Entertainment Home Arts & Books Fashion Galleries Movies Music TV & Radio Events Nude pics not fake, says Lara Bingle

IN DEFENCE of Lara Bingle". I never thought I would find myself writing those words. They go against everything I stand for. Indeed, by writing them I am running the serious risk of expulsion from the Grand Federation of Twitter Snarks. Lara Bingle is not there to be defended, she is there to be mocked and derided and skewered with sharp, pointy sarcasm and despondent hand-wringing about the stony nadir of modern culture that she embodies. Lara Bingle, we are told, is everything that's wrong with society, and the advent of her TV show, it has been widely agreed, will represent the point at which the Australian entertainment industry got out its jackhammer and began drilling down through rock bottom. The mood of the public seems to be that Being Lara Bingle will bring about a cataclysm such as was foretold in Revelation, only with fewer multiheaded beasts and more nude photo scandals.

And, yes, early signs do not look good. It was bad enough when the ads began and we had to suffer the disappointment of realising that Being Lara Bingle would not be about a man who discovers a secret tunnel into Lara's brain: instead it would be about a woman who pulls faces and occasionally covers her mouth with her hand. Now that we know more, it's hardly better. The series may develop and grow with time but, for now, it appears to be the story of Lara wandering aimlessly around Sydney, stopping only to be insulted by her family and friends, who apparently loathe her.

It seems a bizarrely purposeless show: nobody was clamouring to know what Lara Bingle's lifestyle was like and, indeed, it's been revealed that the luxurious house she lives in on TV isn't actually her house, so the lifestyle we're watching isn't even hers. It would appear that literally picking any random woman off the street would yield results every bit as compelling as Being Lara Bingle, and any sensible person could, I feel, have said as much before they started.

‘It was 100 per cent not a publicity stunt,’’ she said today.

‘‘I did think I was safe in my home but obviously I wasn’t.

‘‘You can’t trust anyone, at the end of the day.’’

Bingle denied the photos had been sent to her management and leaked intentionally.

She said it was ‘‘heartbreaking’’ to hear a voicemail left by her grandmother about the scandal, to feature on her new reality show, Being Lara Bingle.
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"It affects everyone. I have feelings like everyone else - it’s embarrassing,’’ she told mX.

Bingle said she did not dwell on her so-called mistakes.

"I guess if I worried about that I probably wouldn’t be doing what I’m doing,’’ she said.

"I guess I have no regrets, otherwise I really wouldn’t havea life. I have very thick skin.

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Glencore chief defends big executive pay

 Mr Glasenberg, the second-wealthiest Australian behind Gina Rinehart with a fortune valued at more than $6 billion, said Labor's imposition of a carbon tax and a mineral resources tax had undermined the country's traditional advantages over riskier investment destinations in the Third World.

Mr Glasenberg told a mining industry dinner in London that Australia was no longer seen as such a stable investment environment, and that major international mining companies had the further disadvantage of not enjoying the same leverage in Australia that they held when dealing with poorer countries.

“At least in the Congo they need you, they want you there and if they start changing the rules on you, you may not continue investing. In Australia your $3 billion is not that big,” he said.
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The South African-born executive, who gained an Australian passport while working in Melbourne, refused almost all requests to speak in public when Glencore, the world's largest commodity trader, was a private partnership. But following its public listing last year he agreed to address the London gathering of 550 executives at a function of the Melbourne Mining Club.

Glencore won’t be allowed to vote its 36.5 per cent holding in Xstrata on the deal, according to the UK’s takeover code, meaning Xstrata investors holding a combined 31.75 per cent stake could join forces to block the takeover.

“If I was a CEO and my shareholders voted down my salary, my compensation, because they didn’t believe I was worth it, I think you’ve got to resign,” Mr Glasenberg said.

Mr Glasenberg, who would become deputy CEO in the merged company, said it was up to Xstrata whether the payments can be adjusted.

“It has to get a 50 per cent vote and I hope it gets it,” he said at a dinner organised by the Melbourne Mining Club, a non-profit group that promotes the mining industry.

Glencore has also faced calls from Xstrata investors including Schroders, Fidelity and Standard Life to increase its bid for Xstrata, the world’s largest exporter of coal burned by power stations.

