Our People

Dr Alan “Doc” Mackenzie’s life at Southport began early in the 1970s when he started his medical practice on the Gold Coast. He was elected Southport president in 1974 and has held the position for 49 years until he passed away in 2022. That, in itself – an unequalled longevity at the helm of a sporting organisation – perhaps best explains why the Sharks have been powerful for so long. In 2012 he was recognised by the AFL and awarded the highly prestigious Jack Titus Service Award. Mackenzie’s Sports Bar is named after Dr Mackenzie.

THE grandson of German immigrants, the late Wally Fankhauser is one of the major reasons why the Southport Sharks enjoy being the envy of sporting clubs nationwide. It was his $2 million donation that set up the move of the club from Owen Park in Southport to a ground at Musgrave Hill, one which now bears the name of Wally Fankhauser Sports Reserve. Fankhauser had been a major financial backer of the club up to then, but there is no question that, without his supreme generosity, what stands on the corner of Olsen and Musgrave Avenues might never have been. Fankhauser’s early days were spent in Melbourne where the family ran fruit orchards. Fankhauser sold up in Melbourne in 1968 and moved to Queensland where he soon became a major player in real estate with a couple of land package purchases. A keen supporter of the Melbourne Demons, Fankhauser could so easily have linked...

GERRY Carmody was standing enjoying a beer at the Down Under Bar of the Pacific Hotel one night late in 1974, minding his own business, when he somehow became elected as treasurer of the Southport AFC. From then on Carmody was associated with the Southport committee, mostly as secretary and treasurer until his death in 2011, part of perhaps the most stable administration of any club in the nation. It was an inadvertent drink at the right time that netted the Sharks their man. Carmody had moved down to Southport from Stones Corner in his job with a ban, where the Southport Magpies had an account. He met Wally Fankhauser, Dr Alan Mackenzie and had a drink at the old Regal Bar of the Pacific and they talked Carmody into joining up. It was at this time the Magpies had set up the Down Under Bar when Ken Foster was pub licensee. Anyway, it was in 1974 the...

Clayton completed a Bachelor of Laws Degree and was admitted as a Solicitor in New South Wales and Queensland in February 2002.  He is also a graduate of the Australian Institute of Directors (GAICD) and holds a Diploma in Financial Services (Dip FS). Clayton serves on numerous boards including Southport Sharks.

Dean is a past premiership player for Southport Sharks (1990) and Queensland state representative (1991). He has an extensive 33-year career in the property and property development industry in Queensland and the eastern states. He has held state and national senior executive positions in listed public companies for the last 24 years. Dean joined Southport Sharks as a non-executive director in July 2022 and was appointed Vice President in April 2023.

Shaun has been Treasurer of Southport Sharks since 2012. His qualifications include Diploma of Financial Services, Diploma of Accountancy, Fellow NTAA and Registered Tax Agent Shaun has been a Company Director since 2009 and is Principal of an Accountancy Practice.

Chris Sacre is widely regarded and respected within the childcare industry. Chris developed a passion for the industry in early 2007 when he provided financial consultative services, as an Advisory Manager for PricewaterhouseCoopers to G8 Education (formally Early Learning Services) in the lead up to the public listing. After successfully floating the company in 2007, Chris joined G8 Education as Chief Financial Officer. During his time with G8 Education, Chris was instrumental to the growth of the company with over 400 childcare acquisitions, raising over $100mil. in capital and increasing market cap. from $4mil. to $1.3bil. Chris lives on the Gold Coast with his wife and three young children.

Royce is a Southport Sharks Hall of Famer, Best & Fairest winner (1991) and premiership player (1992). Royce has been heavily involved in Southport Junior and Youth football development on the Gold Coast and has been player-manager for several young Queenslanders who have progressed to AFL level. Royce has been a Company Director since 2016.

Rick's qualifications include Commercial Cook and has experience as a company director since 1995.

Adam holds a Bachelor of Architecture and has been a company director since 2001.

