Like many other readers, it initially made me smile to read the article in the West Australian on Monday 13 July regarding the extraordinary action of New Zealand Olympian Logan Campbell becoming a joint owner in a brothel to fund his bid for Olympic selection for the London 2012 Olympics. Reflecting on the desperation of athletes to reach their dreams, I quickly realised it was neither amusing nor extraordinary to consider the lengths an athlete would go to in order to realise the Olympic dream.

In business like in sport, it seems that the athletes I speak to understand it is not just a matter of what they give to achieve their dreams, but also what they give up. During the final part of his career, I remember hearing one of our most successful swimmers ever, Grant Hackett speak of the need for selfishness on his own behalf when he described the focus he required to prepare himself to perform at the top level.

Education, relationships, social opportunities, travel, money and a myriad of other things the normal young person normally experiences are regularly sacrificed by top athletes. There is so much at stake! The secret is to make the right choices - and if you are unsure of the choice then perhaps consider getting advice!

If the New Zealand Tae Kwon Do champ sought advice before embarking on his business venture, he may have thought better of it!

On the other hand, in the media lately Tony Abbott was advocating a return to a fault based divorce system where the actions of one party to the other (such as infidelity) could be relevant to whose fault it is when a marriage ends. This presumably could impact on other matters such as contact with children and division of property. The practise of investigators finding evidence of fault with the “cheaters” mode of operation seems a step back in time. It certainly brings the consequences of behaviour to the table but there are other victims of divorce! They are innocent victims - and include children caught in the crossfire, extended family who may lose their contact with the grandchildren, or financial benefactors who willingly donate money to the couple - only to find the partner of their relative has obtained the benefit of the donation to take with them after the realtionship ends.

If the choice is a legal one - relating to anything from a criminal, family including divorce and children’s issues, injury or insurance, a business matter or an inheritance dispute, our Legal Information Desk where the free of charge 20 minute diagnostic appointment is the answer. Using this service will give you a good idea of the seriousness of your problem and peace of mind.

Bruce Havilah

Related Havilah Legal service(s): Family Law