Silver Dinner- a glittering event

 This year's annual Silver Dinner was hosted at Swifts, that extraordinary mansion in Darling Point with it's commanding views over Sydney Harbour. Swifts may well be the most valuable property in Australia. It was built in 1875 by Sir Robert Lucas Lucas-Tooth, the beer baron and is now owned by the Moran family of nursing home fame. With it's 6 acres of land, approximately 9 building blocks it's hard to estimate it's value. being National Trust listed it cannot be changed so development is off the books.
And with it's own ballroom and band stand in the garden it's the perfect location for a swell party. The Silver Dinner, the brainchild of Skye Leckie (above left) in a gold dress has raised $Millions for the Children's Hospital over the years.

Scenes for a party:

Men & the Melbourne Cup

Our exclusive photo from yesterday's great race : bookmaker Tom Waterhouse and his dad Robbie Waterhouse with the famous Melbourne Cup after mum & wife Gai Waterhouse's great win with Fiorente.

Tom's Woes

At the Zegna party : Luke Ricketson,Kate Waterhosue, Hoda & Tom Waterhouse

Arriving at the gala Emermenigildo Zegna 50th year celebration fashion parade at the Royal Hall of Industries on Tuesday, top bookmaker Tom Waterhouse was his cheery smiling self, shaking hands and implacable as always, even as the Shuttle greeted him with "ahhh..the infamous Tom Waterhouse". It received a hearty laugh from his group that included lovely wife and new mother Hoda, sister  Kate Waterhouse and he husband footballer Luke Ricketson.

But if Tom didn't have enough troubles with all sorts of inaccurate claims flying about the airwaves about his on-screen appearances at racing meets, a new calamity has just hit the fan.

Tom's Instagram post.

Yesterday media mogul John Singleton had an on-air spat with Tom's mum, the successful racehorse trainer Gai Waterhouse and accused her of 'leaking' information about his horse More Joyous to son Tom.
"Not so" says Gai but Singleton stormed off announcing he would pull all his horses from Gai's stables. Such drama, especially as Gai has successfully trained numerous winners for Singleton over the years.

Gai Waterhouse, husband Robbie with  Hoda & Tom

Singleton (right) withBob Hawke

 Singleton says Gai leaked details that his top nag More Joyous wasn't in top form to Tom and mutual friends repeated the claim back to Singleton  who then refrained from placing $100,000 on his own horse to win. Tom says via Instagram, he was taking bets all day on More Joyous and it was business as usual and he lost around $300,000 on the race.
Instant update : The matter goes from bad to worse : Tom has called in the libel lawyers and racing officials are demanding an Independent Inquiry before a retired judge. Where is Sir Laurence Street when we need him?

Many Men Of Influence

Kelvin Ho

Nick Tobias

To Chiswick in Woolahra for Men's Style magazine's Men of Influence to meet some movers and shakers under the age of 45 from the worlds of business, the arts, design, sports, fashion, management, the media and more.

Top bookmaker Tom Waterhouse & wife Hoda

Michael & Jo Slater

Some of those to make this year's list : actor Lachy Hulme, about to appear in Beaconsfield and later to play Kerry Packer in the Nine network production screening later this year; Josh Lawson, the star of Any Questions for Ben; Daniel Henshall, who scared the hell out of us as John Bunting in Snowtown; the host of Mornings on Nine, David Campbell; swimming’s newest superstar James Magnussen; pop sensation Gotye; Australian cricket captain Michael Clarke; sports presenting all-rounder Michael Slater, and; former wunderkind Kevin Rudd press secretary and now Today show political commentator Lachlan Harris. 
 The night was hosted by Men's Style editor Michael Pickering who says: “Influence can be a hard concept to define but each of these men is inspirational and influential both within and outside their fields. I've found successful people generally have something useful to say about what they have learnt on the journey and that is certainly the case with the men on this year’s list.” 

Paul & Catherine Anderson

Also on the list : founder of the international phenomenon Freelancer.com Matt Barrie, aggressive online retailer Ruslan Kogan and BigCommerce founders Eddie Machaalani and Mitchell Harper. Paralympic wheelchair champion Kurt Fearnley, veteran league champion Nathan Hindmarsh, Wallaby and charity worker David Pocock and GWS co-captain Luke Power.

And one not on the list ; Chiswick owner Matt Moran who has turned Chiswick restaurant into the uber place to be seen. On a blustery Autumn rainy Tuesday evening the place was packed. I'm told on weekends it's almost impossible to get a table unless you book well ahead.

