There were tears, laughter, bagpipes and plenty of sunshine as family, friends and some of Australia’s best-known faces gathered at Bondi to farewell celebrated author Blanche d’Alpuget in a send-off as colourful and extraordinary as the woman herself.
The widow of former prime minister Bob Hawke, who died last month aged 82, was remembered at a moving celebration of life at North Bondi Surf Life Saving Club on Thursday, where around 80 guests came together to honour her remarkable spirit, fierce intelligence and enduring love of life.
Outside, surfers caught waves, seagulls squawked and beachgoers soaked up the spring sunshine. Inside, there were heartfelt tributes, wonderful memories and more than a few stories that had the gathering laughing through their tears.
Among those paying their respects were Blanche’s son Louis Pratt, her daughter-in-law Brianna Roberts, Bob Hawke’s daughter Sue Pieters-Hawke, federal Arts Minister Tony Burke, journalist Leigh Sales and longtime friends.
But perhaps the most touching presence was Blanche’s three-year-old granddaughter Sienna, dressed in a pink fairy outfit, bringing a little extra magic to the occasion.
The celebration followed a private funeral earlier that morning at Macquarie Park Cemetery and Crematorium, where Blanche’s coffin reflected her famously individual approach to life.
In accordance with her wishes, it was painted red on the inside to symbolise life, and blue and white on the outside to represent the sky and spirit.
A letter from Bob Hawke’s youngest daughter, Ros, was attached to the coffin, adding another deeply personal touch.
Blanche’s ashes are to be placed beside those of her beloved husband, who died in 2019.
But while the morning had brought tears, the afternoon was about celebrating a life lived to the fullest.
Her son Louis recalled growing up in a household filled with laughter, conversation and parties.
“One of my earliest memories as a child,” he told the gathering, “is of falling asleep listening to the sound of my parents having parties.”
He said celebrating his mother with another gathering of loved ones felt entirely appropriate.
Her daughter-in-law Brianna shared a particularly memorable story about Blanche surviving a plane crash in the Whitsundays.
When the aircraft came down in the water and passengers were ordered to evacuate, Blanche reportedly insisted on retrieving her handbag before making her exit onto the wing.
It was a story that drew knowing laughter from those who understood her fearless, determined personality.
Brianna also reflected on Blanche’s remarkable courage, describing a woman who refused to let fear dictate how she lived.
Arts Minister Tony Burke remembered her as someone whose extraordinary intelligence was matched by warmth, kindness and a wonderful sense of fun.
And Sue Pieters-Hawke perhaps captured the spirit of the occasion best.
“Blanche was a princess to the last, and this was her royal send-off, Australian style.”
There were also messages from former prime minister Julia Gillard and actress Miriam Margolyes, who paid an especially tender tribute to Blanche’s relationship with Hawke.
Margolyes recalled not only Blanche’s beauty and brilliance, but the deep affection that remained at the heart of her personality, even after losing the man she loved.
The couple’s relationship had once made national headlines, but their bond endured for decades, with Blanche by Hawke’s side when he died.
Yet Blanche was always much more than a former prime minister’s wife.
An acclaimed novelist, biographer and essayist, she built a distinguished literary career of her own, writing about everything from Australian political figures to love, history and human relationships.
Her biographer Derek Rielly helped bring the afternoon’s proceedings to a close, reflecting on her unconventional attitude towards life and death.
And in one final flourish, the band The Misfits performed a spiritual song that Blanche herself had requested for her farewell.
As the music played, the sun continued to shine over Bondi, the surfers kept riding the waves and little Sienna danced about in her fairy dress.
It was a fitting goodbye to a woman who had lived boldly, loved deeply and never seemed particularly interested in doing things the conventional way.
When her death was announced in September, Blanche’s family shared a final message she had wanted Australians to hear.
“Our highest calling and greatest achievement is love, the rule of life. Love one another.”
On a beautiful afternoon at Bondi, surrounded by the people who loved her, those words seemed especially appropriate.
