Peter FitzSimons

Peter FitzSimons
FitzSimons at a film premiere, February 2013
Born	(1961-06-29) June 29, 1961 (age 55) Wahroonga, New South Wales, Australia
Occupation	Journalist, writer
Genre	Journalism

Peter John FitzSimons AM (born 29 June 1961, Wahroonga, New South Wales) is an Australian journalist and author, based in Sydney. He is a former radio presenter and national representative rugby union player.

FitzSimons grew up in Peats Ridge, in the Central Coast of New South Wales, near Sydney. He was the seventh and last child of Beatrice Helen (née Booth; 1920–1994), OAM, and Peter McCloy FitzSimons (1916–1992), a citrus fruit farmer who had seen active service in World War II as an AIF artilleryman. He attended Peats Ridge Primary School, and Knox Grammar School before accepting an American Field Service Scholarship to go to Ohio for a year. Upon his return he earned an arts degree at the University of Sydney, studying government and political science, and resided at Wesley College from 1980 to 1982.

FitzSimons' club rugby was played first with the Sydney University Football Club and then with the Manly RUFC in Sydney in the 1980s under the coaching of Alan Jones. Between 1985 and 1989 he played with CA Brive in France for four seasons, becoming the club's first ever foreign player. He played seven Tests at lock for Australia between 1989 and 1990, debuting against France in Strasbourg in November 1989, on the Wallabies 1989 tour of Europe. Five of his career international appearances were against France. His final Test match was against New Zealand in Christchurch.