Anthony Gobert Receiving End-Of-Life Care In Australia

I recall it was him getting mouthy with the wrong person, or it was a drug related attack.

Basically a bit of this.

In June 2019, Gobert was reported to have been involved in an altercation at a restaurant. Afterwards, he was followed home by a number of individuals whom he had earlier fought with. They forced their way into Gobert's home, robbed him, and beat him with baseball bats. He was beaten beyond recognition. Hospital staff were only able to identify him after he had regained consciousness.

And a further few details from his brother

A statement release by Anthony’s brother, Aaron was also reported by Road Racing World giving more details: “The Go Show wasn’t heard from in weeks. Turned out some drunk said, ‘Are you the Go Show?’ while he was out eating. He said, ‘Yes but I’m eating.’ Then they came back more drunk and one started a fight; he TKO’D that guy.

“But then his drunk friends followed him home. That night they came back in a group, kicked in his door and bashed him with bats, to almost death and put him in ICU. (He) was in such a bad way they didn’t know who he was.

“Then when he could talk they googled him and made contact with us. He’s in a bad way and will live. All on the Gold Coast of Australia. That’s the story. Followed home and bashed by a group with bats after kicking in his door. More on his health to come.”


And from further sources
Gobert attracted attention several times through his consumption of drugs and alcohol, for example in the 2004 US Championship. At the time, he was coming to terms with the loss of his long-term girlfriend Suni Dixon, who died in a road accident in August.

In 2006, he had to stand trial for being caught with an expired driving licence during a traffic stop. During the trial, the former top driver admitted to being a heroin addict.

In May 2008, the Australian hit the headlines for robbing a 70-year-old pensioner and a 31-year-old woman of a few dollars, for which he was convicted by a court in Surfers Paradise.

Things then went quiet for the former world-class racer. At the beginning of June 2019, the then 44-year-old got into a drunken argument with other guests in a bar. They later chased Gobert to his house, attacked him there and beat him with baseball bats until he was hospitalised.

"He was so badly beaten up that they didn't recognise him in the intensive care unit," his brother Aaron reported at the time. "When he was able to speak, I was contacted."

That wasn't the only fight Anthony was involved in. He was homeless at times, slept on the street and even gave up smoking at one point due to a lack of money.

In February 2021, Aaron launched an appeal on social media looking for his brother, who was six years older than him. His comments gave a deep insight into Anthony's condition: "The last time I saw him, he was sitting in a prison cell and found out about our father's death. He missed the funeral."

Anthony, who had slipped into the drug scene, was quickly tracked down, and Aaron Gobert wrote movingly on Facebook about the successful family reunion. "I'm sitting on the couch with 'Go Show'. Found him. We have our first conversation in ten years. He sends a thank you and says he misses you all and loves me. I'm going to do my best to find out what Anthony wants. Then I'll see if I can help him. I need to get him a safe place to live. Then we need to get help from a lawyer and help him. The stories Anthony has told me are the hardest I've ever heard. He's off drugs, and he spent his birthday all by himself - he was completely alone for six years."


Suspect the truth is out there but from memory, and this is pure memory the bashing did occur at a time he was relatively clean of demons and in a decent part of his latter life.

As a kid born in the year 2001 I have to admit I wasn't familiar with Anthony Gobert before this thread was posted.
Just a very sad story. May he RIP.

Loved watching Gobert. Talent with a capital T. But he didn’t do the work to keep going. Fair enough, everybody gets to do what they want to do, one just has to accept the consequences.

IMO addiction is not a disease, it’s just not saying no and it is really just that simple. Not judging here and the what ifs don’t matter. At least we got to see him for some magical moments. On we go.

Bern1 said:

Loved watching Gobert. Talent with a capital T. But he didn’t do the work to keep going. Fair enough, everybody gets to do what they want to do, one just has to accept the consequences.

IMO addiction is not a disease, it’s just not saying no and it is really just that simple. Not judging here and the what ifs don’t matter. At least we got to see him for some magical moments. On we go.

