- Peter FitzSimons
Peter FitzSimons, born in
Peats Ridge, New South Wales , 29 June, 1961 [ [http://mosmanis.info/walloffame/web/sportsperson.php?id=44 Mosman Sporting Wall of Fame - Peter FitzSimons ] ] , is a former "Wallabies"rugby union player. He now works as a journalist, author and radio presenter.Career
FitzSimons is a former Wallaby, playing seven Tests for Australia. He has the distinction of being the only Wallaby ever sent from the field against the
All Blacks . Following his international career he played withCA Brive in France for 4 seasons, becoming the clubs first ever foreign player.Journalist
Based in
Sydney , Peter FitzSimons is asports columnist andwriter for "The Sydney Morning Herald ". FitzSimons also regularly appears on the AustralianFoxtel 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 also writes a more general version of the "The Fitz Files" on page two of the Sun-Herald on Sundays, focusing on community activities and events in Sydney.Radio
In 2006 he began co-hosting a breakfast radio program with
Mike Carlton on Sydney radio station2UE . He was brought onto the 2UE breakfast show by management in January 2006 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 immediately paid dividends with an immediate audience increase. However, the "Mike and Fitz" breakfast show still trails a long way behind the current number one program on2GB , hosted by Alan Jones who coincidentally coached FitzSimons at the Manly rugby club and when he was a Wallaby. Fact|date=February 2007 FitzSimons was often joined on air by his wife,Nine Network "Today Show" presenterLisa Wilkinson .After two years on Breakfast with Mike and Fitz, Peter FitzSimons hung up the headphones to become a stay at home Dad and focus on his writing. Mike Carlton has thanked Fitz for the "most fun" he's ever had on the radio.
Literature
FitzSimons is an established author with such books as "Kokoda", which recounts the numerous battles between Australian and
Japan ese Troops on theKokoda track duringWorld War II , and biographies of formerAustralian Labor Party leaderKim Beazley ,Nick Farr-Jones ,John Eales ,Nancy Wake andSteve Waugh . His latest book is "Tobruk", which recounts the story of theRats of Tobruk as they fought during World War II against Italian, then later the Afrika Korps as they were led by then-GeneralErwin Rommell .Personal life
He is married to "Today" host
Lisa Wilkinson , with whom he has three children. He is a former student ofKnox Grammar School at Wahroonga, Sydney. His sons Jake and Louis FitzSimons also attend Knox Grammar School.References
External links
* [http://smh.com.au/sport/sportcolumns/fitzsimons/ Homepage for FitzSimons' Sydney Morning Herald columns]
* [http://peterfitzsimons.com.au/ FitzSimons is managed for corporate speaking and celebrity MC by The Fordham Company] Official Peter FitzSimons' Website
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