The Real Thing

The Gold Coast is nothing if not colourful and glitzy in a sort of refreshing way that Sydney and Melbourne could take more notice of.
The Magic Millions is now one of the world's great race meetings with prizes that dwarf others. Obviously an injection of cash from (always complaining) retailer Gerry Harvey and his wife Katie is welcome. Yet the often clueless social writers who snatch their freebie flights and Casino hotel rooms in Queensland and breathlessly report on the z-list celebs that attend always forget whose idea it always was and who put the whole idea of a race meet on the Gold Coast into motion, against the odds, and was successful

Angela Belle McSweeney

And credit for that goes to Sydney socialite Angela Belle McSweeney who comes from a well known racing family. It was Angela's brainchild and it was her efforts that eventually saw Queensland's recalcitrant racing officials finally concede that her idea had merit.
The Magic Millions should always pay homage to one of Australia's more interesting public relation's experts and entrepreneurs.
Here are a couple of snaps from this year's event.
 Princess Anne's commoner daughter Zara Phillips (hey guys- she is not Royalty which was  the whole idea of her parents not giving her a title) and one of Sydney's glam couples, fine vodka purveyor Vitek Czernuszyn (right)and his always glamorous wife Deborah Thomas who is head honcho at Bauer Media and doubles up as a Double Bay councilor in her spare time, with a couple of good looking chaps.

Charles Turns 80

 
Sydney based, Croation born artist Charles Billich (left with wife Christa Billich) has turned 80 and he threw a bash to celebrate. Charles looks at least 10 years younger-how does he do it?
" I surround myself with beautiful people and they keep me young " was the reply and there were heaps of them with around 200 venturing into the sensational Billich Gallery in The Rocks on a Saturday night to party. One thing we love about Charles (apart from the art of course), the Pommery keeps flowing out of his very own stylishly decorated magnums. Here a few snaps from the night and below, some Billich art.
 And not just one birthday cake..80 !. OK they were only cupcakes but it's a neat idea.

Model agent Grant Dwyer & Don Spencer (he's Russell Crowe's dad-in-law) Fran McPherson (yes- she's The Body Elle McPherson's mum), Helen Appelton & Noushin Rahimia

Nightclub boss Karim Gharbi & glam date, Hans Whitman & Shari-Lea Hitchcock, Angela Belle McSweeney

Charles Billich's self portrait & some of his famous nudes

Edit This In

EDIT is a fantastic shop in Surry Hills and there is nothing quite like it. An interiors collection that is as beautiful as it is unique.Witty, playful reimagining of vintage objects and fabrics into new homewares and furnishings. Sofas, tables, chairs, lamps, wall art, the range of fabrics designed in-house… they all have a uniquely Edit style

Angela Belle McSweeny, Di Hamill, Melinda McMahon at Edit

It's an original mix of chic and whimsy, sophistication and fun. There is something that will surprise and delight everyone in the Albion Street showroom and the ever-changing “collection” is a must-see.

Nearly everything is designed by Sharyn Storrier-Lyneham who knows her craft-she was editor of Vogue Living for many years.

Sharyn Storrier-Lyneham & son Ben

artist Thomas Bucich

With a large backroom that doubles as a gallery Edit threw a party to co-incide with artist Thomas Bucich's exhibition of sculptures, and works on paper.

Partying at Swifts, Babs & Frank Sinatra

To Swifts-the spledifourous folly of a mansion in Darling Point.

Nearby Wolesley Road in Point Point  may well be the  "9th most expensive street in the world"  but Swifts is the most valuable private home on the continent.

It was for sale about 10 years ago for $40M with no takers. It's valued at around $85M today, clipping home loan's boss John Symonds recently built Point Piper house that cost a whopping $70M.

 It comes with several acres of park lands and a  mansion that has it's own ballroom with a Juliet balcony. Swifts is owned by the Moran family who have a nursing home empire. Doug and Greta Moran paid a lazy $12M for the property in 1997 and spent another ten restoring the derelict house.

 Our spy disguised as a potted aspidistra tells us the house has been divided into 4 apartments with the feuding family members living in the different quarters. The Morans have had their family disputes but at least they have a nice pad and the kids haven't left home.

Swifts was built in 1841 by the Eton educated Sir Robert Tooth who made his fortune from brewing beer in the colonies. He wanted a bigger ballroom than the NSW Governor and he got one. Sir Robert eventually retired to London where King George V created the Tooth baronetcy in honour of the families charitable works. Tooth was also one of the first to give his employees paid holidays, sickness pay and a whole range of benefits. 

The wonderful hand-painted on glass adverts for Tooth's beer that adorned hundreds of pubs (above) were mostly destroyed during the 1970's-the few remaining ones are worth a fortune.

Edmund Resch,an Austrian born brewer purchased the property from Sir Robert but never quite enjoyed the social cache of the Tooths. Edmund was considered rough and common.  It eventually became the home of the Catholic Archbishop before falling into ruin and being rescued by the Morans.



singer Wes Carr & Charlotte Gregg

On Friday the Cornucopia Committee held their annual charity garden party at Swifts. These 'society' charities are often given a rough time in the media but they really do good works. Everything is donated- from services to food, alcohol (Pommery champagne) and the committee ladies work really hard raising hundreds of thousands of dollars every year to go towards child protection.

