John Harkness
After leaving NSBHS,I entered a Chartered Accounting firm and completed my studies at night.I became a partner of the firm in 1976 and retired gracefully on 30 June 2000.During my years with the firm, I was fortunate to gain extensive experience in all manner of finance and business, first through the audit area and more extensively through the corporate recovery area.I acted as receiver or liquidator of some of the most notable corporate collapses in Australia.Cambridge Credit,Associated Securities,Equiticorp, Spedley, Hooker and Linter. Interesting times!
In 1993 I was elected as Executive Chairman of KPMG Australia. I am currently undertaking a number of non executive directorships and business advisory roles.I do not have as much uncommitted time as I expected and, consequently ,my golf game is not improving!
I married in 1972 to Dale(on a good day , Dale still professes to be happy in my company!?) and we have three terrific daughters.Skye (26) is living in Italy with her new husband Simone; Jade (24) is Associate to Justice Roddy Meagher and Britt (22)is nursing at Royal North Shore Hospital. We have lived at Beauty Point for 21 years and recently downsized as Britt is our only daughter at home.We have a farm at Peel (near Bathurst) which is a peaceful respite from the city.
After NSBHS, I continued playing rugby with Northern Suburbs from 1965 to 1974, and more recently found enough time to get far more involved with the club.I have enjoyed skiing,(no longer)sailing(still), swimming (preservation) over the intervening years.
On balance, I believe that NSBHS did me no harm and may have played a beneficially influential role in my thoroughly enjoyable life so far.Long may it continue!