Cheeky – Confessions of a Ferret Salesman | Bob Cheek | 2005 | Signed by Author [USED – SC – Good]

Bob Cheek's candid political memoir — the insider account of Tasmanian Liberal Party politics from a man who served two terms in parliament, became Leader of the Opposition in August 2001, and then made history by becoming the first major party leader to lose his seat in a Tasmanian election since 1903.

Cheek was born in Launceston in 1944. Before entering politics he worked as a journalist for The Mercury, edited The Sunday Tasmanian, managed fitness centres and sports businesses, and played Australian rules football for Clarence — a state champion footballer who later found himself as parliamentary secretary, committee chair and eventually opposition leader.

He wrote Cheeky while still licking his wounds from the 2002 defeat — the memoir that set Tasmanian political tongues wagging when it appeared in 2005.

What he went on to do next is, if anything, an even better story: at 65, almost broke and managing a loss-making gym at Salamanca, he launched the Zap Fitness 24-hour gym chain — built it to 37 gyms across three states, and sold it in 2017 for more than $50 million. That story is told in his later book Dumbbells to Diamonds, also available from The Book Cellar.

Signed by Bob Cheek.

BOOK DETAILS

Softcover.

398 pages.

Published 2005. Out of print.

CONDITION

Used, generally good condition with some wear to the edges.

DELIVERY & IN-STORE PICKUP

• Combined Shipping: Sourcing multiple titles for your Tasmanian history library? The Book Cellar offers combined flat-rate parcel delivery across Australia. Secure your books using our online checkout, or phone the bookshop directly on 03 6381 1545 to coordinate multi-volume shipping.
• Free Instore Pickup: Located in Tasmania or travelling the Midland Highway? Select "Instore Pickup" at checkout to pay no postage and collect your items directly from the counter at The Book Cellar, underneath Foxhunters Return in Campbell Town.