From the Courier-Mail, Sept 9 2013:
He’s ridiculously rich, more than mildly mischievous and now he looks set to spend the next three years in parliament.
But while billionaire Clive Palmer attracted more than five per cent of the vote in Saturday’s election, some people still have no idea who the man really is.
That’s all about to change. So here’s the lowdown on Queensland’s richest man. Clive Palmer’s life in 33 bites.
1. Baby Clive is born
Clive Frederick Palmer is born in Victoria at Footscray Hospital on March 26, 1954. His family lives at working-class Williamstown, a heavily industrialised Melbourne bayside suburb.
2. Clive has asthma
His parents George and Nancy move the family to the Gold Coast in 1963 due to his asthma. Palmer has an older sister who died.
3. Clive goes to little school
He attends St Mary’s Primary School in Williamstown.
4. Clive goes to big school
After moving to the Gold Coast he goes to Aquinas College and Southport State High School. He also attends Toowoomba Grammar School.
5. Clive does uni … sort of
Palmer studies law at the University of Queensland, but drops out before completing his degree.
Source: Supplied
6. Clive falls in love
Palmer meets his first wife Susan at university.
7. Clive gets rich
After dropping out of university, Palmer acquires his real estate license and makes a fortune in property development. He retires from real estate after making $40 million and turns his hand to the resources sector.
8. Clive dabbles in politics
Palmer joins the Queensland division of the National Party of Australia in 1974. He serves as the National Party’s campaign director during the 1983 state election and as media spokesman during its 1986 election campaign, both of which are successful.
9. Clive gets fat
The big man with big ideas piles on weight in the late 80s, but has since shed about 30kg.
10. Clive gets richer
In the mid-80s he sets up a number of businesses including his current principal private company Mineralogy. Today, the self-made mining magnate won’t say exactly how much he’s worth, but he says it’s more than BRW’s recent estimation of $2.2 billion.
Source: Supplied
11. Clive makes babies
Susan and Clive have two children together – Emily, now 19, and Michael, now 24. Michael is today involved in the business as a director of Queensland Nickel.
12. Clive loses wife to cancer
Susan and Clive are married for 22 years before she loses her battle with cancer in 2006.
13. Clive remarries
In 2007 Palmer marries Bulgarian-born Anna (formerly Topalov), who is 20 years his junior. Anna had been married to Palmer’s friend Andrew Topalov until he died from cancer in 2006.
[More here – “Shared tragedy led to romance for Clive Palmer”]
Source: The Australian
14. Clive makes more babies
Mary is born in 2008. Anna, who is qualified in chartered accountancy and law, puts her career on hold to raise their daughter. Anna is now about three months pregnant with their second child.
15. Clive buys more businesses
Palmer’s other mining interests include Waratah Coal and Yabulu nickel refinery near Townsville. He also has a gas and oil concession off Papua New Guinea. Oh, and a thoroughbred stud.
16. Clive buys soccer team
He owns soccer team Gold Coast United FC from 2008 until its demise in 2012. In 2009 he caps crowds at 5,000 to save costs. No one can understand this at the time. They still can’t.
Clive Palmer arrives at Skilled Stadium for the launch of Gold Coast United Football Club in 2008. Picture: Riley Paul Source: News Limited
17. Clive never sleeps
Palmer, who keeps up a relentless pace, suffers from sleep apnoea and sleeps with a breathing mask on. He is usually up at about 5am but on Christmas Day he told news.com.au that he’d been “on the phone since 3am to world leaders planning initiative in Africa to alleviate poverty”.
18. Clive buys cheap pants
While the fabulously rich father-to-be owns homes here and abroad, private jets, boats, a Ferrari, two Bentleys and currently drives a Rolls-Royce Phantom, he still wears $23 trousers from Lowes.
19. Clive becomes world’s best boss
In 2010 Palmer handed out $10 million in gifts to his 800-strong Townsville nickel refinery staff, including a fleet of 55 Mercedes-Benz cars and 700 overseas holidays.
Businessman Clive Palmer. Picture: Brett Costello Source: The Australian
20. Clive turns tourism tycoon
His stable of resorts include Palmer Coolum Resort on the Sunshine Coast, Palmer Sea Reef Golf Course at Port Douglas, Palmer Colonial Golf Course at Robina, Palmer Gold Coast Golf Course at Robina and the former Club Med in Tahiti.
21. Clive builds Titanic II
As you do. Palmer is planning to build a modern-day replica of the ill-fated cruise liner RMS Titanic. His Titanic II will set sail on her maiden passenger voyage from Southampton to New York in 2016. He calls it the ‘ship of love‘.
22. Clive digs dinosaurs
Clive plans to build the world’s biggest dinosaur exhibit, creating a simulated Jurassic Park, at his Palmer Coolum Resort at the Sunshine Coast. Palmer installs Jeff the Dinosaur – an 8.5m tall, 20m long, Tyrannosaurus Rex with his own Twitter account @JefftheTRex.
COURSE HAZARD: Clive Palmer’s dinosaur on the golf course at Coolum. Source: The Courier-Mail
23. Clive goes all Bill Gates
According to his website, he is also the founder and director of the Palmer Care Foundation, a charitable foundation established in Australia which has pledged $100 million for the advancement of medical research and the support of indigenous communities in Western Australia. He also sponsors a number of sporting teams.
24. Clive earns new titles
In June 2002, Palmer is appointed Adjunct Professor of Business at Deakin University’s Faculty of Business and Law, a role he holds until 2006. In 2008 Palmer is appointed Adjunct Professor of Management at Bond University on the Gold Coast. Professor Palmer is born.
25. Clive feels cherished
Palmer is made an Australian national living treasure by the National Trust in 2012.
26. Clive quits party
In 2012 Palmer resigns his life membership of the Liberal National Party after falling out with party hierarchy.
27. Clive plays Santa
On Christmas Day last year, Palmer hosts a buffet lunch for 650 disadvantaged people, predominantly for children and their families, at his Palmer Coolum Resort.
Clive Palmer’s Coolum Resort. Source: The Sunday Mail (Qld)
28. Clive ups the ante
Palmer, 59, stands for the Sunshine Coast seat of Fairfax after forming the Palmer United Party (PUP). A Galaxy poll last year found 38 per cent of voters supported Clive Palmer’s intention to begin a new political outfit.
29. Clive campaigns
Palmer, who often quotes JFK during press conferences, says he is now “100 per cent, full-time campaigning to be prime minister”. Palmer plans to contest all 150 House of Representatives seats and appoint a Senate team in each state and territory.
30. Clive makes promises
• Repeal carbon tax and refund those who have paid it
• Ban lobbyists from having roles with political parties
• Process refugees at airports to stop need for naval blockade of Australia
• Develop mineral processing industries in SA, NSW, Victoria and Tasmania
• Establish a system where people create wealth in various parts of the country and for that wealth to flow back to the rest of the community
• Colour-coding Australian-made consumables
• Spending $80 billion on the health sector
• Oh, and a return to the era of boozy corporate lunches
31. Clive picks candidates
Palmer makes daily candidate announcements. He endorses about 100 candidates in Queensland, NSW, Victoria and the Northern Territory.
32. Clive twerks
Palmer appears on the Kyle And Jackie O Show on 2dayFM, where he twerks like there’s no tomorrow.
Clive Palmer twerked on the Kyle and Jackie O show this morning. Source: Supplied
33. Clive gets votes
The Palmer United Party receives more than five per cent of the national vote in the federal election, and almost double that in Queensland. Palmer himself looks set to earn a seat in the lower house.
Barnaby Is Right 
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