Germaine Greer's Bra, Alice Springs and the Paparazzo

iIt was one of the tales told at the memorial service for the late photographer Peter Carrette who died suddenly last Sunday of a heart attack.

At least 400 gathered at the Bondi Pavilion on a sunny Friday-Carrette loved Bondi-to mourn the loss of the "grandfather" of the paparazzi.

Carrette , Germaine Greer and actor Jack Thompson were in Alice Springs to do a story about the local Aboriginals and had decided to camp overnight by a river. Peter awoke in the morning to find Germaine washing her bra and smalls in the river. He took some snaps that later ended up in a magazine. She never spoke to him again.

Singer Normie Rowe, broadcaster Holga Brockmann, actors Michael Caton and Jack Thompson-all got up to speak movingly as they recalled their good friend.
Holga spoke of Carrette's bold move in getting into Grenada in a hired smuggler's boat to greet  the invading US Army ahead of the world's media waiting in Barbados for official US Army transport.



TV host Mike Munro

 General Norman Schwarzkopf, leading the US troops assumed Carrette was the official army photographer and gave him carte blanch, earning Peter 2 Time Magazine front covers and the best world wide coverage of the war.

Caton spoke of the time Carrette was captured by Nicaraguan guerrillas and forced to photograph executions-"to show the outside world" how determined they were. 



Glen A.Baker & Normie Rowe

 Jack Thompson, unable to hold back flowing tears spoke of Carrette's devotion to the  Krousar Thmey Orphanage that he and Peter set up in Cambodia which has grown to a dozen homes and which both have almost raised a million dollars to keep going.

His 85 year old mother Gladys, unable to travel from her home in Epping in the UK had Thompson read out Peter's favourite poem that he had learnt by heart as a child-Rudyard Kipling's 'If' and Pete's daughter Madison sang the 'happy birthday' song she wrote for him when she was 12 years old.

It was a send-off Peter Carrette would have loved-good friends, celebrities, the media, a few curious gatecrashers followed by  lots of drinking later at the Bondi  RSL Club !

You can donate to the First Cambodian Foundation ( Krousar Thmey)  assisting deprived children here !

Vale The Bumbling Leslie Nielsen

The Canadian born actor Leslie Nielsen died today at age 84. The Social Shuttle worked twice with the actor when he visited Sydney and Melbourne on promotional trips. In 1998 and 2001.

Our photograph shows Nielsen with Meatloaf at a party thrown by Pepsi Cola at the Sydney Intercontinental Hotel.

When we took our snap Nielsen wheeled around with his arm in the air to illustrate a point to Meatloaf  and clipped a passing waiter with a tray of drinks. The waiter's tray flew in the air and the drinks and glasses crashed to the floor.

As the waiter temporarily tried to steady the tray he lost his balance and slipped, went down and landed on his backside.

Nielsen , now wide-eyed turned to look at the fallen waiter, bent down to help but then straightened up as 2 guests went to the waiter's aid. As Nielsen stood up he threw his arms in the air in a sort of "well I don't what happened ?" gesture and clipped another waiter with a tray of hourves dourves which went flying.

Nielsen grabbed Meatloaf's arm and said "let's got to the bar !".

He was a charming man and always a gentleman. His wife Barbaree was a joy to be around. Later we found out he slipped both waiters $100 each.

Quentin Crisp Lives!...in time for the Equal Love March !

Victor Zammit (left) is an Australian lawyer who is also a Spiritualist who attends regular seances and publishes a website AfterLife Evidence with news direct from the other side.

Zammit gets into regular biffo  with the sceptic magician James Randi. Both offer million dollar prizes-Randi's for  anyone who can produce definitive proof of an afterlife while Victor offers likewise for anyone who can prove there is no afterlife. No-one has yet claimed either prize.

Now Zammit has published an extraordinary story-a tale of a seance he recently attended where the Stately Homo Quentin Crisp speaks during the seance with some comforting words for gays & lesbians (and presumably trans genders) just in time for today's Equal Love march and demonstration in Sydney to support Same Sex Marriage.

