS Intercultural ProgramsAFS Intercultural Programs was established in 1915 by A. Piatt Andrew, a onetime economics professor at Harvard University and former U.S. Assistant Secretary of the Treasury...
, a student exchange organisation; he was an AFS student to the United States in the 1970s; - Patron of the NewportNewport, New South WalesNewport is a suburb in northern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Newport is located 31 kilometres north of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of Pittwater Council, and is part of the Northern Beaches region....
Surf Life Saving ClubSurf Life Saving ClubSurf Life Saving Clubs are volunteer institutions at Australia's beaches. The clubs conduct surf lifesaving services on weekends and public holidays and host many beach sport activities, such as Nippers, surf carnivals and other competitions...
which his grandfather helped establish in 1913; - On the Senate of Sydney University 2009–2013;
- On the Board of the Sydney Writers' FestivalSydney Writers' FestivalThe Sydney Writers' Festival is an annual literary festival held in the Australian city of Sydney. The Festival's artistic director is Chip Rolley.-History:...
since 2003; - President of the Northern SuburbsNorthern Suburbs (Sydney)The Northern Suburbs is a general term used to describe the metropolitan area on the northern bank of the Parramatta River in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia east of West Pennant Hills and west of the Lane Cove National Park, south of Hornsby...
Basketball Association; - Patron of the Benjamin Andrew Footpath Library, devoted to getting second-hand books to homeless people.
Personal life
Fitzsimons is married to Nine NetworkNine Network
The Nine Network , is an Australian television network with headquarters based in Willoughby, a suburb located on the North Shore of Sydney. For 50 years since television's inception in Australia, between 1956 and 2006, it was the most watched television network in Australia...
Today Show
Today (Australian TV program)
Today and Weekend Today are Australian breakfast television programmes, the show is often referred to as The Today Show. The show has been broadcast live by the Nine Network each morning since 1982...
host Lisa Wilkinson
Lisa Wilkinson
Lisa Wilkinson is an Australian journalist and television personality.Wilkinson is currently a co-host of the Nine Network's breakfast television program Today.-Career:...
. They have three children Jake, Louis and Billi. Fitzsimons has also identified himself as an atheist.
Honours
On 13 June 2011, Fitzsimons was named a Member of the Order of AustraliaOrder of Australia
The Order of Australia is an order of chivalry established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, "for the purpose of according recognition to Australian citizens and other persons for achievement or for meritorious service"...
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.
Political views
FitzSimons is an outspoken Australian republicanRepublicanism in Australia
Republicanism in Australia is a movement to change Australia's status as a constitutional monarchy to a republican form of government. Such sentiments have been expressed in Australia from before federation onward to the present...
and supports changes to the Australian flag
Australian flag debate
The Australian flag debate is a debate over whether the Australian flag should be changed in order to remove the Union Flag from the canton, often in connection with the issue of republicanism in Australia...
.