 |
| Lord Hamlyn |
 |
| A Day at The Races |
Nearly a week after
the Social Shuttle
revealed exclusively that the lifetime patron of the famed Sydney
dominatrix
Madame Lash was the British peer and publisher
Paul
Hamlyn, Britain's
Daily
Mail has caught up to speed.
We attended the
launch of the Madame Lash biography penned by Sam Everingham last
Monday evening at her city residence The Kirk, a deconsecrated
Presbyterian Church. While 200 guests were treated to topless acrobats and an opera singer the expected guest of honour Gretel Pinniger -Lash's real
name, failed to show despite phoning ahead from her limousine- a former
hearse with the numberplate STIFF, to tell our snapper to be
prepared and wait outside for her arrival in an outfit she said contained
"ten yards of red taffeta and a whip or 2".
 |
| Madame at The Kirk |
Former Oz Magazine
founder and later Kerry Packer executive
Richard Walsh launched the book and gave a brief history of Lash expecting the lady to appear at any moment. She never arrived.
Paul Hamlyn, Baron
Hamlyn of Edgeworth was born in Germany and fled with his family to
the UK in 1933 and became one of the richest publishers in the world
with Hamlyn Books (born Paul Hamburger he chose the name Hamlyn from a
telephone book). When he died in 2001 he left an enormous fortune
including a $500M charity foundation plus a yearly stipend to Gretel
with the stipulation his name never be revealed by her.
 |
| Clyde Packer (left) with Sir Frank and Kerry |
It
was always common knowledge that
Hamlyn was
Pinniger's benefactor. He
was introduced to Madame Lash by
Clyde Packer, brother of
Kerry
Packer. Clyde was considered to be
Sir Frank Packer's
business heir but after a public spat with his father he sold his share
of the publishing business to brother Kerry for $4M in the 1960's and
spent the next 40 years wearing caftans and indulging himself in the
counter culture that included hiring the services of
Madame Lash. It was Packer who introduced other wealthy like-minded businessmen like Gordon Barton
to Lash.
Hamlyn, who has family members in
Sydney visited regularly and would take Lash on trips to Asia. One
service that the dominatrix specialised in that is rarely mentioned is
that she allowed the whip to be turned on her !. And rarely mentioned is
the fact that in her 3 houses-The Kirk, one in Melbourne and a splendid beach
house at Palm Beach, she has fully equipped dungeons that includes Nazi
officer outfits.
