John Ilhan

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John Ilhan (January 23, 1965 – October 23, 2007) (Turkish: Mustafa İlhan)[1] was the founder of Crazy John's mobile phone retail chain and the richest Australian under 40 years of age in 2003. He was an Australian Muslim[2] of Turkish descent.

Contents

[edit] Biography

[edit] Early life

Ilhan was born in 1965 in Yozgat, Turkey and moved to Australia with his family when he was five. He grew up in working-class Broadmeadows in Melbourne's north-west.

[edit] Career

After one year at university and a stint as a salesman at Ford, Ilhan took a sales job at the phone and electrical retailer Strathfield Car Radio. He left in 1991 to set up his own mobile-phone shop, right across the road from Strathfield's store in inner-city Brunswick. After expanding the business into Australia's biggest Telstra mobile dealership, with 18 stores in Victoria, Ilhan opened a handful of stores in Sydney, Brisbane and Adelaide.

He was ranked first in Business Review Weekly's Australia's Young Rich List 2003, with a fortune of $200 million. In the 2007 Rich List, he came in as the 126th richest man in Australia with a fortune of $310 million[3].

In 2006 Ilhan founded the Ilhan Food Allergy Foundation. The Foundation is dedicated to promoting research and educating the public about the issues and causes surrounding anaphylaxis.

[edit] Football

Ilhan was a vocal supporter of the Richmond Football Club in the Australian Football League. He made bids for the board and even offered to buy out Terry Wallace's contract in a bid to improve the team's performance by recruiting Kevin Sheedy.[4]

[edit] Death

Ilhan died of a suspected heart attack, during a morning walk in Brighton, Victoria on October 23, 2007, aged 42. He left behind a wife, Patricia and four children.[5][6] His final interview was shown on Today Tonight the day before his death. A traditional Muslim funeral was held at the Broadmeadows Mosque on October 26, 2007. Among the approximately 3,000 mourners were Ahmed Fahour and Eddie McGuire. [7]

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ "An upwardly mobile, 'crazy' young Turk", by Ben Doherty. The Age, p.11. Published 24 October 2007.
  2. ^ The Aussie Mossie: 08/04/05
  3. ^ Tributes flow in for 'Crazy John'
  4. ^ Wallace buy-out crazy for Ilhan
  5. ^ John Ilhan Dead at 42
  6. ^ Mobile phone king 'Crazy John' Ilhan dies
  7. ^ Ilhan send-off filled with echoes of his lucrative calling - National

[edit] External links

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