Lavish socialite’s status never quite settled
MARY, Lady Fairfax lived a life that could have been straight from the pages of a historical novel.
The philanthropist, socialite and widow of publishing magnate Sir Warwick Fairfax died at her famed Sydney waterfront home recently, aged 95.
But she started life as Marie Wein in Warsaw, Poland on August 15, 1922, before migrating with her parents to Australia in the late 1920s.
They lived briefly in Broken Hill before settling in Sydney, where her mother, Anna, opened a dress shop.
Marie changed her name to Mary and became a bright student at Presbyterian Ladies’ College, Croydon before establishing herself as a businesswoman, running dress shops. She married Sydney solicitor Cedric Symonds in 1945 and the 12year marriage produced a son, Garth.
In the late 1950s, Sydney’s social scene was abuzz about her liaison with Warwick Fairfax, scion of Australia’s oldest publishing family and boss of John Fairfax & Sons. After their respective divorces, she became Fairfax’s third wife in July 1959, minutes after his divorce became official. The marriage had just three witnesses.
Symonds had issued a writ in the NSW Supreme Court against Fairfax, alleging he had induced Mary to leave him. When they divorced, custody of 7yearold Garth was awarded to Symonds.
In December 1960, Warwick and Mary Fairfax welcomed their first child together, Warwick.
The newly married Fairfaxes lived initially in Bellevue Hill and later in the family mansion, Fairwater, between Point Piper and Double Bay.
The Fairfax publishing house had become a publicly owned company in 1956 but the family controlled a majority of its shares. Warwick sen held twothirds of the family’s portion.
However, Rupert ‘‘Rags’’ Henderson, the managing director, sensed Warwick’s new wife wanted to interfere in the company and convinced him to transfer a large bundle to James, the son of his first marriage. Mary was furious.
In early 1961, as Symonds’ suit neared court, James Fairfax and Warwick’s cousin, Vincent Fairfax, used their shares to temporarily remove Warwick as company chairman. Warwick returned after the court case was settled, but Mary was distraught over what she saw as the family’s betrayal of her husband.
Her frosty relations with the wider Fairfax family did not improve when her husband was forced to stand down permanently in 1977.
The couple had two more children, Anna and Charles, but ‘‘Young Warwick’’ was raised to see the company as his birthright and to resent the supposed injustices done to his father.
Mary became Lady Fairfax in 1967 when Warwick Fairfax was knighted.
The couple entertained lavishly and Fairwater became a salon for politicians, artists and intellectuals. In 1973 the couple hosted the party of the year for the opening of the Sydney Opera House. Guests included actor
Rex Harrison, dancer Rudolf Nureyev, Philippines first lady Imelda Marcos and flamboyant US pianist Liberace.
Lady Fairfax became famous for her multipage Christmas cards, sprinkled with family photographs and maxims such as ‘‘Jealousy is the last resort of the insecure’’.
Lady Fairfax became a fixture in the BRW rich list and in 2015 was ranked 104 with an estimated wealth of $518 million. Her occupation was listed as ‘‘property investor’’.
Fairwater is regarded as one of Sydney’s most valuable private homes, and for many years she also owned an apartment at the Pierre Hotel, in New York.
Sir Warwick had a son and daughter by his first marriage and a daughter from his second. Soon after his death in 1987, Lady Fairfax backed young Warwick’s attempt to take over the company. The move, which coincided with a spectacular stockmarket crash, ended in disaster. The company fell out of the family’s control and Warwick moved to the United States. Mother and son were estranged for a time, but later he would return to visit the ailing Lady Fairfax.
Although Lady Fairfax was a doyenne of Sydney society and a generous philanthropist, her status within the family and in Sydney society was never quite settled. Depending on your viewpoint, she was either a schemer who inadvertently broke an empire, or a tireless charity worker and supporter of the arts.
In the latter capacity she left a substantial legacy. She was a founder, pastpresident and chairwoman of the Friends of the Australian Ballet. She was also president of the Australian Opera Foundation, and in 1963 she founded the Opera Foundation for Young Australians.
On her 80th birthday in 2002, she gave $750,000 to the St Vincent’s Foundation and $250,000 to the Garvan Foundation to fund research into hearing problems, and in 2009 a new cochlear clinic at Canberra Hospital was named the Lady Fairfax Centre.
She received several honours recognising her service to the community. She was made an OBE in 1976 and a member of the Order of Australia in 1988. In 2005 she became a Companion of the Order of Australia.
She often opened Fairwater’s grounds for charity events. In her later years, she said she would bequeath it to the people of NSW.
She is survived by her children Garth Symonds, Warwick
Fairfax, Anna Cleary and Charles Fairfax. — AAP