Switzerland-based Glencore is offering 2.8 of its shares for each Xstrata share. Glasenberg said yesterday that the ratio is “good”.

Glencore, the world’s largest publicly traded commodities supplier, sold $10 billion in stock at 530 pence apiece in an initial public offering in May last year, ending more than three decades of operating as a closely held partnership. Mr Glasenberg has a 15.8 per cent stake, valued at about $6 billion at current prices.

A combined Glencore and Xstrata would have operations and projects in 33 countries, including 101 mines and more than 50 metallurgical facilities. It would have about 130,000 workers.

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Glencore

Glencore International plc (LSE: GLEN, SEHK: 0805) is a multinational commodities trading and mining company headquartered in Baar, Switzerland and with its registered office in Saint Helier, Jersey. Glencore is the world's largest commodities trading company, with a 2010 global market share of 60 percent in the internationally tradeable zinc market, 50 percent in the internationally tradeable copper market, 9 percent in the internationally tradeable grain market and 3 percent in the internationally tradeable oil market.

Glencore has production facilities around the world and supplies metals, minerals, crude oil, oil products, coal, natural gas and agricultural products to international customers in the automotive, power generation, steel production and food processing industries. The company was formed in 1974 by a management buyout of Marc Rich & Co AG.

Glencore listed on the London Stock Exchange in May 2011 and is a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index. It has a secondary listing on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.

2000 to present

In 2005, proceeds from an oil sale to Glencore were seized as fraudulent, in an investigation into corruption in the Republic of Congo.

In a 2011 survey of Glencore, Reuters reviewed an example of its opportunistic, contrarian, well-funded investment approach—focusing on equity participation, controlling interest, and working upstream from trading relationships:

    The acquisition was the culmination of 18 months of deal-making in Congo... [including fighting off a counterbid by] former England cricketer Phil Edmonds.... Starting in June 2007, Glencore and partner Dan Gertler, an Israeli mining magnate, paid GB£300 million for a quarter-stake in mining company Nikanor, which was seeking to revive derelict copper mines next to Katanga Mining's properties. That deal gave Glencore exclusive rights to sell all Nikanor's output -- an "offtake" agreement.... [Then, o]n Christmas Eve 2008, ... [having] lost 97 percent of its market value over the previous six months ... in the depths of the global financial crisis and ... running out of cash, Katanga accepted a lifeline it could not refuse. [Glencore] wanted control. For about US$500 million in a convertible loan and rights issue, Katanga agreed to issue more than a billion new shares and hand what would become a stake of 74 percent to Glencore. ... [By early 2011], with copper prices regularly setting records above US$10,000 a ton, Katanga's stock market value [had reached] nearly US$3.2 billion.... [Since the Glencore acquisition], Katanga ... is reaping the benefit of the surging markets and its wealthy, powerful owner. After losing US$108 million in 2009, it posted an annual profit of US$265 million in 2010.

In the course of the Congo events, Nikanor was merged into Katanga in late 2007 in a transaction valued at US$3.3 billion.

In May 2009, Glencore announced it would manage Brazilian bankrupted agricultural products company Agrenco.

In early 2011, the Reuters report included speculation that, after an Initial Public Offering (IPO), Glencore could develop an interest in London/Kazakh Eurasian Natural Resources Corporation. In May 2011 the company launched an IPO valuing the business at US$61 billion and creating five new billionaires. Trading was limited to institutional investors for the first week and private investors were only allowed to buy the shares from 24 May 2011.

In February 2012, Glencore International Plc, agreed to buy Xstrata Plc for GB£39.1 billion (US$62 billion) in shares. Glencore offered 2.8 new shares for each Xstrata share in agreed all-share "merger of equal". It is the biggest mining takeover and after approval for the plan would create an entity with 2012 sales of US$209 billion.

History

According to an Australian Public Radio report, "Glencore's history reads like a spy novel". The company was founded as Marc Rich & Co. AG in 1974 by now-billionaire commodity trader Marc Rich, who was charged with tax evasion and illegal business dealings with Iran in the U.S., but pardoned by President Bill Clinton in 2001. He was never brought before U.S. justice before his pardoning, therefore there was never a verdict on these charges.

