Sir Frank Packer
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Sir Douglas Frank Hewson Packer (3 December 19061 May 1974), was an Australian
media proprietor A media proprietor, media mogul or media tycoon refers to a entrepreneur who controls, through personal ownership or via a dominant position in any media-related company or enterprise, media consumed by many individuals. Those with significant co ...
who controlled
Australian Consolidated Press Are Media is an Australian media company that was formed after the 2020 purchase of the assets of Bauer Media Australia, which had in turn acquired the assets of Pacific Magazines, AP Magazines and Australian Consolidated Press during the 2010s ...
and the
Nine Network The Nine Network (stylised 9Network, commonly known as Channel Nine or simply Nine) is an Australian commercial free-to-air television network. It is owned by parent company Nine Entertainment and is one of five main free-to-air television netw ...
. He was a patriarch of the
Packer family The Packer family has played a significant role in the Australian media, political and social sphere since the beginning of the twentieth century. The family has had numerous interests in Australian business, most notably in media, property ...
.


Early life

Frank Packer was born in Kings Cross, in the
eastern suburbs Eastern Suburbs may refer to: Places *Eastern Suburbs (Mumbai), India *Eastern Suburbs (Sydney), Australia **Eastern Suburbs railway line, Sydney, Australia Sports clubs ;Association football *Eastern Suburbs AFC, Auckland, New Zealand * Eastern ...
of Sydney,
New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...
, to Ethel Maude Packer (née Hewson; 1878–1947) and
Robert Clyde Packer Robert Clyde Packer (24 July 187912 April 1934), known as R. C. Packer, was a journalist, media proprietor and founder of Australia's Australian Consolidated Press, Packer media dynasty, which would later own Publishing and Broadcasting Limited ...
(1879–1934), who started the family's association with the media as a journalist in New South Wales. His father, R. C. Packer, became editor of ''The Sunday Times'' and was a founder of ''
Smith's Weekly ''Smith's Weekly'' was an Australian tabloid newspaper published from 1919 to 1950. It was an independent weekly published in Sydney, but read all over Australia. History The publication took its name from its founder and chief financer Sir ...
'' and the '' Daily Guardian'', which was published by Smith's Newspapers Ltd. "A mischievous youngster and a poor student", Packer frequently switched schools, attending Turramurra College,
Abbotsholme College Abbotsholme College was an open-air private school in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It operated from 1909 to 1925 in the suburb of Killara. Pupils during the school's brief existence included two future prime ministers, William McMahon and ...
, Wahroonga Grammar School, and
Sydney Church of England Grammar School , motto_translation = , established = , type = Independent single-sex and co-educational early learning, primary and secondary day and boarding school , grades = Early learning ...
at various times. He did not sit for the Intermediate Certificate.