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Agree re talent and enjoyment as a spectator.

Totally disagree with your social commentary. From personal experience, and expert opinion.

Of course everyone has to accept the consequences of their lives. Duh.


Addiction is not cancer, it is a mental disease. If you think just saying "no" is the remedy, you are sadly mistaken.

Mick D said:

Addiction is not cancer, it is a mental disease. If you think just saying "no" is the remedy, you are sadly mistaken.

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We’ll have to continue to disagree on this. My opinion also comes from personal experience. You can involve expert counseling and various kinds of “treatments.” In the end, it come down to a personal choice.

"A drunk has to take their last drink before they will change" is a phrase I have heard. I remember speaking with someone who worked with addiction treatment and said that no addict has any hope of beating their addiction....until they want to.

Sadly, it seems like the Go Show never wanted to.

Bern1 said:

Loved watching Gobert. Talent with a capital T. But he didn’t do the work to keep going. Fair enough, everybody gets to do what they want to do, one just has to accept the consequences.

IMO addiction is not a disease, it’s just not saying no and it is really just that simple. Not judging here and the what ifs don’t matter. At least we got to see him for some magical moments. On we go.

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Rarely have occasion to disagree with you. Clearly, you’ve never tried to get off and stay off heroin, or barbiturates. Having done so myself, for 35 years now, and having watched countless other addicts try their absolute level best, fail and die, I can say with some authority, it is a disease. I’ve been close friends with other addicts, who did just everything right for decades and then one day, have a “slip” and die, the way Tom Petty did, I can say, addiction is very much a cunning disease, that requires daily introspection and vigilance, same as manic depression or schizophrenia or any illness of the mind and soul. Nancy Regan pushed that “Just say no” nonsense back in the day. It was horseshit then, and still is.

You mean the Hollywood ....... queen, Nancy Reagan? That one?

My father is 30 some year sober and still has a hard time being around drugs or alcohol. I don't have the addictive trait. I drank when I was in my early 20's and one day was like I don't really like this and stopped. I have done the same with chewing tobacco and weed. My brother however is a life long addict. He has ruined his life and others. He has robbed myself and my parents. He was stabbed in the neck over money and is now paralyzed from the waist down. Was this a wake up call? Not even a little bit. He now finds sympathy easier while roaming the streets he lives on. I get text monthly begging for help but I know its just him trying to use me again. It eats me up that I cannot answer or help him. I cannot even let him know where I live. Its hard for someone that does not have an addictive personality to understand addiction but when it is this close to home it becomes very clear. I have to utmost respect for anyone he manages to fight addiction.

MdubSTYLIE said:

My father is 30 some year sober and still has a hard time being around drugs or alcohol. I don't have the addictive trait. I drank when I was in my early 20's and one day was like I don't really like this and stopped. I have done the same with chewing tobacco and weed. My brother however is a life long addict. He has ruined his life and others. He has robbed myself and my parents. He was stabbed in the neck over money and is now paralyzed from the waist down. Was this a wake up call? Not even a little bit. He now finds sympathy easier while roaming the streets he lives on. I get text monthly begging for help but I know its just him trying to use me again. It eats me up that I cannot answer or help him. I cannot even let him know where I live. Its hard for someone that does not have an addictive personality to understand addiction but when it is this close to home it becomes very clear. I have to utmost respect for anyone he manages to fight addiction.

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Yes, not much doubt there is a genetic component, and it is considerably easier to say no if you don’t have those genes

#22 said:

You mean the Hollywood ....... queen, Nancy Reagan? That one?

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This is one of my favourite ever facts tbh.

While it is true that 'just saying no' is the 'easiest' way to make sure you never become a drug addict. It is just as true that addictions, or the want to use drugs and alcohol are normally a symptom of the problem rather than the problem itself. If there wasn't a genetic and/or a psychological component of addiction then most of the old people who are getting joints replaced etc. and are in hospital for decent stays while on strong and addictive pain killers would be hopelessly addicted.