The wonderful opera singer Mark Vincent sang (as did Maria Venuti) racing identity Angela Belle McSweeney MC'd and Texan born designer Charlie Brown organised a fashion show. A rain shower failed to dampen spirits although the ballroom furniture supplanted around the garden was hastily brought inside.



a sun shower

Nor was there a faux pas like the one in 1994 when the Cornucopia's honorary international ambassador Barbara Sinatra was presented to an audience on a boat cruise.

Babs was in town with her husband Frank Sinatra when she agreed to speak on a summer day cruise around the harbour. She was well known for her charity work in the USA and Australia especially for raising funds to help abused and neglected kids.

As she sat at the head table on the boat the time came for Mrs Sinatra to give her speech. The MC, a rather dotty lady got up to announce her and after shushing the audience said :

"I would now like to introduce Mrs Barbara Sinatra. Barbara and Frank Sinatra have been heavily involved in child abuse all their lives "!!



A Very Nice Chrissy Present

Sargeant & Ferrari

Every girl should treat herself and that's just what marketing expert Sharon Sargeant has done after successfully selling the escort agency she set up 18 months ago.

Sargeant, a country girl from Queensland is shaping up to be one smart cookie. 

The world was alerted to her when she started dating the famous private investigator Frank Monte around 4 years ago. Frank threw a party at the uber smart Otto's Restaurant on the Finger Wharf in Woolloomooloo to introduce her to Sydney and around 14 months ago they became engaged at the very same spot. 

Then Rupert Murdoch's Daily Telegraph discovered that Sharon owned an up-market escort agency Red Velvet Models. Sharon says she manned the telephones and organised the lives of the models working for her and checked out the credentials of the prospective customers.

A wardrobe malfunction that happened after Sharon and the girls had a night out to see Lady Ga Ga and went partying in Kings Cross was splashed across tabloid pages around the world.

Soon she was appearing again in newspapers from Sydney to Delhi when Ms  Sargeant  was discovered dancing in Las Vegas with one of the USA's top porn stars Claudia-Marie (beware-it's an adult site). 

Finally a controversy blew up in British newspapers after raunchy pics appeared of the British Rugby team setting off in a million dollar gin palace from the very same wharf in Woolloomooloo.

Sharon meets the English Rugby team

 Sharon had been spotted and photographed talking to the footballers in a restaurant earlier in the day before she farewelled them off in the boat with some scantily clad models.

But it seems Sharon had ulterior motives all along.
When we contacted her today she confirmed she had sold Red Velvet Models to a US firm and was pondering  her next business move.

they sail off into the sunset

"It was always my plan " says Sargeant " I always planned to set up the business, promote it like crazy until it was a success and then sell. I get bored easily and I'm always looking for the next business venture"

And it seems the business paid off. Our snapper spotted Ms Sargeant a few days ago in the Bondi Westfield car park about to clamber into a gleaming new black $400,000 Ferrari.

"I treated myself for a good year's work" says Ms Sargeant.

As to her future plans :"I'm looking around for opportunities and have a few in mind" she says. " One is an adult product supplies service-most of them look terribly old fashioned and I think I can whip the industry into shape quick smart "

Sharon and Monte have moved out their Icon apartment in Kings Cross into the Toaster building near Circular Quay where they plan to watch the New Year's Eve fireworks. 

"Frank and I still date and go to parties together but he's spending more and more time in the US and I always travel with him " says Sharon  'He's a fascinating man and being around him is never boring".

Will she be assisting with his Upper House bid in the NSW March election?.
"I should put my marketing skills to work but actually he's pretty good himself and I haven't really followed state politics. But Frank would make an excellent MP as he would ensure that other MPs would remain honest given his background"
 Perhaps I should have asked advice from the 2 state MPs who were customers of my last business" she says.

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Leo Sayer

Santa & Rabbi

Showing why he's been dubbed " Mr Double Bay" in a suburb with a large Jewish community, Dee Bee's owner Graham Goldberg threw his famous Christmas drinks party on the 24th and made sure he had all bases covered.

Joining guests like Leo Sayer, actor Michael Caton and around town ladies Marie Sutton and Angela Belle McSweeney- a Santa Claus and a Rabbi !

Earth to the Channel Ten TV network....

     The Magic Millions -one of Queensland's Gold Coast social events on the racing calendar wasn't the 'brainchild' of advertising man John Singleton and billionaire Gerry Harvey.

 It was the brainchild of publicity guru Angela Belle McSweeney . Angela conceived of the idea-put it together and launched what is set to become a race with the biggest cash prize in the world. Angela also helped build the Dubai Cup into a world major racing event and is often a guest BBC reporter at the Ascot races.

  Do your research folks- Singleton and Harvey took over the enterprize only recently and Singleton's most 'brilliant' idea to date was to bring American Pie actress Tara Reid ( who she?) out as the 'celebrity' guest a year after he launched his Bondi Blonde Beer with the oh-so-yesterday Paris Hilton.

Gerry Harvey & John Singleton demonstrate that adopting the late Kerry Packer's motto "always play to the lowest common denominator" pays off !