James Packer

I, Along with many Australians saw a revealing interview with James Packer last Sunday night on network 7's Sunday Night program and I must say how much respect I gained for this man. For the international readers of my blog, James is the heir to a third generation empire and truly a man who has earned his stripes, so to speak. The interview was conducted by Michael Willesee, a long time Australian Journalist, TV presenter who has worked for Sir Frank and Kerry Packer, James' Grand Father and Father respectively. Michael's questions were very good. James and I are around the same age, and whilst I think that would be almost where the similarities end, I found that I related to him very easily and found myself actually cheering for him. Australians, and perhaps people generally love an underdog, and whilst James is the custodian of many millions or billions of dollars and would not be considered by many as an underdog, I believe to shake off the difficulties of losing $380 million with the demise of One Tel, a failed telco here in Australia and to make decisions not based on what his father or grand father would have done, but to truly stand out from their shadows and walk confidently into the next phase of his life is something I both admire and cheer him on from the distant sidelines with. I had the strangest feeling watching this story that I might do some photography for him one day, and whether that is true or not does not influence my feeling even remotely. Here is a person, a man who has stood up and is making a difference....and so can we all. I particularly admired James praising Lachlan and Rupert Murdoch, Tom Cruise as people who believed in him when others didn't. I think even I can relate to this having had people who believed in me when people I thought would be there in my low times werent. Life is a very interesting ride, and whilst my life bears almost no resemblance to James packer I admire and respect him. I was inspired by James and hope in a different way, that I too might take on the world and negotiate it on my own photographic terms. Thanks James.