In Quentin's own words:

"One of the reasons that I come through is to prove that even homosexuals live beyond death... It proves that the Catholics are speaking out from where the sun doesn't shine. Why, pray, would you not live beyond death because you're homosexual. There's lots of ignoramuses ..."

Quentin sounds slightly odd in this recording from the seance. But so would you if you passed away in Chorley-cum-Hardy in Manchester and woke in a suburban Sydney living room to find yourself chatting via a gentleman with a taped mouth and roped to a chair ..listen for yourself :

Perhaps pop impresario Simon Napier-Bell can put these words to music as he did with this 2008 recording (9 years after Crisp died)- Quentin's disco song Velvet Summer Nights:

The Strange Case of Monte's Roller



The Rolls in happier days



It was one of only three imported into  Australia. A 1972 Rolls Royce Corniche with coach work by the exclusive British firm Mulliner Park Ward. Purchased new by the noted private investigator Frank Monte when he topped the world record for tracking down errant spouses when the majority of gumshoe work involved divorce cases. With it's sleek blue lines and dark windows it was an impressive sight around the streets of Sydney.



Monte sold it on for a more nimble Ferrari which he shipped to the USA when he set up office in New York.

That was also a rare sight around the boulevards of the Big Apple, so much so that he was once bailed up by actor Nicholas Cage who offered to buy it from him on the spot.

But back to that Rolls Royce. It's been sitting in the Cross Street car park in smart Double Bay for well over 6 months, covered in dust and unregistered. A sad end for a car that can still command a price of up to $80,000.

In it's present state it's become the subject of local gossip. No-one knows who owns it and it can't be moved by the car park owner without the owner's permission. Monte himself is not interested in it's fate. He's shopping around for a more sedate BMW.

exclusive: HRH Prince William's Praise For Ian Thorpe

To one of Sydney's best restaurants, Bennelong at the Opera House. A black tie dinner to celebrate one of the world's greatest sportsmen, swimmer Ian Thorpe's tenth year of charity work.

Michelle Catelam,Mark Jason, Christa Billich

Ian's Fountain For Youth does superb work for disadvantaged Indigenous and Torres Straight Islander children. Naturally his good pal Cathy Freeman was on hand to celebrate with Thorpie along with NSW's highly popular Governor Marie Bashir and the Thorpedo's mentor , broadcaster Alan Jones.

Alan Jones, Geoff & Belinda Griff

But the surprise for the evening-a video taped message of congratulations and best wishes from the newly engaged Royal, HRH Prince William. ( or Prince Williams as the TV monitor display read !).



the only way to welcome guests !



Thorpie not only loves his charity work with Aboriginal kids, he gets things done. Visit the website and donate if you can. In his words :

"Visiting Aboriginal people, in their homes, their communities, on their land, has allowed me to listen and given me some idea of the problems that Aboriginal people face.

I listened to the concerns of mothers and fathers for the betterment of their children. This unwavering strength, in the face of social injustice. Within these communities I witness poverty, despair and pain…. but I also see hope….hope from those men and woman who want more for their children."

exclusive : Police Called In After Paparazzo Death



Peter Carrette



Michael Caton

Following our story about the sudden death of well known paparazzo Peter Carrette, the Shuttle hears that police have now been called in to investigate.

Carrette, one of Australia's most experienced and well liked snappers was found slumped over his computer work station on Monday morning. It is believed he died on Sunday evening.

Jack Thompson

Carrette's body was removed on Monday afternoon with a number of paparazzi forming a guard of honour as his coffin was carried from his beachfront flat in Bondi Beach. Later that evening several of those photographers noticed flickering lights coming from the window of that flat and what appeared to be a figure moving about the rooms.

Police were called and attended but no-one was found in the apartment. Carrette had tens of thousands of dollars worth of expensive camera equipment and police are now investigating to see if anything is missing.

