Peter Menegazzo
Encyclopedia
Peter Menegazzo was an Australia
n grain grower and cattle baron
. Born to a modest immigrant family of fruit and vegetable growers, Menegazzo was said to be an intensely private person who rarely gave media interviews.
Menegazzo's father emigrated from Italy
in 1925 to settle near Melbourne
. Menegazzo helped build the family's fruit and vegetable merchant businesses across Australia. He later moved to Victoria
, where he would become Australia's largest potato grower. In 1987, after a Cape holiday, Menegazzo moved his interests to beef and purchased several cattle stations, including Van Rook, Glen Ore and Warren Vale.
In 2003, Menegazzo came under media attention with his purchase of Stanbroke Pastoral Company, said to be the largest rural transaction in Australia’s history. The chain of events surrounding that sale caused outrage in the beef industry who were attempting to gain control of the company. Partner in the Nebo Consortium (with Jack Cowin
, founder of Hungry Jack's
, and Queensland grazier Peter Hughes
), Menegazzo became one of Australia's largest landholders, and the third-biggest cattle owner, with the $417.5 million plus debt sale, gaining 115,000 square kilometres and a herd of half a million cattle. Eight months after the sale, the Nebo group split over the management of the properties, and Menegazzo bought out the remaining half for a rumoured $340 million. Menegazzo reaped a reported cash return of over $500 million in less than a year.
Around 2:30 on the afternoon of 2 December 2005, Menegazzo, his wife Angela, pilot Anthony Gobel, and co-pilot Derek Mostyn were killed when the 23 year-old twin engine Piper Chieftain they were flying crashed. The cause of the crash is yet to be determined. The crash left a four kilometre path of wreckage about 20 km west of Condobolin, New South Wales
. They were survived by three sons and a daughter.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n grain grower and cattle baron
Cattle baron
A cattle baron is a historic term for a person who possessed great power or influence, generally as owner of a large ranch and many cattle, specifically beef cattle. A cattle baron in the United States was sometimes called a cowman or a rancher...
. Born to a modest immigrant family of fruit and vegetable growers, Menegazzo was said to be an intensely private person who rarely gave media interviews.
Menegazzo's father emigrated from Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
in 1925 to settle near Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
. Menegazzo helped build the family's fruit and vegetable merchant businesses across Australia. He later moved to Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
, where he would become Australia's largest potato grower. In 1987, after a Cape holiday, Menegazzo moved his interests to beef and purchased several cattle stations, including Van Rook, Glen Ore and Warren Vale.
In 2003, Menegazzo came under media attention with his purchase of Stanbroke Pastoral Company, said to be the largest rural transaction in Australia’s history. The chain of events surrounding that sale caused outrage in the beef industry who were attempting to gain control of the company. Partner in the Nebo Consortium (with Jack Cowin
Jack Cowin
Jack Cowin is an Australian businessman who owns Hungry Jack's, the Burger King franchise in Australia and is the Executive Chairman of Competitive Foods Australia, one of the country's largest privately held businesses...
, founder of Hungry Jack's
Hungry Jack's
Hungry Jack's Pty Ltd, often colloquially abbreviated to HJ's, Hungry's or Hungie's, is the exclusive Australian master fast food franchisee of Burger King Corporation. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Competitive Foods Australia, a privately held company owned by Jack Cowin...
, and Queensland grazier Peter Hughes
Peter Hughes
Peter Hughes may refer to:*Peter Hughes , English actor*Peter Hughes , member of The Mountain Goats*Peter Hughes , Irish politician*Peter Hughes with the British Foreign Office...
), Menegazzo became one of Australia's largest landholders, and the third-biggest cattle owner, with the $417.5 million plus debt sale, gaining 115,000 square kilometres and a herd of half a million cattle. Eight months after the sale, the Nebo group split over the management of the properties, and Menegazzo bought out the remaining half for a rumoured $340 million. Menegazzo reaped a reported cash return of over $500 million in less than a year.
Around 2:30 on the afternoon of 2 December 2005, Menegazzo, his wife Angela, pilot Anthony Gobel, and co-pilot Derek Mostyn were killed when the 23 year-old twin engine Piper Chieftain they were flying crashed. The cause of the crash is yet to be determined. The crash left a four kilometre path of wreckage about 20 km west of Condobolin, New South Wales
Condobolin, New South Wales
Condobolin is a town in the west of the Central West region of New South Wales, Australia, on the Lachlan River. At the 2006 census, Condobolin had a population of 2,847.- History :...
. They were survived by three sons and a daughter.