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| Rob Astbury |
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| Eddie McGuire |
Two decades ago Eddie McGuire at Channel 10 and Rob Astbury with
Channel 9 were arch rivals. Both changed the way television sports news was
presented especially the coverage of AFL.
They won many awards for their tabloid style of breaking
football stories on television, once the domain of newspapers. At the height of
his career Astbury was reported to be the highest paid television sports
reporter but in the mid 1990’s their career paths changed dramatically. Eddie
became a house hold name fronting the Football Show and later Who Wants To Be a
Millionaire while Astbury turned to real estate on the Gold Coast.
Within five years Astbury established himself as the top
agent in Queensland with the Ray White group winning a swag of awards for sales
and marketing. In 2003 he shocked colleagues by relocating to Thailand where he
was instrumental in turning a small real estate agency into the largest
property developer on Thailand’s Eastern Seaboard.
During the next seven years
he says he made a lot of money for his employers and himself but during the
last three years, with the world economic meltdown, everything turned sour.
Rob told the Shuttle today:“after making a small fortune I ended up with nothing and had two
options. I didn’t like the second option so I decided to return to the Gold
Coast to resurrect my life from scratch, literally.”
Eddie McGuire’s glittering career has also hit hard
times.
This week the Nine Network has pulled the pin on the sports
quiz show Between the Lines. The series launched three weeks ago and fronted by
McGuire struggled for ratings outside the southern metropolis. It is McGuire's third failure this year,
after Million Dollar Drop and This Is Your Life.
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| Queensland's Gold Coast |
Meanwhile, three months after returning to the Gold Coast
Astbury is kicking goals again. During the past six weeks he has notched up
four sales totalling $4.5 million dollars.
Renowned for his marketing skills Astbury has commissioned
half page advertisements in Melbourne’s main metropolitan newspapers published
by the Leader Group. Promoting the Gold Coast’s renowned climate and a real
estate market undergoing a major price correction Astbury said, “Now may never
be a better time to buy Gold Coast property, escape the southern winter and
secure an excellent investment.”
The advertisements brazenly feature a photo of Astbury and a
slogan once used by the Channel he worked for, “Rob Astbury... Still the ONE…
for experience and impeccable service”. The advertisement encourages buyers to
click on his personal website www.robastbury.com
that features properties ranging from $600,000 to a 700 square metre Penthouse
priced at $5,590,000.