Influential chef and restauranteur Matt Moran surveys a packed Chiswick

Gae Avoids Bomb Drama at Fashion Show

Gae, Robbie, Hoda and Tom Waterhouse

THE WATERHOUSE FAMILY were out in force at David Jone's Summer fashion show on Wednesday night, including the recently married Tom and new wife Hoda and Tom's parents the famous and highly successful horse trainer Gae Waterhouse and husband Robbie.

While the four sat front row to watch Miranda Kerr treading the boards little did they realise the drama that was unfolding in the street where the Waterhouse family home is located. Gae and Robbie live in the same Mosman street and within sugar borrowing distance of the luxury house where plucky teenager Madeleine Pulver was attached to a fake bomb device in a terrifying ordeal that gripped the nation and that was splashed across front pages around the world as the NSW bomb squad liaised with British police to remove the device from Madeline's neck.

Today Gae was able to give police some valuable information about 2 'suspicious' looking individuals she had seen in the street earlier that day.
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Megan Gale at DJs

Meanwhile the sensationally beautiful Megan Gale  who was also at the David Jones event has today been named as the new face and world ambassador for L’Oreal. Megan describes the job "the Holy Grail of modelling".

Perth born Gale is part Maori which explains her dark looks and height. In Italy she has reached goddess like status and cannot walk down a street without attracting the attentions of hundreds of  fans.

Megan is also an accomplished actress and she really should be in many more movies. Easy on the eye and and charismatic as this clip from her 2010 appearance in "I Love You Too " demonstrates:

Hemmes New York Move

Tom Waterhouse & Hodo at the Cosmo bash

One happy looking couple at Wednesday's Fun Fearless & Female awards sponsored by Cosmopolitan Magazine were bookmaker Tom Waterhouse and his new bride Hodo Vakili.

 The pair have just returned from their Italian honeymoon after marrying on the Mediterranean island of Sicily in front of two dozen family and friends who jetted in for the nuptials.

Tom, who at 29 has now become Australia's top bookmaker and is a regular at the race tracks in Melbourne and Sydney told the Shuttle that his new online betting business is going gangbusters and he and Hodo plan to buy a home in Melbourne where he is increasingly spending more time.

No word yet on whether we can expect a Waterhouse junior any time soon but the couple say they're working on it !
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Hotel and nightclub entrepreneur Justin Hemmes who has a $200M empire employing over 3000 people is planning to expand to the Big Apple next year and has been spotted checking out locations in the trendy Soho area of Lower Manhattan.

Although Hemmes has said he plans to first open a restaurant based on his successful Potts Point Lotus, our New York spy says the nightclub mogul was seen inspecting a building in Tribeca that was large enough to contain a hotel and restaurant complex.

Justin Hemmes-headed for New York City

With a swag of smart boutique hotels including the Establishment and Ivy complex and several pubs around inner Sydney, Hemmes seems to have the golden touch. Where he goes the punters follow and much of that is down to his talented sister Bettina Hemmes who designs the decor in all his nite spots.

Top New York photographer Patrick McMullan, an editor on Vanity Fair and corespondent for a swag of US magazines like Ocean Drive, Interview and New York Magazine says there is already a buzz in NYC about Hemmes who has been seen at several smart parties in recent months.

As no function in the city that never sleeps is complete without McMullan and his attendance at a party is a guarantee of social success, when Patrick starts mentioning your name, you know you have it made !

Just so Justin can get in a Big Apple mood-here's young Liam Burrows who blew away the audience last week on Australia's Got Talent with his version of New York New York. Perhaps Justin should invite him to sing at the opening of his new US nite-spot !

A Royal Visit !

The King & Charles Billich

 Visiting foreign potentates are rare in the Emerald City but this week  George TupouV, the current King of Tonga returned for further sittings for an official portrait being produced by controversial Sydney based artist Charles Billich.

Charles and wife Christa Billich lent their Rock's gallery for a reception for the King hosted by the Tongan Honorary  Consul Generals Bill Waterhouse and his daughter Louise Raedler-Waterhouse. Bill and Lousie were both at young bookmaker Tom Warehouse's website launch last week and said they were looking forward to George Tupou V's visit.

Tongan born Lorna Tonga sang the national anthems of both countries whilst a Croatian born cellist entertained guests ( Charles , born in Croatia once fought in the Croatian Underground).

His Majesty's empire consists of about 169 islands spread over about 800 kilometres with a population of 102,000 (2009). When the King visits his subjects, he travels in a London taxi although he has an ancient Austin Princess for more formal occasions. He once owned Tonga's electricity supply (the source of the Royal Family's wealth) which he generously sold to the nation some time ago for $20M.



