You either lie down and die, or you fight.

In 1938 a knockabout 11-year-old kid from Marrickville, Sydney, is suddenly confronted by mortality. His mother dies. His father has little time for him and at 14 he leaves school to learn a trade.

In 2016 that same boy is a multi-millionaire. He owns - and runs - the Australian Development Corporation, Sydney City Marine, a host of associated companies and countless office and housing blocks. He is also one of the world's most successful sailors, having won Sydney-Hobart races in his Ragamuffin yachts and competed eight...