In 1993 commodity trading and marketing company Trafigura was "split off from" Marc Rich's group of companies.[10] As physical commodities traders, along with Trafigura, Glencore's main rivals in 2011 were identified as Vitol and Cargill, amongst a number of others.[12]

In 1993 and 1994, after failing to control the zinc market, losing $172 million and nearly bankrupting the company, Rich was forced[9][11] to sell his majority share in Marc Rich & Co. AG back to the company.[13] The enterprise, renamed Glencore, is now owned and run by Marc Rich's secretive inner-circle of "lieutenants", including founding Glencore CEO Willy Strothotte and present CEO Ivan Glasenberg.

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Black Caviar arrives in England relaxed and ready to race

The unbeaten Australian champion racehorse arrived in style in a cutting-edge compression suit, but was ordered to remove the garment soon after her arrival.

Horses, like humans, have passports. But instead of mug shots they display a two-dimensional diagram that highlights their unique markings, so quarantine vets have to check their bare hair to verify their identities.

After 30 hours in transit, most travellers would have baulked at the request. But six-year-old Black Caviar took it all in her stride.

Supervising Animal Health Officer at the airport's Animal Reception Centre Ross Hayes said the mare passed through border security without breaking a sweat.

"She wore the suit on arrival but the vet had to take it off so she could verify the markings in association with Black Caviar’s passport," Mr Hayes said.

"She travelled very well, she wasn’t sweating or anything, she was really calm when we unloaded her, really calm."

The unbeaten sprinter is in the United Kingdom to try to push her winning streak to 22 races in the Diamond Jubilee Stakes at Royal Ascot on June 23.

She was last night being chauffeured to her new lodgings at the historic Abington House stables in Newmarket.

Abington, currently owned by Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa, was formerly the property of legendary trainer Geoff Wragg.

Speaking from the stables last night Abington trainer Jane Chapple-Hyam said there was a huge buzz surrounding the mare’s arrival at the home of English racing.

"She had a quick inspection to confirm her ID and the vet looked at her to make sure she was fit to continue her travels on the truck.

"Customs checked the food and baggage she has with her and then she was off and away."

Poltridge said the body suit she wore for the trip seemed to have done the job.

“It kept the chill off her when it got cold and she didn’t sweat when it was warm.” he said.

With victory in the Diamond Jubilee a foregone conclusion in the eyes of many, the debate has already turned to how comprehensive Black Caviar's win will be.

Betting agency Coral makes the unbeaten mare a 6-1 chance to win by five lengths or more.

"Having arrived safely on these shores, Black Caviar looks set to blow the opposition away on her first start outside of Australia when she lines up in the Diamond Jubilee Stakes," said Coral's David Stevens.

"Sprinters from Down Under have proved their worth here in recent years, but Black Caviar brings with her form that is far superior to the likes of Choisir, Takeover Target, Miss Andretti and Scenic Blast.

"As far as we're concerned it's not if she wins, but a question of how far she wins by."

There was no report on how much weight Black Caviar had lost during the trip from Melbourne. It was estimated she would lose between 20 and 25kg, the normal amount of weight loss.

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Black Caviar

Black Caviar, foaled 18 August 2006 is an undefeated Australian Thoroughbred racehorse (across 21 races), considered to be the best sprinter in the world, having been named WTRR World Champion Sprinter in 2010. On 31 March 2011 Black Caviar was rated one of the top Thoroughbred racehorses in the world (with a 136 rating) for the first quarter of 2011 by Timeform. She is trained by leading Melbourne-based trainer Peter Moody, and has been ridden by Luke Nolen in all her starts apart from her first two runs and in the Patinack Farm Classic, where Ben Melham rode her while Nolen was suspended.