The Tongan Royal Palace



His financial adviser is the  Saudi arms dealer Adnan Kashoggi. The King once contemplated setting up Tonga as a repository for tax exile corporations but was persuaded it wouldn't go down too well with former rulers Great Britain, a source for foreign aid to the perpetually struggling empire of the King.




A  Billich work of art

 

The Social Shuttle's Bill Ranken, a rural expert was once invited to Tonga by George V's mother Queen Salote to advise on her flock of royal sheep.

 He found all 50 of them in a pen at the back door of the Royal Palace, a rambling colonial style bungalow.

Quite how His Majesty finally settled on Billich as the chosen artist for his official portrait is steeped in mystery. Billich is hugely successful but critics sneer at his work claiming it is akin to commercial art.

The King said on ABC television about Charles : ""Well the thing is a lot of artists are actually better than what they think they are,"

"Donatello for example was apprenticed as a plasterer, Michelangelo thought he was a sculptor. Charles Billich - I like his drawings better than his paintings."

Hopefully his choice of Billich was for his love of his work rather than an investment. The Billich's recently opened Art Bar in Kings Cross, decorated with Charles' paintings is struggling and looks set to close with few art works sold. Those attached to the ceiling remain in place.

At Lawson Menzies Auction house in Glebe, a few months ago a Billich print was presented with great flourish at the weekly art sale. It went for the princely sum of $1. That's the bid accepted when the seller doesn't want the goods returned.

Photo Finish !



Gai & Robbie Waterhouse, Hoda Vakili and Tom Waterhouse



Too many parties, too much champagne !.

Our discovery of the week : a travelling cocktail cabinet filled with Pommery Champagne. This we like.



The gorgeous Racheal Finch



It was at the  hot young bookmaker Tom Waterhouse's launch of his betting website at the Beach Haus nightclub in Kings Cross : http://www.tomwaterhouse.com/ : online betting.

Tom's family has been in the horse racing game for over 100 years. His mum Gai Waterhouse is Australia's (and one of the world's) top trainers who has trained so many winners she has billionaires and Middle East potentates battering down her door to have her train their stallions at her stud.



Terri Biviano & Tim Holmes a` Court

His dad is Robbie Waterhouse who had a slight mis-hap with a nag named Fine Cotton. Something about daubing it with paint and a substitution  horse. A few million bucks was won on the betting tote. The whole scheme came crashing down and Robbie was 'warned off' the course for awhile but he's back in business.



a Pommery cabinet !



But it's young Tom who has taken over the family mantle and he gave me a few tips for the track :

"it's always easier to back winners in the first half of a race meeting"-"if the track is heavy and the favourite is odds on, get on"- "if you like a horse and you are surprised the odds are longer than you expected, don't alter your bet, bet the amount you intended. Value is king"

So there it is, straight from the horse's mouth as they say.

                                             

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OK, enough already !. We've had a few dozen emails demanding to see our snaps of gal about town Sharon Sargeant who took the ritzy Black and White Ball crowd by storm in her glittering red outfit.



Here are 2 to go on with.  Sharon is launching her own website soon so check back for the address. She promises us you won't be disappointed.



The Parliamentarian who makes grown men tremble-Bronwyn Bishop MP & B&W president Sue Diver

# A special mention must go to Tamburlaine Organic Wines (alcoholic !) from the Hunter Valley who supplied their superb tipple at the Black & White Ball. Visit their website :  http://www.mywinery.com/. Not only  a very nice drop, healthy to boot !
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The Quay Restaurant is world famous. This year it was voted Number 27 on the coveted S.Pellegrino World’s 50 Best Restaurant’s list, to become the highest ranked Australian restaurant in the world, as well as rewriting Australian restaurant award history by scoring a “double double” win, having been named Restaurant of The Year for the second consecutive year in the industry’s two top awards, the Australian Gourmet Traveller Restaurant Awards 2010 and The Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide 2010.



Leon & Margaret Fink



Chef Peter Gilmore & John Fink



So of course you would be stark raving mad to miss a book launch there especially when it's a recipe book by the famed head chef at the Quay, Peter Gilmore.

You know the nibbles will be superb, the Bollinger chilled to perfection and the crowd friendly. The only thing missing were some of the restaurant's regular clients when in town-David Bowie, Gordon Ramsay, Mick Jagger and King Constantine II of Greece.



our favourite Murdoch family member-Matt Handbury and partner Clare



The Quay is owned by Leon Fink and run by his son John. John's mum is the film producer Margaret Fink who produced Candy with Heath Ledger and My Brilliant Career (for which she won an Academy Award )and which launched the careers of Judy Davis and Sam Neil.



The view from The Quay Restaurant