YES, MINISTER
CHARITY HELP
David Bradbury earns promotion
Weekender kicks off OZWAC fundraising
PAGE 7
PAGE 22
FAMILY TRAGEDY PAGE 3
MARCH 9 2012 ISSUE 1043
PROUDLY INDEPENDENT CIRCULATION: 59,400
THE HEARTBEAT OF PENRITH
Penrith’s best coverage of entertainment
Business
Tourism boost for Penrith
29
Life & Style NEW PANTHERS CEO WARREN WILSON AT THE CLUB’S HEADQUARTERS ON TUESDAY. PHOTO: MELINDA JENKINS
Meet the new boss How CEO Warren Wilson plans to transform Panthers TROY DODDS
H
e has accepted one of the Penrith region’s toughest and most demanding jobs, but thanks to a billion-dollar plan in his pocket and a passion for the area he grew up in, Warren Wilson is hoping it also becomes one of the most rewarding. The new Chief Executive Officer of Panthers is a straight talker, admits he is “hard but fair” and says Panthers will return to the powerful force it once was within a decade.
“We want to return to being the powerhouse, and to being number one in the industry,” he said. “We have a signifi cant debt that we have to deal with and we’ve got plans to deal with that.” Mr Wilson admits that the plan involves selling off some of Panthers’ other club sites across NSW. “There will defi nitely be rationalisation,” he said. “There’s no way in the short term or even in the medium term that the club can trade its way out of debt. “We’ve got some resolutions going up to the AGM at the end of March to declare all of the properties as being non-core, which will give us the flexibility of being able to divest clubs.”
Mr Wilson said with the divestment of a number of clubs, the balance sheet at Panthers looks “drastically diff erent... instantly”. Panthers is currently waiting on Penrith City Council approval to begin the biggest overhaul in the Mulgoa Road site’s history, which will re-defi ne what Panthers is all about. “It will lead us to a billion dollars-plus of work in the next 10 years on this precinct,” Mr Wilson said. “It’ll be a drastic transformation... it will have commercial buildings, aged care, residential, multi-use arenas, large DFO style shopping centres... it’s a village in itself out here.” Continued page 16
33
Top fashion on show
Extra Time
Panthers look for first win
65
BET ON IT ANYTIME ANYWHERE download the CENTREBET iPhone® app Place singles multi’s and exotics with ease
Full account access
Up to the minute results 1043WWD3905
IS GAMBLING A PROBLEM FOR YOU? GAMBLER’S HELP IS A FREE COUNSELLING SERVICE, CALL 1800 858 858. iPhone IS A REGISTERED TRADE MARK OF APPLE INC, REGISTERED IN THE U.S. AND OTHER COUNTRIES. APPLE STORE IS A SERVICE MARK OF APPLE,INC.