Not gonna go to deep into it but I grew up as one of the 'just say NO, it is easy' people, but then real life experiences intervened and it just became apparent that I am one of those that does not have an addictive gene.

Through the ensuing 40 or so years since i joined the workforce I have seen many genuinely decent people succumb to addictions. Gambling, cigarette, drugs, alcohol and any other manner one cares to mention, as while not all additiction can impact as greatly as Gobert's sadly did, all addictions impact and I have seen lives and relationships destroyed.

Not all addictions are high profile, and not all addictions are immediately recognised as harmful and some may even be more socially acceptable than others, but they are an illness that can consume even the most 'normal' person.

This thread is the result of an outcome of addiction to someone who many of us saw emerge and then disappear from view, to never show their immense talent again and only appear in the public eye under less than ideal circumstances. If addiction can occur to people who seemingly had it all at their feet, where all the support was available in physical and mental terms and yet the life is still destroyed, it is more than words that can address it.

I've heard that 1 in 5 Australian adults have alcohol addiction. Don't know the accuracy of the statement

mikesbytes said:

I've heard that 1 in 5 Australian adults have alcohol addiction. Don't know the accuracy of the statement

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Something to do with the lack of clean drinking water - or so I hear.

Well fu

Keshav said:

Something to do with the lack of clean drinking water - or so I hear.

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Keshav said:

Something to do with the lack of clean drinking water - or so I hear.

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Well ..... It's hot, gotta drink something.

Keshav said:

Something to do with the lack of clean drinking water - or so I hear.

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The same reason people in the Tudor era drank beer...

JFM01 said:

As a kid born in the year 2001 I have to admit I wasn't familiar with Anthony Gobert before this thread was posted.
Just a very sad story. May he RIP.

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I'm not a kid but I too was not familiar with Gobert as it appears his glory days of racing preceded my getting into and following the sport. Those demons never sleep. RIP

Mick D said:

If you think just saying "no" is the remedy, you are sadly mistaken.

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Not trying to stir the pot but when you get down to it, it's no more complicated than this. That said, just because a solution is simple, does not necessarily mean it is easy to implement. Problem: I drink too much. Solution: Stop drinking. It's not rocket science but again, that doesn't make it easy. And when you get to the point of experiencing physical withdrawals, it's about as close to impossible as it gets. I've talked with people who went through alcohol and heroin withdrawals (at different times) and they all say it's a toss-up as to which one is worse. I've never done heroin so all I know is alcohol is bloody awful. I white-knuckled it more times than I'd care to admit, never knowing it can kill you if not done properly.

Bern1 said:

You can involve expert counseling and various kinds of “treatments.” In the end, it come down to a personal choice.

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Yes, in the end it comes down to a choice and again, whilst being simple it is not always easy. The thing is, the person who is suffering is playing against a loaded deck. I've been through this wringer, multiple rehabs, IOP "counseling" and the like. My opinions on these things are not popular in most circles but I do not think as the herd thinks. I am a believer in being personally accountable and all I heard in rehab was I shouldn't think this way, it's not my fault. Then whose fault is it? I heard a lot of feel-good catch phrase nonsense. Doctors are (IMO) way too quick with the prescriptions of psychoactive drugs that are, when mixed with alcohol and/or other drugs, extremely dangerous (insert tangent/rant on big Pharma pushing doctors to prescribe these drugs). Whether or not addiction is a disease, I am not qualified to say. All I know is what I've experienced and I wouldn't wish it on anyone. At the same time though, I think one needs to go through it to fully understand and relate to it.

Keshav said:

Clearly, you’ve never tried to get off and stay off heroin, or barbiturates. Having done so myself, for 35 years now, and having watched countless other addicts try their absolute level best, fail and die, I can say with some authority, it is a disease.

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I am glad you made it through. I know it wasn't easy.