THE son of cricket legend Greg Chappell has been appointed as head of Australia’s air force.
Stephen Chappell was named his country’s new Chief of airforce on Tuesday, much to the delight of his dad.
Greg Chappell admits his son’s latest achievement is greater than anything he ever achieved in cricketGetty Images – Getty
Stephen Chappell (R) with Catherine, the Princess of WalesGetty – Pool
In an interview with The Australian, Greg was keen to heap praise on his son.
He also revealed that Stephen’s passion for flying started after watching Top Gun.
The 75-year-old said: “We came out and I said ‘What’d you think of that?’ and he said ‘That was fantastic, that’s what I want to do when I grow up’. He never deviated, basically.
“If he’d chosen cricket or sport, we would have supported that but I don’t think it’s an easy path to tread when following a father into that area.
“People are obviously very interested in what you’re doing and you’re not perhaps just allowed to relax and enjoy it as much as anyone else.”
Greg bought flying simulators for his son before he joined the Australian Defence Force Academy.
Stephen was then deployed overseas before climbing the ranks of the air force.
Greg went on to admit that his son’s latest achievement is greater than anything he ever achieved on the cricket field.
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“We were gobsmacked initially by his huge appointment to chief,” he added.
“Obviously he was on that trajectory, but it wasn’t something that we expected in the short term.
“I would say that his achievement is greater than anything that I’ve ever achieved.
“I’ve been amazed that he’s managed, despite being in a very busy job and a demanding role… and having to be away quite a bit as I was, he’s managed to be a great dad as well when he is home.
“When he’s home, he was fully focused on family. I’ve just been blown away by the amount that he’s been able to deal with. Working long hours and so on, but then being able to switch off when he comes home and be focused there. So he’s been quite a remarkable son, he’s been a remarkable father and husband as well.
“He did better, in the family sense … how he was able to be fully involved when he was there. I’m not sure I achieved that all the time.”
Greg’s other son, Jonathan, played baseball professionally in the United States after turning his back on his dad’s sport.
The Chappell family are very well known in cricket.
Trevor and Ian Chappell, Greg’s brothers, also played professionally.
And their grandfather, Vic Richardson, is a legend of the game in Australia.
Greg was inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame in 1986 and the Australian Cricket Hall of Fame in 2002.
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