On Friday a memorial service is being held for Carrette at the Bondi Pavilion. Two of his best pals, actors Jack Thompson and Michael Caton are expected to give eulogies.

Mrs Lachlan Murdoch Sacks The Firm !

It was gaffe that was seen by a relatively small audience by Foxtel's cable TV standards- around 180,000 viewers on the night.

Sarah Murdoch, the gorgeous supermodel wife of Lachlan Murdoch  (son of Rupert Murdoch) announced the wrong winner of the Australia's Next Top Model contest. Youngster Amanda Ware won the title-Mrs Murdoch announced the winner as Kelsey Martinovich who was actually the runner-up.

Kelsey received a $25,000 consolation prize while the clip of Sarah's mistake went viral around the world.

When the Shuttle revealed the story on the 29th October we speculated that "at least the boss can't fire her". Particularly as husband Lachlan Murdoch and dad-in-law Rupert own a controlling swag of shares in the Foxtel network.

Sarah did one better. She sacked the production company Granada Media Australia who produced Australia's Next Top Model and hired a new firm Shine TV which happens to be owned by Sarah's sister-in-law Elisabeth Murdoch. Keeping it in the family, as one does.

Meanwhile Sarah's husband Lachlan and his partner James Packer who have purchased 17% of the Ten Network have hit a stumbling block with a new player in the game.



Bob Brown



Australia's richest woman , the billionaire Gina Rinehart has snapped up 10% of Ten which may put the mockers on Lachlan & Jame's ambitions to control the network.

And Bob Brown, leader of The Australian Greens has announced a whole raft of policies to diversify Australia's media and  says he will introduce legislation into Parliament to keep all sports broadcast on free-to-air television.

Rupert Murdoch, currently attempting to wrestle control of the UK network BSkyB also wants more sports broadcasts for the Foxtel Network and is currently lobbying the Labor Government to make that happen.

The Greens  hold 9 seats in the Senate- the balance of power-and Labor will have to do some  heavy horse trading if they want to get any of their own policies past them in the Upper House.



Elisabeth Murdoch & Matthew Freud

 Rupert described the party as "those bloody Greens" in a speech in October and his newspaper The Australian in a bizarre editorial threatened to "destroy the Greens".

Perhaps it's time to call on the assistance of his son-in-law Matthew Freud, (currently in Oz with wife Elisabeth) who has been described as 'Britain's most powerful public relations expert".

Marianne Faithful's Nemesis Photographer Dies

One of Australia's most popular photographers Peter Carrette has died of a heart attack.

 Regarded as the gentleman of the paparazzi, London born Carrette first came to prominence when he photographed Marianne Faithful in a drug coma in her hospital bed in 1969.

Faithful had travelled to Australia with Mick Jagger who was to star in a film about Ned Kelly. She had over-dosed after it was claimed she had discovered Jagger in bed with another woman.

Carrette borrowed a white doctor's coat and stethoscope and sneaked into Faithful's room, took the photo that was flashed around the world as one of the first examples of intrusive photography. Earlier this year when Faithful was in town for an arts festival, she told the Shuttle she'd still like to give the snapper a "quick boot in the backside". However she conceded she had forgiven him.

After studying photography in London, Carrette travelled to Sydney and snared a job as Sir Frank Packer's copy boy when the media mogul owned the Daily Mirror newspaper.

Once established, he worked for various publications photographing news stories. He gatecrashed the US invasion of Grenada by hiring a smuggler's boat while the world's media waited for official transport in Barbados, worked in New York for 6 years and  photographed  for Vogue in Paris for 2.

More recently he and another photographer squirted the actor Heath Ledger with water pistols at a Sydney film premiere-again in an action where the film of a startled Ledger was flashed around the world. Briefly banned by film companies from red carpet premieres, Carrette later made peace with Ledger shortly before he died in New York.