Since representing Australia as a Hockeyroo, Kim has built an exciting and successful career across both sport and business, leading to her current role as Paddle Australia’s current National Performance Director. A transformational leader within the national institute network (AIS, QAS, NSWIS) and national sport organisations (Hockey Australia, Surfing Australia and Paddle Australia) having held High-Performance Management and National Performance Director roles, Kim has an in-depth knowledge on organisational change, sport global trends and system dynamics, culture and building high performance teams; particularly within the Olympic / Paralympic Sport and urban / lifestyle ‘Action Sport’ industry. Kim is a strategic, and innovative thought leader with a future focus on Gen32 sport requirements for partnerships, programs, performance, and people; with an extensive federal / state government and professional sport network.

Dennis brings a broad base of commercial knowledge to our Board, courtesy of his rather unique blend of large-corporate and small-business experience acquired during his 36 year career in the Financial Services profession. Dennis owned and managed a local Gold Coast based financial advice firm for nearly 20 years, before his decision to merge with other likeminded high-performance firms to create one of the largest financial advisory businesses in Australia (he is still on the Board of Directors of Invest Blue). Prior to his time in private practice, Dennis held various domestic and international executive roles for one of Australia’s oldest and largest financial services organisations, with one of his most treasured experiences being a Director role which required him to live and work in Tokyo.

THE matriarch of the Southport Sharks/Magpies, Audrey Fankhauser was the woman behind the scenes. Audrey and Wally first joined Southport, then the Magpies, in 1969 and she went on to be heavily involved in the women’s committee running match-day canteens and cooking meals for after-match functions. She still supports her favourite club, which Wally put so much time and money into. “The club is in my blood,” says Audrey. “I’m extremely proud of Wally for what he set up.” Which raises an interesting matter because Audrey did not know her husband had donated $2 million to the Sharks in 1988. She had been in London visiting youngest son Neville and did not learn of the massive donation until she returned home. Did she blow up? Did she hit the roof? “What could I say, it was all too late by then,” says Audrey. “I found out a long time before then that there was no use...

From the playing field to club boss – that’s the fascinating journey of current Southport Chief Executive Officer, Dean Bowtell. The son of 1970s ruckman and dual premiership player, big Eddie Bowtell, Dean started with the Southport Sharks as a junior and he made his first-grade debut in 1989. Bowtell played in the winning grand

AN out-and-out champion player, Zane Taylor deserves the rating of being perhaps the best to ever don Southport’s black and white colours, both as a Magpie, then a Shark. Joining Southport as a 17-year-old from Footscray, Taylor went on to play 200-plus matches for the club, he spent three seasons with Geelong in the VFL

JASON Cotter has a record unmatched by perhaps anyone else in Queensland football.He was the first Surfers Paradise junior to play for the Sharks in the QAFL – in 1983 – and went on to establish a wonderful personal record.The diminutive rover featured in 10 grand finals with Southport, winning six times.Cotter represented Queensland 12

A FORMER Fitzroy VFL wingman, Dare went on to be named Queensland  Coach of the Century for his deeds with Kedron, Southport and his adopted State. Dare first moved to Queensland in 1980 and had instant success, taking the now Defunct Kedron Lions to a QAFL premiership. Kedron finished runners-up in 1981, before Dare was lured

PERHAPS the best all-round skilled player to pull on the Sharks jumper, Craig Crowley developed from a larrikin from Cora Lyn to a legend at Southport. He joined Southport for the history-making 1983 QAFL premiership and went on to feature in 190 games for the club, winning  six grand finals – a record he shares with

MOVED across town from the Nerang RSL Club in 1995 to take up the position of secretary-manager of the Southport Sharks.At that stage the club had only a handful of poker machines, but Wyatt was to oversee the rise and rise of one of Queensland’s top-three licensed venues.He was at the administrative helm as the

REUBEN Pelerman, to become one of Queensland’s richest men, was a main contributor to the rise of Southport as a football power. When Pelerman bought the Pacific Hotel on Marine Parade, the club was already operating the Down Under Bar – but was struggling financially. With Pelerman’s help, the drinking hole was transformed into a

INSPIRATIONAL ruck-rover Gavan McGuane holds a special place in the history of the Southport AFC. He is the only player to have captained the club as both a Magpie and a Shark. McGuane, the uncle of Collingwood great Mick, first joined Southport in 1980 after moving north from Golden Point in the Ballarat league. McGuane