Racing career
Two and three year old seasons

Black Caviar started twice as a two year old, winning her debut by five lengths before claiming a listed race by six lengths. Returning as a three year old, she won first-up in a listed race by four lengths. Stepping up to Group 2 level in the Danehill Stakes at Flemington, she caused concern when she stumbled at the start; however, she recovered to keep her winning run going. A chest muscle injury sustained in the start kept her out of racing until the following January. That resuming run saw her take on the older horses in the Group 2 Australia Stakes at Moonee Valley, where she won by two and a half lengths. A leg injury sustained subsequent to the race kept her out for the rest of the season.
Four year old season

Returning as a four year old in October 2010, Black Caviar won two more Group 2 races; the Schillaci Stakes at Caulfield and the Moir Stakes at Moonee Valley by 5½ lengths. She then was set for her first Group 1 race in the Patinack Farm Classic at Flemington, where she took on a field that included the highly-rated sprinter Hay List, along with multiple Group 1 winners Star Witness, Melito and All Silent. Black Caviar won by four lengths.

She resumed in February 2011 in the Lightning Stakes, where she defeated Hay List by three and a half lengths, being eased down well short of the winning post. Her next start saw her carry topweight of 58 kg in the Newmarket Handicap at Flemington. Despite the weight, she again won in similar ease to her previous Group 1 wins and set a race record in the process. This performance earned her a rating of 130 from the IFHA, which made her the number one ranked horse in the world in the period of October 2010 – March 2011 – a period when many of the world’s premier races are run. A fourth successive Group 1 win came in the William Reid Stakes at Moonee Valley before she ventured to Randwick in Sydney for the T.J. Smith Stakes. In this race, Hay List established a clear break on the field at the top of the straight. However, Black Caviar made up the ground and won by three lengths.

She then travelled to Brisbane for the BTC Cup at Doomben, where she attracted a crowd of over 20,000, for another clash with Hay List. She won by two lengths over Hay List, who once again ran a clear second placing and confirmed his standing as Black Caviar's main rival.[9] Buffering was a further five lengths away in third place. Black Caviar was expected to end her season in the Doomben 10,000; however, her connections instead decided to spell her until the Australian spring.

In the annual Victorian Thoroughbred Racing Awards, members of the racing media voted Black Caviar as Horse of the Year by 150 votes to 134 over So You Think.

Breeding

She was foaled in Australia at Swettenham Stud and owned by Mr G J Wilkie, Mrs K J Wilkie, Werrett Bloodstock Pty Ltd, Mr C H Madden, Mrs J Madden, Mrs P A Hawkes, Mr D M Taylor, Mrs J Taylor. She was sired by Bel Esprit, winner of the Doomben 10,000 sprint, out of Helsinge who was unraced and by Desert Sun (GB). Black Caviar is the first foal for Helsinge.Black Caviar was one of the yearlings consigned by Swettenham Stud to the Inglis Melbourne Premier yearling sales where she was auctioned for A$210,000.

Five year old season

Black Caviar started her five year old season by winning her second Schillaci Stakes by 4 1/4 lengths. With this victory, she equalled Phar Lap's record of 14 straight wins. She won her 15th race in the Moir Stakes by a 6 length margin. She maintained her unbeaten record with win number 16 in the Patinack Farm Classic by 2.8 lengths. After the Patinack Farm Classic, Black Caviar was spelled for the remainder of the Spring racing season.

She returned to racing by winning the 1200 metre Group 2 Australia Stakes at Moonee Valley on 27 January 2012 by 4.3 lengths in a time of 1.09.44 to remain undefeated over 17 starts. [12] She then stepped up to 1400 metres for the first time on 11 February in the C.F. Orr Stakes at Caulfield, where she again won comfortably by 3.3 lengths.

Black Caviar backed up a week later in the Coolmore Lightning Stakes on 18 February over 1000 metres, where she was once again pitted against Hay List. She was challenged up until the 200m mark, then extended away to win by nearly two lengths.  The win put her equal with American horse Peppers Pride with 19 wins from 19 starts, and behind only Kincsem, who won all 54 of her races. She also equalled the long-standing Australasian record of successive wins jointly held by Desert Gold and Gloaming.

On 28 April 2012 she won the Group 1 Robert Sangster Stakes by 4½ lengths at Morphettville and in the process set a new Australasian record of 20 straight wins from 20 starts. She followed this, two weeks later, with her 21st win at the same track, under double wraps, in the Goodwood Handicap. A trip to Royal Ascot is expected to follow.

