Paul & all, **OT observations**
Very interesting read. At the time the EIE scandal broke, we were living in Sydney, and I remember well the name of Dr. Bungo Ishizaki and how the Regent of Sydney, then the only 6 star hotel in Sydney was the pride of EIE investments in Australia. As in every other major city in the world, the Japanese got creamed in their Sydney property investments when the bubble burst. It was also the period when Van Goghs, Manets, Picassos, Cezannes and Renoirs fetch astronomical sums. Alan Bond was the proud owner of one such Van Gogh, the Sunflowers, which was prominently displayed in his Perth HQ. I think he paid something like $46M Australian for it.
Alan Bond of course was the guy who won the America's Cup, bought Channel 9 from Kerry Packer for AUD1.1B, and sold it back to Packer for 300M when the Bond bubble empire burst.
That was the exciting 80s. Has anything changed? I am sure there be some interesting stories coming out of the Asian collapse of the late 90s.
Best,
Steve. |