Carrette also supported an orphanage in Cambodia by donating the fees received from his exclusive candid photos of celebrities often taken around the beach at Bondi.

 For the past few years Carrette had been running his own studio and photo distribution service from a Bondi flat where he had lived for the past 20 years. The flat is owned by his good friend , the actor Jack Thompson.

Carrette was concentrating on studio portraits and had just completed a series of studio shots of Danni Minogue when he died suddenly on Sunday evening from heart failure while working at his computer.

Oprah's Tour- Bigger Than Ben Hur



Lachlan & Sarah Murdoch



Not content with recording several shows at the Sydney Opera House  and taking the country by storm, Oprah Winfrey and her 300 American pals being bussed into town by John Travolta will also be the honoured guests at a concert to re-launch the Star City Casino on December 15th which will headline a number of international acts.

Jon Bon Jovi, U2 and Bob Geldorf will perform in a private concert for 1500 invited guests that will include Winfrey, Cate Blanchett, Nicolle Kidman and Keith Urban, Hugh Jackman, Lachlan Murdoch and wife Sarah and James and Ercia Packer.

When Star City originally opened around 15 years ago the opening act was Diana Ross. Now with a an $800 million dollar re-fit, the venue plans to be the premier gambling saloon in the Southern Hemisphere.

Oprah Winfrey Does The Crocodile Rock

As the Social Shuttle exclusively reported on the 10th October, Oprah Winfrey in the Greatest Journey Ever Taken will be holidaying on Hamilton Island and has booked the penthouse for 2 days.

  Oprah treats her entire staff from the show to an annual all expenses paid vacation but doesn't always join them, or if she does, often stays in a different hotel. Hamilton also has it's own zoo with lot's of local animals which Oprah is sure to visit.

Now news has reached us of another adventure for the 300 lucky Americans who will be flown to Sydney courtesy of a (fully functioning ) Qantas jet with Hollywood star John Travolta at the joystick.

Step forward little Bindi Irwin and her Australia Zoo.  Bindi has won the hearts of  American TV viewers and looks like being an even bigger star than her dad, the late Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin. She regularly hosts shows at the zoo along with her little brother Bob who was once dangled as baby by his dad over a pit of snapping crocodiles.

Some of the American troupe will be visiting and filming at the Zoo in Beerwaq Queensland and Bindi will be interviewed by Oprah on her Opera House show along with possibly her  mother and little brother,

One of Oprah's former favourites who will not be featured is the gardening guru Jamie Durie. While Durie who appeared on many Oprah shows and Winfrey remain friends-the Shuttle was at a James Durie furniture launch when the great woman phoned through to congratulate him-he hosts a US version of his Outdoor Room on the HGTV cable station, a direct competitor to Oprah's new OWN network that begins in 2011.

Some Christmas Cheer from Alan Rusbridger & Rupert Murdoch

On the 1st November Rupert Murdoch gave a speech in Sydney praising his personal baby The Australian newspaper. Rupert is famous for saying he never interferes with his editors. Perhaps they just think like him.

Murdoch also promised that in a few years .. "it will be possible to have all the energy we want from economic cheap nuclear plants..it will be safe..there will not be an energy waste problem..we don't have to rush into a lot of mad schemes fouling up the country..windmills and other crackpot ideas.. "

That came as a shock to the  landed gentry of Rupert's beloved Liberal National Party coalition who have accepted $100,000 a time to allow an energy corporation to install windmills on their land.

.."just don't let the bloody Greens mess it up.." he continued.

The Greens hold nine Senate seats and the balance of power and look like picking up seats in the Victorian state election. Getting anything past them in Parliament will be a Herculean task.

The Australian promised in an ill-advised editorial after the August General Election to "destroy the Greens" The newspaper has been back pedalling ever since.



