From Brisbane to Melbourne (via Paris) with love for Lions tragic
Brisbane Lions director and healthcare millionaire Cathie Reid has made a dash back from Paris Fashion Week to watch her team in Saturday’s AFL grand final in Melbourne.
As AFL fans and corporates flock to the Victorian capital for the game – if they are lucky enough to nab a ticket in the sold-out 100,000-seat MCG – Ms Reid will be clocking up a few more kilometres than her fellow fans.
Brisbane Lions director and businesswoman Cathie Reid in Paris this week with her Lions scarf. Francois-Xavier Watine
The AFR Rich Lister – valued alongside her husband Stuart Giles with a personal fortune of $550 million – made a quick trip to the Christian Dior fashion show in Paris for her birthday.
But there was never any doubt the life-long AFL fan was going to make it back for the grand final where the Lions are attempting to win their first premiership in 20 years.
“Everybody is super excited about making the grand final and the opportunity that presents on Saturday. I think it’s an amazing validation of the hard work that so many people have put into turning the club around,” Ms Reid told AFR Weekend from Paris before she flew home.
“It was pretty dire straits for a while. We weren’t successful on the field and we weren’t successful off the field. People have worked really hard to get where we are.”
It’s been a long time between drinks for the Brisbane Lions since its string of three consecutive premierships in the early 2000s, especially rebuilding the club in a city which is a rugby league stronghold. (The Brisbane Broncos rugby league team play in the NRL grand final on Sunday night.)
“There is a significant difference in the financials now to when I joined the board, that’s for sure,” Ms Reid said.
“On-field success
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