Gabriella Coslovich The Age
In the weeks leading up to the auction, the NGV scrambled to raise money rom donors, making an impassioned and exceptional plea for public support. But down in Hobart, the mysterious David Walsh — art collector, winery owner, vegan, philanthropist and, by all accounts, a most unconventional and intensely private man — was planning his stunning counter-move. He did not need to make a public call for money. He had enough of his own.
Walsh, 45, is reportedly a professional gambler with extensive property interests in Melbourne and Sydney. He also has $1.4 million in shares in the publicly listed investment company Wallace Absolute Return. His skills at blackjack are widely talked about in his home town of Hobart. Legend has it that he has a gift for numbers and is every casino’s nightmare — a “card-counter”.