Career

In 1923, Packer became a cadet journalist on his father's paper, the '' Daily Guardian''. Four years later, he was a director of the company. In 1933, Packer started ''
The Australian Women's Weekly ''The Australian Women's Weekly'', sometimes known as simply ''The Weekly'', is an Australian monthly women's magazine published by Mercury Capital in Sydney. For many years it was the number one magazine in Australia before being outsold by ...
'' and then transformed ''
The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a national British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally. It was fo ...
'' into one of Australia's leading newspapers. Packer inherited his media interests on his father's death in 1934. In 1936, he joined with
Ted Theodore Edward Granville Theodore (29 December 1884 – 9 February 1950) was an Australian politician who served as Premier of Queensland from 1919 to 1925, as leader of the state Labor Party. He later entered federal politics, serving as Treasurer in ...
's Sydney Newspapers and Associated Newspapers to form
Australian Consolidated Press Are Media is an Australian media company that was formed after the 2020 purchase of the assets of Bauer Media Australia, which had in turn acquired the assets of Pacific Magazines, AP Magazines and Australian Consolidated Press during the 2010s ...
. He was chairman of ACP from 1936 until 1974. When television was introduced to Australia in 1956, Packer, along with the other major newspaper publishers ( Fairfax, HWT and
David Syme David Syme (2 October 1827 – 14 February 1908) was a Scottish-Australian newspaper proprietor of ''The Age'' and regarded as "the father of protection in Australia" who had immense influence in the Government of Victoria.C. E. Sayers,Syme, Da ...
), became a significant television network shareholder under the federal government's "dual formula", which allowed each capital city to have two commercial networks and one
ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...
. He launched the first Australian station to broadcast a regular schedule,
TCN TCN is the flagship (television), flagship television station of the Nine Network in Australia. The station is currently located at 1 Denison Street, North Sydney, New South Wales, North Sydney. The licence, issued to a company named Television C ...
in Sydney, which became the nucleus of the
Nine Network The Nine Network (stylised 9Network, commonly known as Channel Nine or simply Nine) is an Australian commercial free-to-air television network. It is owned by parent company Nine Entertainment and is one of five main free-to-air television netw ...
. The Packer media empire was known for its conservative leanings, and was a strong backer of long-serving
Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...
Robert Menzies The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of ''Hrōþ, Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory ...
. Packer was a keen yachtsman, boxer, golfer and polo player. He was on the
Australian Jockey Club Australian Turf Club (ATC) owns and operates thoroughbred racing, events and hospitality venues across Sydney, Australia. The ATC came into being on 7 February 2011 when the Australian Jockey Club (AJC) and the Sydney Turf Club (STC) merged. The ...
's committee for 12 years and won the
Caulfield Cup The Caulfield Cup is a Melbourne Racing Club Group 1 Thoroughbred horse race held under handicap conditions, although the Melbourne Racing Club is in the process of turning the race into weight for age (WFA) conditions. This is for all horses ...
with his horse Columnist. He was also chairman of a syndicate that built the yachts ''Gretel'' and ''
Gretel II ''Gretel II'' (KA-3) is an International 12-metre class racing yacht built for the America's Cup challenge series in 1970. She was designed by Alan Payne and built by W.H. Barnett for Australian media tycoon Sir Frank Packer. Packer had fir ...
'' to challenge for the
America's Cup The America's Cup, informally known as the Auld Mug, is a trophy awarded in the sport of sailing. It is the oldest international competition still operating in any sport. America's Cup match races are held between two sailing yachts: one f ...
in 1962 and 1970. In 1972, Sir Frank Packer sold his newspaper flagship, ''The Daily Telegraph'', to
Rupert Murdoch Keith Rupert Murdoch ( ; born 11 March 1931) is an Australian-born American business magnate. Through his company News Corp, he is the owner of hundreds of local, national, and international publishing outlets around the world, including ...
. In 1992, journalist
Max Walsh Maximilian Sean Walsh (8 May 1937 – 23 March 2022) was an Australian economic and political commentator, journalist, author and broadcaster. Walsh held senior positions with two of Australia's largest publishing companies and television netwo ...
told the House of Representatives Select Committee on the Print Media that Frank Packer had exerted undue newsroom influence. "Sir Frank was knee-deep in heeditorial policy of the ''Telegraph''", Walsh said.


Family life

Frank Packer was married to Gretel Joyce Bullmore (1907–1960) on 24 July 1934 at All Saints Anglican Church,
Woollahra Woollahra is a suburb in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Woollahra is located 5 kilometres east of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the Municipality of Woollahra. W ...
. He had two sons,
Clyde Clyde may refer to: People * Clyde (given name) * Clyde (surname) Places For townships see also Clyde Township Australia * Clyde, New South Wales * Clyde, Victoria * Clyde River, New South Wales Canada * Clyde, Alberta * Clyde, Ontario, a tow ...
and
Kerry Kerry or Kerri may refer to: * Kerry (name), a given name and surname of Gaelic origin (including a list of people with the name) Places * Kerry, Queensland, Australia * County Kerry, Ireland ** Kerry Airport, an international airport in County ...
, with his first wife, Gretel. Gretel Packer died in 1960. Packer married for the second time in June 1964 to Florence Adeline Vincent (née Porges) in London. She died in 2012.


Death

On 1 May 1974, Packer died of heart failure, leaving an estate valued at $100 million. On his death he passed his empire to Kerry, as he had fallen out with his elder son
Clyde Packer Robert Clyde Packer (22 July 19358 April 2001), usually known as Clyde Packer, was the son of Australian newspaper magnate Frank Packer and the elder brother of media baron Kerry Packer. From 23 April 1964 to 22 April 1976 he was a Member of th ...
in 1972. He was interred at the Packer family mausoleum at
South Head Cemetery The South Head General Cemetery is a heritage-listed cemetery located at 793 Old South Head Road, Vaucluse, New South Wales, Australia. It was built from 1845 to 1950. It is also known as Old South Head Cemetery and the South Head Cemetery. The ...
.


