Robert Reginald Cheek (born 13 May 1944 in

Launceston, Tasmania Launceston () or () is a city in the north of Tasmania, Australia, at the confluence of the North Esk and South Esk rivers where they become the Tamar River (kanamaluka). As of 2021, Launceston has a population of 87,645. Material was copied ...

) was leader of the Opposition Tasmanian

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a li ...

from 20 August 2001 until he lost his seat in the July 2002 election. It was the first time that a major party leader was unsuccessful in a Tasmanian election since 1903. Cheek was first elected to Tasmanian parliament at the 1996 election in the Denison electorate. Prior to entering politics he managed a number of business interests and worked as a journalist for ''

The Mercury Mercury most commonly refers to: * Mercury (planet), the nearest planet to the Sun * Mercury (element), a metallic chemical element with the symbol Hg * Mercury (mythology), a Roman god Mercury or The Mercury may also refer to: Companies * M ...

'' as well as editing ''The Sunday Tasmanian''. Cheek first challenged for Liberal leadership in 1999 running against

Sue Napier Suzanne Deidre Napier (née Braid; 1 January 1948 – 5 August 2010) was an Australian politician. She was a member of the Tasmanian House of Assembly for the Division of Bass. Napier was first elected in 1992 and was re-elected in 1996, 1998, ...

, he failed to win support and lost 9–2. In 2001, Cheek challenged Napier for the leadership, her support was divided amongst party members and she eventually decided to step aside in favour of him.

Rene Hidding Marinus Theodoor "Rene" Hidding (born 5 February 1953) is an Australian politician. He was a Liberal Party member for the Division of Lyons in the Tasmanian House of Assembly from 1996 until his resignation in 2019. From 2002 until 2006 he was ...

became leader after his electoral defeat. He married Stephanie Spencer and had three children. Prior to becoming a politician, Cheek played Australian rules football in Tasmania for

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. Cheek founded and managed a successful 24-hour gym chain, Zap Fitness, which expanded to 37 clubs in Tasmania, Victoria, and South Australia. In December 2017, Cheek agreed to sell the chain to the

Fitness and Lifestyle Group Quadrant Private Equity (also simply known as Quadrant) is an Australian private equity investment firm based in Sydney, Australia. The company was founded as Quadrant Capital in 1996 by Chris Hadley. Quadrant hosts multiple investment funds w ...

for over $50 million.

References

Bibliography

Tasmanian Liberal Party biography
* * Members of the Tasmanian House of Assembly Liberal Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Tasmania Clarence Football Club players Penguin Football Club players Australian sportsperson-politicians Australian rules footballers from Tasmania 1944 births Living people Leaders of the Opposition in Tasmania 21st-century Australian politicians {{Australia-Liberal-politician-stub