Sir Peter H.E. Abeles AC (Ábel Péter) Part 2
| Town/City | Sydney |
|---|---|
| First name | Sir Peter H.E. |
| Last name | Abeles AC (Ábel Péter) Part 2 |
| Country of Origin | Hungary |
| Date of Birth | 1924 |
| Year of Arrival in Australia | 1949 |
| Submitted by | Attila Urmenyhazi |
Story
Sir Peter H. E. Abeles AC (Ábel Péter), entrepreneur businessman, transportation magnate, benefactor (1924-1999)
Part 2
As a corporate mogul, he faced his share of many unsubstantiated attacks and allegations: unscrupulous business tactics, ruthlessness against minority shareholders, buying his knighthood, etc. Even a rival transport magnate, Melbourne businessman Lindsay Fox said Sir Peter was an outstanding individual. ‘His scope and vision was way ahead of anyone else in the industry.
Peter was very tough but his vision for what he did was nothing more than incredible’. Former ACTU secretary Bill Kelty said Sir Peter was a decent and humane person’, with a vision for Australia that ‘few people matched’. He respected those who worked with him, negotiated countless agreements with unions and the ACTU, and not once broke his word.
Away from business, Sir Peter’s passion was cards: either intense bridge games or very high-stakes poker. For many years the then NSW premier, Sir Robert Askin was a regular at Sir Peter’s table entourage. Sir Peter was seen as a warm, generous, erudite and humorous gentleman by those who knew him. Sir Peter built up and cultivated a network of friends that covered all sides of the political spectrum. Seeking to explain his enormous network of influence, he once remarked: ‘I can’t help if my friends have been successful in their fields’.
He was generous with his time and money in charitable and community causes. He established and chaired the Australian Cancer Research Foundation, which raised and distributed millions of dollars for research into the disease that, unexpectedly, was to claim his life. According to Bob Hawke, he was truly a man of the world, fluent in half a dozen languages and had a profound interest in international affairs’
When delivering the eulogy of Sir Peter Abeles, the former Prime Minister went on to say that: ‘Of the 5.5 million immigrants and more than half a million refugees who have made Australia their home since World War II, none can match the breadth and magnitude of Sir Peter Abeles’ business achievement.
Submitted by Attila Urmenyhazi