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Edelsten's luxury cars stolen

Among them was a Lamborghini Aventador, one of only a handful in Australia, with a price tag of about $800,000.

A dark blue Mercedes SLS63AMG Gullwing, valued at $500,000, was also stolen, as was a black BMW 335i that his wife, Brynne, uses as her zippy town car.

The BMW, which retails for about $126,000, had only recently returned to the Edelsten garage after a stint at the panel beaters.

Brynne was involved in a collision in April.

The thieves are thought to have entered the security carpark at the Exhibition St apartment block, where the limelight-loving couple live, early Sunday morning while Edelsten was in Adelaide.

It is believed the Lamborghini and the Mercedes were taken that day.
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The crooks returned on Monday and took Brynne's BMW, apparently having the cheek to drive it out of the garage in front of carpark staff, who thought the driver was one of the Edelstens' employees.

The couple were distressed when they discovered the thefts on Monday afternoon and called police.

The thieves are thought to have entered the security car park at the Exhibition Street apartment block where the couple live early Sunday morning while Dr Edelsten was in Adelaide.

It's believed the Lamborghini and the Mercedes were taken then and the thieves returned the following day and drove off in the BMW.

Police have since recovered the black and gold Lamborghini and are confident of finding the other two cars.

The Lamborghini was found in Roxburgh Park at about 4pm on Tuesday.

Dr Edelsten told the Herald Sun he was shocked and upset by the thefts.

"Naturally, I am most distressed but pleased that the police have recovered one vehicle, and are confident of retrieving the other two," he said.

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Geoffrey Edelsten

Geoffrey Walter Edelsten,born 2 May 1943 is an Australian medical entrepreneur. He was the first private owner of a major Australian football team when he bought the Sydney Swans Football Club in 1985. Edelsten was formerly a general practitioner, but was deregistered in New South Wales in 1988 and also in Victoria. In 1990, Edelsten spent a year in jail for soliciting an underworld figure, Christopher Dale Flannery, to assault a former patient and for perverting the course of justice.

Edelsten was known as a flamboyant entrepreneur in the 1980s, transforming the idea of what a doctor's surgery was with chandeliers, grand pianos and 24 hour opening. He also had mink-covered examination benches, mansions and a fleet of Rolls-Royces and Lamborghinis sporting number plates such as Macho, Spunky and Sexy.

In 2005, Edelsten, together with a business partner, founded Allied Medical Group, which by 2010 administered 17 medical centres and employed close to 250 general practitioners. Edelsten is not, however, a shareholder or owner of the company.

Sydney Swans

On 31 July 1985, for what was thought to be $6.3 million, Edelsten bought the Sydney Swans football club. In reality it was $2.9 million in cash, with funding and other payments spread over five years. A period of relative on-field success followed, however, success on the field was not translated to financial security, membership or a sustainable structure. Edelsten resigned as chairman after less than twelve months.

In July 1986, Edelsten attempted to buy the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks rugby league team but his offer was refused by the game's administrators.His former wife, Leanne, claimed that Edelsten intended to buy the Sharks team as a present for her.

Early life

Edelsten was born in Carlton, an inner suburb of Melbourne, and attended Princes Hill Public School and, later, Mt. Scopus Memorial College, Australia's first Jewish co-educational school, where he graduated with honours in 1960. He then entered the Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery at the University of Melbourne, which he graduated in 1966.
Music career

During the second half of the 1960s, Edelsten branched into the Melbourne music scene, his family owned the Edels record retail chain. Edelsten's company, Hit Productions, had a deal with the music publishers Festival Records.

In 1966, he claimed a co-writing credit on the songs "I can't stop loving you, baby" and "A woman of gradual decline" for the group The Last Straws, whose singles were released on Edelsten's short-lived Scope label.

In 1967, Edelsten's Hit Productions company signed the group Cam-Pact. Their first single "Something Easy"/"Michael" charted in Melbourne in early 1968.

Later in 1968, Edelsten co-produced the single "Love Machine" for the studio group Pastoral Symphony, comprising Glenn Shorrock and his band, The Twilights, Ronnie Charles of The Groop, and other musicians.
 
