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Robert Reginald Cheek (born 13 May 1944 in Launceston, Tasmania) was leader of the Opposition Tasmanian Liberal Party from 20 August 2001 until he lost his seat in the July 2002 election. It was the first time that a major party leader lost their seat in a Tasmanian election since 1903.[1]

Bob Cheek
Leader of the Opposition
In office 20 August 2001 – 20 July 2002
Preceded by	Sue Napier
Succeeded by	Rene Hidding
Member of the Tasmanian House of Assembly for Denison
In office 24 February 1996 – 20 July 2002
Personal details
Born	Robert Reginald Cheek (1944-05-13) 13 May 1944 (age 78) Launceston, Tasmania, Australia
Political party	Liberal Party
Occupation	Journalist

Cheek was first elected to Tasmanian parliament at the 1996 election in the Denison electorate. Prior to entering politics he managed a number of business interests and worked as a journalist for The Mercury as well as editing The Sunday Tasmanian.

Cheek first challenged for Liberal leadership in 1999 running against Sue Napier, he failed to win support and lost 9–2. In 2001, Cheek challenged Napier for the leadership, her support was divided amongst party members and she eventually decided to step aside in favour of him. Rene Hidding became leader after his electoral defeat.

He married Stephanie Spencer and had three children: Marcus, Melanie and Lucy. His grandchildren are Nellie Cheek (a young cricketer), Molly Cheek (a talented young actress), William Marino (also a young cricketer and hopeful whistler), Olivia Marino (a future winner of MasterChef), Otis Kurth (a machinery expert) and Elisabeth Kurth (an admirable gurgler).

On 15 November 2005, Cheek released a book of his political memoirs – Cheeky: Confessions of a Ferret Salesman (ISBN 0975830309).[2] Prior to becoming a politician, Cheek played Australian rules football in Tasmania for Clarence.

Cheek founded and managed a successful 24-hour gym chain, Zap Fitness, which expanded to 37 clubs in Tasmania, Victoria, and South Australia. In December 2017, Cheek agreed to sell the chain to the Fitness and Lifestyle Group for over $50 million.[3]

References

Bibliography

• Tasmanian Liberal Party biography
• "Cheek, Bob". Members of the Parliament of Tasmania. Retrieved 24 July 2022.
• Bob Cheek's maiden speech to parliament at the Wayback Machine (archived 12 June 2002)

Political offices
Preceded by Sue Napier	Opposition Leader of Tasmania 2001–2002	Succeeded by Rene Hidding
Party political offices
Preceded by Sue Napier	Leader of the Liberal Party in Tasmania 2001–2002	Succeeded by Rene Hidding

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