Alan Rusbridger



Fast forward to Friday night's 702 ABC  Sydney Radio Andrew Olle Lecture  given by Alan Rusbridger, editor of the UK Guardian newspaper. Speaking about the media he said :

"And, of course, most topically, there is the prospect of a merger between a wholly owned BSkyB and the four newspaper titles owned by News Corp. That would give one company control of nearly 40 per cent of Britain‟s press as well as a broadcaster with nearly £6bn in revenues compared with the £3.5bn licence fee of the BBC.

Now, I realize that even raising this question immediately translates, in the minds of some, into an argument about Rupert Murdoch. It‟s not. There‟s no one I would want to have that much power."

In his speech Rupert Murdoch said the profits from the current resources boom should be spent on education. How that could be achieved, he didn't say.

In May this year The Australian was at the forefront of a determined campaign to undermine then Prime Minister Kevin Rudd who had announced a 40% mining tax on the minerals dug out of land owned by the Australian people and which has driven the extraordinary wealth of the country. He hoped to raise $12 Billion in just 2 years.

The entire News Corp mast heads went into bat for the 3 mining billionaires leading the charge-Andrew 'Twiggy 'Forest. Gina Rinehart and Clive Palmer. The 3 funded a multi million dollar ad campaign which News Ltd apparently mistook for news and fact.

The mining tax spelt the end of civilisation as we know it...Forrest, Rinehart and Palmer proclaimed the new  tax would destroy the industry, lead to massive job losses and anyway, they were struggling already as it was.

The ruling Labor Party capitulated. It was the end of Rudd's leadership and he was swiftly replaced by Julia Gillard who limped home in the August election.



Clive Palmer



Just to show there are no hard feelings Clive Palmer, a National Liberal Party supporter threw a $20M bash last Thursday in Townsville for 2000 employees to celebrate the $200M personal profit he had made from just one mine.



Clive's a generous man to those who please him. At the party he announced 55 employees would each be receiving a brand new $50,000 Mercedes-Benz B180 each. Palmer toasted the post-GFC recovery as being responsible for his good fortune.

That's the recovery that Rupert Murdoch said in his speech was "governments wasting billions of dollars " for which Kevin Rudd received world-wide praise for keeping Australia out of recession but whose actions were roundly condemned by the Liberal National Party, but supported by those "bloody Greens"!

Complicated isn't it ?.

Polo Champs Miss the Big Match



Jean-Paul & Nina Clarkin at Windsor last week



The annual Paspaley Polo takes place today in Centennial Park and with the world's largest supplier of cultured pearls celebrating it's 75th year it promises to be an extra special event.

 Sadly two of the world's great polo players will miss the day.

Carina Clarkin, the UK's top female player and her husband , the handsome and debonair Jean-Paul Clarkin have left Sydney for New Zealand after playing at the Windsor polo match last week.

Carina, known as Nina is the niece of the beef baron Lord Vestey and the Vestey family connections with Australia are deep and varied.

Lord Vestey was once the largest single land owner in Australia until 1966 when dozens of his Aboriginal stock men went on strike demanding equal pay with whites.

When Gough Whitlam was elected Prime Minister in the early 1970's he forced Vestey to hand back traditional lands to the Gurindji tribe.

Vestey also owns several cattle ranches in Venezuela-or did until President Hugo Chavez sent in troops to occupy them. In 2006 he settled a dispute with Chavez by handing over 2 of his best properties to the Venezuelan government.



Lord Vestey & The Queen

 Jean-Paul's late father Paul Clarkin was a mentor to both Princes William and Harry and Nina's mother Rosie dated their father Prince Charles and was part of his inner circle.

Nina, a good friend of William's is expected to be a guest at the wedding of William and Kate Middleton.





Lord Vestey visited Australia earlier this year on behalf of St John Ambulance ( HRH The Queen is patron). He holds the lofty title of The Lord Prior of St John. He also attended the Royal Easter Show with the Social Shuttle's resident landed gentry and contributor Bill Ranken.

And Lord Vestey and Nina Clarkin have another claim to Oz-Sam Vestey's great grandmother was the opera singer Dame Nellie Melba.