Gathering to honour developer

A PUBLIC memorial service to mark the life and achievements of well-respected Hobart property developer Ali Sultan will be held next week.

The 73-year-old, pictured, died last month after a heart attack while walking on kunanyi/Mount Wellington.

The development giant has been remembered by many in the community as a kind and gentle man of great ambition and perseverance.

Following a private funeral last month, Mr Sultan’s family will host a public memorial service at Wrest Point Casino next Friday, February 26 from 3.30pm to honour his life, achievements, and contribution to the community.

Mr Sultan’s son, Moe, said there were still about 350 free tickets available for people to attend. To register for a ticket to the memorial visit www.eventbrite.com.au/e/alisultan-memorial-tickets-141096440251? aff=ebdssbdestsearch

THE silence from AFL House in Melbourne is deafening. It’s been five days since the Mercury revealed that Tasmanian Premier Peter Gutwein sent a formal letter to the AFL threatening to end multimillion-dollar contract negotiations with Hawthorn and North Melbourne beyond 2021.

Mr Gutwein’s frustration has reached fever pitch as the code’s bosses ignore Tasmania’s campaign for our own team.

Indeed, he gave league boss Gillon McLachlan plenty of notice, threatening action late last year.

But still there has been no official response.

There has been a long, slow slide out of love with AFL for a number of reasons but when the state’s Premier suggests the code is in “decay” in Tasmania, it’s a sure sign things are going devastatingly wrong.

Last year, the Tasmanian AFL Taskforce recommended the state have an AFL team by 2025, but any thought of that was put on hold owing to the league’s devastating financial squeeze caused by the pandemic.

With no commitment forthcoming, Mr Gutwein’s position is clear: if we don’t get a satisfactory response, Tasmania will take the $22m it pours into the two AFL sides each year and reinvest it elsewhere.

And if the code is well-off or arrogant enough to allow that to happen, so be it.

There are plenty of other codes looking to validate national competitions by setting up a side on the Apple Isle.

The launch of our NBL team, the JackJumpers, is gaining momentum.

The $41m redevelopment of the Derwent Entertainment Centre is under way with hopes stage one will be completed by October next year so the league’s newest team can open the 2021-22 season at home.

Last month Mr Gutwein also revealed that he would set his sights on a potential Tasmanian A-League team.

“We’ve had some very positive discussions with Football Tasmania and with interests that are considering the opportunity for an A-League side here and we’ll continue to progress those,” Mr Gutwein said at the time.

“But I think off the back of the NBL side and the work that Larry Kestelman is doing, this is Tasmania’s opportunity as a state in a federation to actually to end up with teams in the national leagues which are a true and clear demonstration that Tasmania is a part of this federation and our people deserve the same opportunities.”

Today we reveal that Netball Tasmania will make a bid for a stand-alone licence in the national Super League.

Tasmanians love their footy and we want nothing more than a team to call our own. But there are few things we detest more than being ignored by mainlanders.

The AFL owes this state clarity and answers. The silence is just disrespectful.