Medical career

Following his graduation in 1966, Edelsten worked as a resident medical officer at Royal Melbourne Hospital before entering general practice and working in rural and remote regions of New South Wales and Queensland, most notably the towns of Wauchope, Aramac and finally Walgett, where he bought his first private practice. He obtained a private pilot's licence in order to provide services to remote communities, often at no cost to patients as they could not afford to pay for their medical care.

In 1969, he set up a new medical practice with a colleague at the Sydney suburb of Coogee. After training an assistant doctor to perform the work at Walgett, he devoted more time to the Sydney practice, and it soon expanded to Liverpool.

In 1971, Edelsten and colleague Tom Wenkart formed Preventicare.The Sydney-based company provided diagnostic tests and computerised history-taking for doctors throughout Australia, using new equipment from the United States which could quickly and cheaply process pathology specimens.Preventicare had initially incurred debts because some of its operations were not economically sound and because of slow payment of patients' accounts, totalling far more than the company owed. In July 1971, a provisional liquidator appointed by the Equity Court would act as a temporary business manager to straighten out the company's affairs. By August 1971, General Manager of Preventicare Mr Brian Wickens said the organisation's severe cash-flow problems had been remedied and now felt it was on a sound financial footing. By 1975 (under the new name of Morlea Pathology Services) its annual profits were reportedly $2.5 million to $3 million. Macquarie Professional Services is the successor to Preventicare Pty Ltd. During this time, Edelsten and his colleagues had established eight practices in the Sydney area, and performed obstetrics at three western Sydney hospitals. After three years resident in Los Angeles, California, where he worked in essentially similar fields and endeavours, Edelsten returned to Australia in 1978, resuming his general practice, surgical and obstetric commitments.

From February 1984 onwards, following the establishment of Medicare by the Hawke government, Edelsten became famous for running multi-disciplinary, 24-hour medical centres that featured chandeliers and white grand pianos. His clinics were innovative and the forerunners of corporate medical practices, and were the first in Australia to bulk-bill patients to Medicare so they incurred no direct cost. Within four months, the first clinic was seeing 2,000 patients a week. Edelsten's empire grew to thirteen medical centres, with around 200 doctors seeing more than 20,000 patients each week.

Personal life

He met and married his first wife Leanne Nesbitt when she was a 19-year-old model, and he was associated in the public mind with pink cars and a pink helicopter (although Leanne insisted in later interviews it was blue and white) as well as buying a football team.

In January 2009, Edelsten announced his intention to marry Brynne Gordon, at the time a 25-year-old fitness instructor from California.

The Edelsten-Gordon wedding was held on Sunday, 29 November 2009 in Melbourne, Australia at the Crown Casino. Alleged to have cost approximately $3 million, it featured a helicopter, Bentley, 550 guests, circus performers, Tom Burlinson and other headline acts. Invitees were sent a pre-wedding DVD about Edelsten and Gordon. The DVD featured narration by actor Jason Alexander, who also gave an address at the wedding. Fran Drescher from The Nanny also attended. Neither Alexander nor Drescher had met the couple before, but were nonetheless paid by Edelsten to appear. Brynne Edelsten subsequently appeared in Series 11 of Dancing with the Stars. She was eliminated on 12 June 2011.

In June 2012, thieves stole luxury cars worth more than $1.4 million from Edelsten. Among them was a Lamborghini Aventador, one of only a handful in Australia, worth about $800,000.

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James Hird

James Hird, born 4 February 1973 is a former professional Australian rules footballer and the current coach of the Essendon Football Club in the Australian Football League.

Nicknamed "The General", Hird played as a midfielder and half forward, but was often given free rein by former Essendon coach Kevin Sheedy to play wherever he thought necessary. Hird was the joint winner of the 1996 Brownlow Medal with Brisbane Bears' midfielder Michael Voss. A half forward, Hird is often considered one of the greatest footballers of the modern era. He is a member of the AFL Hall of Fame and was listed by journalist Mike Sheahan as one of the top 50 players of all time.

