Sir Bob’s still hot property
JOHN MASANAUSKAS ROCK singer and global humanitarian Sir Bob Geldof probably owns a lot of property, so maybe that’s why Australia’s property industry has recruited him for a speaking gig.
Geldof will be the star attraction at the Property Council of Australia’s congress in Cairns next month to mark the organisation’s 40th birthday.
It may seem an odd choice for the veteran rocker and Live Aid founder, but in 2015 Geldof was in Canberra to address a chartered accountants awards dinner.
“Forty years in rock and roll and I’m speaking to a bunch of bloody accountants,” he said then.
Property Council Victorian executive director Sally Capp was involved in luring Geldof back to Australia — a process that took about a year.
“What we’ve particularly asked him to talk about are his observations through his philanthropy work about what makes successful, healthy dynamic communities,” she said.
“We will have everyone from CEOs to millennials at the congress and we thought that Bob was somebody that could really galvanise everybody around that sort of inspirational thing.”
Ms Capp would not disclose Geldof’s fee, but saying, “it’s a worthwhile investment, let’s put it that way”.
Asked why the former Boomtown Rats frontman would be interested in a property event, she said: “There’s a lot that we are doing to create a better world (and) he told us he needs to influence the people who are actually driving our futures.”
The conference costs $1999 for Property Council members and $2999 for non-members, while the Geldof’s session “on how we can create a better world as individuals” is sponsored by engineering firm ARUP.
Peta Credlin, who was chief of staff to former PM Tony Abbott, and ad man and TV personality Todd Sampson have also been booked for the conference that will run October 18 to 20.