Rose Porteous
Rose Porteous | |
---|---|
Born | Rosario Magdalena Teresita Lacson y Ledesma 26 October 1948 Bacolod, Negros Occidental, Philippines |
Nationality | Australian |
Other names | Rose Teodoro, Rose Kuan, Rose Hancock |
Occupations |
|
Spouses | Julian Teodoro
(m. 1971; div. 1980)Patrick Kuan
(m. 1983; div. 1985) |
Relatives |
|
Rose Porteous (born Rosario Magdalena Teresita Lacson on 26 October 1948), a
Biography
Born in Bacolod, Negros Occidental, Philippines, Porteous is the daughter of Nicolas Lacson and Amparo Lacson. Her grandfather, General Aniceto Lacson, a sugar baron who was also prominent military figure in Negros Occidental during the Philippine Revolution while her uncle, Arsenio Lacson, was the first elected mayor of Manila.[4]
After spending time in Hong Kong, Spain, Singapore and Malaysia,
Marriage to Hancock
Hancock and Porteous became involved over the course of Porteous' employment and they were wed on 6 July 1985,[2] in Sydney. Porteous, who was thirty-nine years younger than her husband, was often accused of gold digging because of their age disparity. As Porteous later stated: "I have been accused of sleeping with every man in Australia ... I would have been a very busy woman."[6] Gina Rinehart, who stood to inherit his entire estate, did not attend the wedding.
Although the marriage would later prove tumultuous, early on Hancock was clearly infatuated with his young wife. He gave her money and investments in real estate in the Sydney area. Porteous, in turn, helped Hancock to look and act like a much younger man, belying his eight decades. As The Age put it, "Rose made Lang feel younger, sprucing up his wardrobe, dying his hair and getting rid of his cane".[7] Together they built the "Prix d'Amour", a lavish 16-block mansion overlooking the Swan River. The mansion, which was modelled after Tara, the plantation mansion in the movie Gone with the Wind, was the setting for many large parties at which Hancock and Porteous would "dance into the night".[7]
As the marriage wore on, however, the relationship between Hancock and Porteous began to break down. Rumours surfaced of her having disputes with servants and others close to Hancock, especially Rinehart, and as Hancock's health worsened, so did his relationship with Porteous. Rinehart would later claim that Hancock's bride had paid little attention to his worsening health, but had instead "screeched at him for money".[7] Although there were many quarrels, Hancock and Porteous remained married until his death in 1992.[2]
Legal action relating to the death of Hancock
Porteous rose to prominence in the 1990s as the central figure in a series of lawsuits launched by her step-daughter, Gina Rinehart. Rinehart is the daughter of Lang Hancock and Hope Margaret Nicholas, Hancock's second wife. On 25 June 1992, less than three months after Hancock's death, Porteous married for the fourth time, to Hancock's long-time friend William Porteous.[2] Rinehart was indignant at the haste with which her stepmother had remarried.
Central to Rinehart's lawsuits were the accusations that Porteous married Hancock only for his fortune and alleged that her stepmother's actions had contributed to her father's death. According to his daughter, the death was "unexpected" and came "despite strong will to live".[8] An autopsy showed that he had died of arteriosclerotic heart disease and police investigation revealed no evidence to contradict that.[2] However, Hancock's daughter insisted that her stepmother had unnaturally hastened his death. Two successive state coroners refused to allow an inquest, but one was eventually granted in 1999 under the direction of WA Attorney-General, Peter Foss.[2]
After preliminary hearings during 2000, the inquest began in April 2001 with an initial estimate of 63 witnesses to be called over five weeks.
With a legal bill of A$2.7m,
Wealth
The wealth of Porteous is unknown. In 2007 it was reported that she sold two adjoining penthouses in
References
- ^ a b Wainwright, Robert (27 April 2002). "The Rose and Gina show ain't over". The Age. Australia. Retrieved 10 September 2011.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "Timeline: Events in the war between Rose and Gina". The Age. Australia. AAP. 26 April 2002. Retrieved 10 September 2011.
- ^ a b Grimm, Nick (25 September 2003). "Hancock heirs settle inheritance dispute" (transcript). PM (ABC Radio). Australia. Retrieved 10 September 2011.
- ISBN 1-86508-934-6.
- ^ Costello, Chris (14 December 2002). "Book review: A fascination of riches". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 11 September 2011.
- ^ a b "Quotes from the inquest". The Age. Australia. AAP. 26 April 2002. Retrieved 10 September 2011.
- ^ a b c "The maid who married the boss". The Age. Australia. AAP. 26 April 2002. Retrieved 10 September 2011.
- ^ "Lang Hancock Chronology: 50 Years Commemoration" (PDF). Hancock Prospecting. Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 June 2005. Retrieved 5 September 2005.
- ^ McGeough, Paul (28 October 1995). "Test of Wills". The Sydney Morning Herald.
- ^ Weber, David (22 May 2003). "Lang Hancock – final chapter". ABC News. Australia.
- ^ "Thick, rich Rose reveals sense of humour". B&T. Australia. 12 August 2002. Archived from the original on 19 July 2012. Retrieved 11 September 2011.
- ^ Ligerakis, Maria (8 November 2002). "Rich Rose loyal to her thick tomato brand". B&T. Australia. Archived from the original on 30 December 2012. Retrieved 11 September 2011.
- ^ Hughes, Gary (28 June 2005). "Lawyers sue socialite for $14m in fees". The Age. Australia. Retrieved 11 September 2011.
- ^ Gregory, Peter (3 October 2005). "Porteous loses bid to transfer case". The Age. Australia. Retrieved 11 September 2011.
- ^ Gregory, Peter (26 November 2005). "Porteous agrees to pay $13m legal bill". The Age. Australia. Retrieved 11 September 2011.
- ^ Pallisco, Marc (29 July 2007). "Rose Porteous sells luxury Toorak penthouse". Real Estate Source. Retrieved 11 September 2011.
- ^ "Rose's love shack gets the axe". The Sydney Morning Herald. AAP. 25 February 2005. Retrieved 11 September 2011.
- ^ Kappelle, Liza (26 March 2006). "How to downsize your home in the style of Rose Porteous". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 11 September 2011.
- ^ Campbell, Kate (17 October 2009). "New mansions on The Block". The West Australian. Retrieved 11 September 2011.
External links
- Porteous on Enough Rope
- Rose Porteous at IMDb