Early 2000s

2000 was a much better and successful year for Hird. Injury free, he received numerous honours, including selection to the All Australian Team, and the Norm Smith Medal for a best on ground performance in the AFL Grand Final. The Essendon team also won the Ansett Cup pre-season competition, and the regular season premiership. The team only lost one game – against the Western Bulldogs – in the entire calendar year, making it the most successful year for any team in the history of the Australian Football League.

The following season's Grand Final was a disappointment for Hird. 2002 then saw Hird's worst injury, an horrific facial injury sustained in a match against Fremantle when he collided with teammate Mark McVeigh's knee, breaking or fracturing all but a couple of the bones in his skull; Hird was in hospital for a week and missed several weeks of the season. The force of the impact radiated throughout his face, particularly to his sinuses, complicating the damage. Hird was unable to fly home to Melbourne due to the air pressure fluctuations found in an aircraft during flight creating concern for his health while the injuries healed. Other players, including Stephen Milne (also after a match in Perth late during the 2008 season) and Ted Richards suffered similar injuries later on, meaning they had to return to their home states by ground.

In 2003, despite again missing eight games through various injuries, Hird tied in the Essendon Best and Fairest with Scott Lucas. He also narrowly missed out on a second Brownlow Medal, finishing three votes behind the three joint winners Mark Ricciuto, Nathan Buckley and Adam Goodes. Despite this, he was rewarded with a place in the 2003 All-Australian team.

During one of his regular panel appearances on The Footy Show, on Wednesday 7 April, Hird launched a surprising attack on the standard of umpiring he believed that Essendon had been dealt in the previous match versus St Kilda. After previously talking to the AFL about umpiring standards, Hird later wrote, "The umpires' interpretation of our interpretation seemed to be different too often, and we felt we weren't getting fair hearing." His anger spilled out onto the AFL Footy Show, saying:

    Scott McLaren hasn't been our favourite umpire ... That's something that the club and he have to come to terms with, because at the moment there's a feeling at Essendon that he's not doing the right thing by us ... hopefully the club and he can come to some arrangement where umpiring is a bit better ... I thought the umpiring was actually quite disgraceful on Saturday night ... I just didn't think the free kicks that were there were paid and some of them were paid weren't right, I suppose ... I'm not alleging incompetence. We all have bad days; he had a bad day.

A few AFL players spoke out in the media criticizing some of the media's negative comments towards Hird. It was, according to Hird, the first time he'd ever come under media scrutiny and he was unsure how to deal with it. He later took aim at the AFL Players Association. "I don't think I was given enough support from them. I hadn't hurt anybody or been found taking something I shouldn't take, but I felt as if I was in the middle of a police investigation." Later that Friday, Hird called a press conference to apologise to McLaren. In a statement, McLaren said:

    I was surprised and disappointed by the comments he made. This has deeply affected my family and friends ... but I have every confidence with the AFL rules and regulations and that will deal with the situation appropriately ... I have enormous respect for James Hird as a footballer, but I was surprised and disappointed by comments he made on the Footy Show last night regarding my performance as an AFL umpire. I look forward to going out this weekend and calling it how I see it, impartially and without fear or favour.

The matter by-passed the AFL Tribunal – because he made the comments on a national television program, they did not need to decide whether they had been made. Instead, the matter would be directly determined by a meeting of the AFL Commission, and any punishment Hird would receive would result directly from that meeting. The Footy Show airs on Thursday evenings, and the AFL Commission was not meeting until the following week; as such, Hird was given clearance, pending the hearing, to play in the following game against the West Coast Eagles (see Memorable Games). On the following Wednesday, 14 April, the AFL Commission met, deliberated, and ultimately handed down its penalty to Hird. He was fined $20,000, and forced to contribute to a 3-year umpiring development program; the Commission decided against suspension. Hird accepted his sanction and expressed remorse for his actions. In a further controversy, Scott McLaren was one of the umpires rostered for the Essendon vs Carlton game the following Friday night. The pair shook hands at the commencement of the game, bringing closure to the issue, but Carlton fans were particularly hostile to any free kicks given by McLaren to Essendon.

On the occasion of his 300th umpiring appearance in 2008, McLaren described Hird's outburst as a "defining moment" in his career.

