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John Bertrand was the skipper of Australia II, the yacht that won the America's Cup in 1983. The
victory broke a 132-year American domination of
the event and the longest running record in
modern sports history.
The Australia II team victory was voted by
Australia's Sports Hall of Fame as the 'greatest
team performance in the 200 years of Australian
sport'.
A world champion and Olympic medallist, Mr Bertrand represented Australia in five America's Cups and two Olympic Games.
Over the 25 years of America' Cup campaigning, he was involved in all areas of activity, from skipper of Australia II to chairman of OneAustralia. Australia conferred a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in 1985. His 1985 biography Born to Win was at the time the largest selling biography in Australian publishing history.
While studying engineering at Monash, Mr Bertrand wrote his thesis on the aerodynamics of America's Cup yacht sails and was awarded a full blue for sailing in 1968. By 1972 he had completed a Masters of Science in Ocean Engineering at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Boston.
Over his business career, he has successfully established businesses in the marine, property development and media industries. He is chairman and co-owner of the television production and distribution company World Wide Entertainment which exports television shows to 120 countries worldwide. Within community services, he is chairman of the Alannah and Madeline Children's Foundation and director of the Sport Australia Hall of Fame. Mr Bertrand is a lifetime member of both the America's Cup Hall of Fame and Australia's Sports Hall of Fame. |
