Impressionist Draws A-door-able Crowd

Sun Herald

Sunday November 20, 2005

WILLIAM PETLEY

AT Thursday's dinner at the Art Gallery of NSW, guests, including Luca and Anita Belgiorno-Nettis, the extremely private Antoinette "Popsy" Albert, Frank Sartor, John Schaeffer and Bettina Dalton, Lady (Nancy) Fairfax and two living, breathing Pissarros, Joachim and Lionel, previewed Camille Pissarro: The First Impressionist, which officially opened yesterday (See In The Frame: Page 29). (Some guests were delayed having attended the European Australian Business Council drinks for Lord Patten of Barnes, the last governor of Hong Kong.) Later, they were informed that the evening's $1000-a-plate proceeds would purchase a Balinese door painted on one side by Donald Friend and carved on the other. Benefactor Carole Muller put up half the dough. The door itself is en route.

Literary Joy to behold

MARK Greedy, VP Asia Pacific of The Leading Hotels of the World, was in town last week he interrupted the LHW conference to watch the Socceroos' triumph at the Wallaby Bar, Pyrmont but enough about him. Accompanying him was his wife, Joy, originally from Lithgow and a trained nurse, who, in 1986, moved to Singapore with Greedy and the two Greedy children, Joshua and Candice. Joy has just written In The Shade Of The Tembusu Tree, the tale of two women, from very different backgrounds, whose lives come together, which, if you've been listening, you'll understand to be a growing phenomenon. Lyndey Milan and Colin Corney have been beavering away at a book, too; their Balance: Matching Food And Wine was launched by Tetsuya Wakuda on Thursday.

Tang to savour

SOMETIMES you're lucky enough to be placed at a table beside a diner so engrossing the other guests fade into oblivion and so it was for those beside Mimi Tang, president of Gucci Asia Pacific, at est. restaurant on Wednesday. While not quite Wild Swans, her life journey is one of perseverance and the luck of having a big sister who steered her in the right direction. Visiting Gucci it's now a privately listed company happens to be the second thing Justin Hemmes does when away (his priority is business) and he, Tang and Helen Koo, Gucci's woman on the ground here, had a right old powwow, so much so that, had a tape measure appeared, it wouldn't have been a surprise.All the aces

DECEMBER 4 sees the White City Celebrity Charity Tennis Event, which supports ASCA (Advocates for Survivors of Child Abuse). If you want in, phone Tanya on 0418 222 513. There'll be a timed round robin on the two centre courts with players of the calibre of Darren Cahill (he coaches Agassi), Tony Roche (ditto Federer), John Alexander (not the PBL CEO), Brad Drewett, Kerryn Pratt, Lesley Bowrey (twice French Open winner) and Bryanne Stewart (Wimbledon semi-finalist). Another drawcard will be Debbie Spillane, that sports-wise dame with a touch of the Ethel Mermans who you don't hear nearly enough of these days, who will MC.

Chief pretty officers

THE CEW gals Chief Executive Women were at Hunter Valley Gardens Lodge (Imelda Roche's estate, she was a founding member) last weekend and called into Elysia for lunch, which sounds Lucullen enough but, boy, what an effective group. CEW is a network from corporate Australia, the professions, academia, and the public and not-for-profit sectors, which was established in 1985, its purpose being to ensure women figure in leadership roles. Julia King, who has just been appointed chairman of Retail Cube, the retail specialty group, was there; as were Margaret Gibson, Sonia Lyneham, Karen McGregor, Gail Burke, Jillian Broadbent and Diane Grady.

Fine time at Chanel

GUESTS arriving at Beppi's, East Sydney, for Monday's launch of Chanel's J12 Superleggera watch might have assumed, given the zippy red Alfa racer parked curbside, that Noddy and Big Ears were at the bar knocking back the prosecco. This, sadly, was not so but Alex Popov, Mark Clewes, Ian Kortlang, Tom Yura and Peter Collins were. Jhonnie Blampied, while enjoying a canape ("How large is this chicken limb?" he marvelled), joined with Rupert Rosenblum and Ian Murray in the cry for Wallabies coach Eddie Jones, who always looks to be on the point of tears anyway, to be sacked. Big Ears would have loved it.

NOW YOU KNOW

THE Sydney Conservatorium of Music needs a new Steinway concert grand, the old one having been hammered to the point of fatigue. Artists including John Henry Olsen, Martin Sharp (he's painted a piano), Charles Blackman and Reg Mombassa have donated work to be auctioned on Wednesday at the Con. "I could not live without music," puffed Margaret Olley on meeting Gerard Willems, head of keyboard at the Con and the man who will select the new piano.

ON THE RISE

UNITY Olympia Daniel, daughter of Louise McBride and Greg Daniel, turns 18 next Tuesday. The date will be celebrated with a Playboy-themed party at a nightclub in Kings Cross. Everyone will be there. McBride, who recognised her own birthday on Thursday, while in possession of an acute mind also claims as her own two of the finest legs in the land and, hopefully, will be displaying them to advantage under her rabbit ears.

© 2005 Sun Herald

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