Probably Hird's most memorable performance is universally considered to be the Round 3, 2004 game against West Coast – the game immediately following the controversy. It was a close, high scoring game, and was particularly intense during its final quarter.

Up until three-quarter time, Hird had 19 disposals and one goal; in the final quarter, he managed 15 disposals and two goals, the latter of which was most memorable. With the scores level at 131 and very little time remaining, the ball was bounced in Essendon's forward pocket, tapped to the boundary line side, roved, and neatly handpassed by Marc Bullen to a goalward-running Hird, who, approximately thirty metres from goal, snapped from an acute angle for the game-winning goal. In the emotion of the moment, he ran to the fence and hugged the first fan he saw, a teenage Essendon fan.

Controversially, Hird did not receive any Brownlow Medal votes from the umpires for his 34 disposals; the media speculation was that the umpires deliberately snubbed him because of his earlier comments. The votes went to Matthew Lloyd (three votes, seven marks, eight goals), Ben Cousins (thirty disposals, three goals), and eventual Brownlow medallist Chris Judd (twenty-three disposals).

Hird's winning goal was the focus of a popular installment of the Toyota Memorable Moments advertising campaign,[19] and the hug is captured in Jamie Cooper's painting the Game That Made Australia, commissioned by the AFL in 2008 to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the sport.
Late career

On 27 September 2005, Hird handed the captaincy to Matthew Lloyd. After Lloyd sustained a season-ending injury in Round 3 of 2006, Hird served briefly as acting captain until young ruckman David Hille was named captain for the remainder of the 2006 season.

Hird missed Essendon's first round win against defending premiers Sydney with a calf injury. In Essendon's horror 2006 season he returned one week early from a minor injury to lead his side to a drought-breaking win over Brisbane in round 17, 2006. It was Hird's first match since round 13 against the Kangaroos, the Dons' first win since April Fools' Day of the same year and Hird's first winning match since round 21, 2005.

Hird continued to be an outstanding performer in his utility role when fit, but age was forcing him to miss games through injury with increasing frequency. He suffered broken ribs and a calf strain during his 200th and 250th games, respectively.

Media career

Following Hird's retirement as a player from the Bombers at the end of the 2007 AFL season, he became a commentator and football analyst for Australian rules football on Fox Sports, a position which he held until he began his coaching career at the end of 2010. Hird also became a writer for Melbourne newspaper the Herald Sun. Former Essendon players such as Hird, Matthew Lloyd, and Scott Lucas, who had all taken up media roles since their retirements, were rumoured to be the subject of then-incumbent Essendon coach Matthew Knights's heated press conference following a win against St Kilda, in which Knights asserted that he and his players were now aware of certain people's position for or against him and the direction of the Essendon Football Club. However such comments were ultimately according to Knights, not intended towards Hird or any past player.
Honours

Hird jointly won the Brownlow Medal with Michael Voss in 1996, the award for the fairest and best player in the Australian Football League. After his retirement, Hird stated that being a member of the "Brownlow Club" was a privilege.

In 1997, the Essendon Football Club named the then-triple best and fairest winner in its Team of the Century on the half-forward flank.

In 2002, the Essendon Football Club conducted a fan-voted promotion to find the "Champions of Essendon". Hird was eventually named as the number three player on the all-time list of Essendon players.
 
Personal life

Hird married Tania Poynton on 11 October 1997 and they have four children – a daughter, Stephanie (born April 1999) and three sons, Thomas (born March 2001), Alexander (born August 2003) and William (born February 2009).Tania is the sister of former Young Talent Time performer Greg Poynton.

Hird's grandfather, the late Allan Hird, Sr., was a notable player and president for the Essendon Football Club, and his father Allan Hird, Jr. had a brief playing career with Essendon.

Hird completed a degree as a civil engineer in 1998, and in that capacity has worked as a consultant on the CityLink project. He is now involved heavily in football-related media work, but he has also spent time working for a stockbroking firm. Hird currently co-owns a restaurant called "Red Mullet Fishcaf" located in Glenferrie Road, Malvern and is an active partner in "Gemba – a sports marketing and media consultancy firm based in Melbourne.