Honours

Frank Packer was appointed a Commander of the
Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...
(CBE) in the King's Birthday Honours of 1951. He was
knighted A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the Christian denomination, church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood ...
in the Queen's Birthday Honours of 1959, for services to journalism and the newspaper industry. In the New Year's Honours of 1971 Sir Frank Packer was promoted within the
Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...
to Knight Commander (KBE), for services to Australian and international yachting.It's an Honour: KBE
/ref> Since 1980 the
Frank Packer Plate The Frank Packer Plate is an Australian Turf Club Group One, Group 3 Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds at set weights run over a distance of 2000 metres at Randwick Racecourse, Sydney, Australia during the Autumn Carnival. Total prizemon ...
has been conducted at
Randwick Racecourse Royal Randwick Racecourse is a racecourse for horse racing located in the Eastern Suburbs (Sydney), Eastern Suburbs of Sydney, New South Wales. Randwick Racecourse is Crown Land leased to the Australian Turf Club and known to many Sydney ra ...
. He was inducted into the
America's Cup Hall of Fame The America's Cup Hall of Fame, located at the Herreshoff Marine Museum of Bristol, Rhode Island, USA, honors individuals for outstanding achievement in the America's Cup sailing competition. Candidates eligible for consideration include skippers, ...
in 1999.


Portrayal in media

In the 1984 television miniseries ''
Bodyline Bodyline, also known as fast leg theory bowling, was a cricketing tactic devised by the English cricket team for their 1932–33 Ashes tour of Australia. It was designed to combat the extraordinary batting skill of Australia's leading batsman, ...
'', Packer, as employer of
Donald Bradman Sir Donald George Bradman, (27 August 1908 – 25 February 2001), nicknamed "The Don", was an Australian international cricketer, widely acknowledged as the greatest batsman of all time. Bradman's career Test batting average of 99.94 has bee ...
, released him from a writing contract so he could play in the 1932–1933 Ashes; he was portrayed by Brian McDermott. In the 1988 television miniseries ''
The True Believers The True Believers were a rock music, rock band from Austin, Texas active from 1982 to 1987. Founded by brothers Alejandro Escovedo, Alejandro and Javier Escovedo, True Believers were rooted in hard rock with touches of country and western, count ...
'', Packer was portrayed by Australian actor
Max Phipps Maxwell John Phipps (18 November 1939 – 6 August 2000) was an Australian actor, known for a number of roles in theatre, films and television during the 1960s until the end of the 1990s. Life and career Phipps was born in Dubbo and grew up in ...
. In the 2007 television biopic '' The King'' about comedian
Graham Kennedy Graham Cyril Kennedy AO (15 February 1934 – 25 May 2005) was an Australian entertainer, comedian and variety performer, as well as a personality and star of radio, theatre, television and film. He often performed in the style of vaudevilli ...
, Packer was portrayed by Australian actor Leo Taylor. In the 2011 television miniseries '' Paper Giants: The Birth of Cleo'', Packer was portrayed by Australian actor
Tony Barry Tony Barry (28 August 1941 – 21 December 2022) was an Australian actor and activist best known for his television and film roles. Personal life Barry was born in Ipswich, Queensland, on 28 August 1941. He had one son. Barry was an environmen ...
. In the 2013 television miniseries '' Power Games: The Packer-Murdoch War'', Packer was played by Australian actor
Lachy Hulme Lachy Hulme (born 1 April 1971) is an Australian actor and screenwriter. He has written several films and has appeared in a number of successful Australian and US film and television productions. Early life Hulme was born in Melbourne, Victori ...
, who had previously portrayed Kerry Packer in ''
Howzat! Kerry Packer's War ''Howzat! Kerry Packer's War'' is an Australian drama-miniseries set in the 1970s that premiered on the Nine Network on Sunday 19 August 2012. Plot The Ashes is the pinnacle of world cricket with two old enemies, Australia and England, going h ...
'' the previous year.


References


Further reading

* * *Griffen-Foley, Bridget (2014). ''Sir Frank Packer: a biography.'' Sydney University Press. . {{DEFAULTSORT:Packer, Frank 1906 births 1974 deaths 1962 America's Cup sailors Australian people of English descent Australian mass media company founders Australian newspaper chain founders Australian male sailors (sport) Deaths from cancer in New South Wales Deaths from pneumonia in New South Wales Australian Knights Bachelor Australian Knights Commander of the Order of the British Empire Businesspeople from Sydney
Frank Frank or Franks may refer to: People * Frank (given name) * Frank (surname) * Franks (surname) * Franks, a medieval Germanic people * Frank, a term in the Muslim world for all western Europeans, particularly during the Crusades - see Farang Curr ...
1967 America's Cup sailors People educated at Sydney Church of England Grammar School 20th-century Australian businesspeople