Susan, Lady Renouf (''née'' Rossiter; 15 July 1942 – 15 July 2016) was an Australian socialite. Her title was acquired through her third marriage to New Zealand businessman Sir

Frank Renouf Sir Francis Henry Renouf (31 July 191813 September 1998) was a New Zealand stockbroker and financier. Early life Born in Wellington on 31 July 1918, Renouf was the son of Mary Ellen Renouf (née Avery) and Francis Charles Renouf. He was educated ...

Early life

Renouf was born Susan Rossiter in

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

, on 15 July 1942. Her father, Sir John Frederick Rossiter (17 December 1913 – 18 January 1988), had an extensive career in politics, firstly as a Liberal member of Victoria's Legislative Assembly and later as the state's agent-general in London. On 1 March 1939 he married Joan Stewart, with whom he had his only child, Susan. Renouf grew up in the Melbourne suburb of

Brighton Brighton () is a seaside resort and one of the two main areas of the City of Brighton and Hove in the county of East Sussex, England. It is located south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze A ...

, where she attended

Firbank Girls' Grammar School , motto_translation = She conquers who conquers herself , city = Brighton , state = Victoria , zipcode = 3186 , country = Australia , coordinates = ...

. She continued her education at Star of the Sea College in Brighton, RMIT International Marketing Institute in

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

, USA,

University of Melbourne The University of Melbourne is a public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in Victoria. Its main campus is located in Parkville, an inner suburb nor ...

and

Monash University Monash University () is a public research university based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Named for prominent World War I general Sir John Monash, it was founded in 1958 and is the second oldest university in the state. The university has a ...

, Melbourne. Embarking on a career in law, Renouf later changed career and became a reporter for the women's pages of the '' Melbourne Sun''.

Marriage and family life

At the age of 20, Renouf met and married

Andrew Peacock Andrew Sharp Peacock (13 February 193916 April 2021) was an Australian politician and diplomat. He served as a cabinet minister and went on to become leader of the Liberal Party on two occasions (1983–1985 and 1989–1990), leading the par ...

, who at the time was the president of the Young Liberals.Australian socialite Susan Renouf dies after long illness
''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'' 2016 Peacock went on to become president of the Victorian Party, hold a Liberal seat in Federal parliament, and become Minister for the Army in the

Government of Australia The Australian Government, also known as the Commonwealth Government, is the national government of Australia, a federalism, federal parliamentary system, parliamentary constitutional monarchy. Like other Westminster system, Westminster-sty ...

. They had three children together; Caroline, Anne and

Jane Jane may refer to: * Jane (given name), a feminine given name * Jane (surname), related to the given name Film and television * ''Jane'' (1915 film), a silent comedy film directed by Frank Lloyd * ''Jane'' (2016 film), a South Korean drama fil ...

, and became known as a strong and successful duo within the political arena. In 1976, Renouf met

Robert Sangster Robert Edmund Sangster (23 May 1936 – 7 April 2004)

, labelling him as “the love of erlife”; however, she remained with Peacock and her children until the federal election was over in order to protect his political reputation. After 13 years of marriage, Renouf divorced Peacock in 1977 and in 1978 married Sangster, later moving to his home on the Isle of Man. Sangster was a well-known British businessman and successful thoroughbred

racehorse Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic pr ...

trainer, owner, and breeder. The height of his career saw thirteen wins in the period 1977 to 1984, in which he had horses racing across the globe. At one stage, Sangster's portfolio spanned 1,000 horses in training and at stud within the United Kingdom, United States, South America and Australia, whilst also titling him as Britain's leading racehorse owner five consecutive times. Within this period, Renouf and Sangster were skyrocketed into British high society, quickly becoming well known amongst international royalty and A-listers. Renouf's children visited from time to time at Sangster's

Isle of Man ) , anthem = "O Land of Our Birth" , image = Isle of Man by Sentinel-2.jpg , image_map = Europe-Isle_of_Man.svg , mapsize = , map_alt = Location of the Isle of Man in Europe , map_caption = Location of the Isle of Man (green) in Europe ...

property, but international races saw continual travel for the pair as Sangster bought, sold and trained his horses throughout the world. In 1985 following the news of Sangster's affairs, their marriage ended and later that year, Renouf met and married

, a New Zealand financier. The

1987 stock market crash Black Monday is the name commonly given to the global, sudden, severe, and largely unexpected stock market crash on Monday, October 19, 1987. In Australia and New Zealand, the day is also referred to as ''Black Tuesday'' because of the time z ...

saw a drop in fortunes for both parties, leading to a media scandal over the fight for possession of the

Point Piper Point Piper is a small, harbourside eastern suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia, east of the Sydney CBD, in the local government area known as the Municipality of Woollahra. Point Piper has been historically regar ...

mansion gifted to Renouf during her marriage to Sangster.

Life in the public eye

Peacock and Renouf's marriage was largely centred around press attention, particularly with Peacock's newfound position within the Victorian party.Lady Susan Renouf - socialite and Liberal
''

SBS World News ''SBS World News'' is the news service of the Special Broadcasting Service in Australia. Its flagship nightly bulletin is broadcast at on SBS with additional weeknight 'late' bulletins from on SBS. ''SBS News'' is the name of the news app ...

'' 2016 In no time at all, Renouf's name was widely known not just for her affiliation with her husband, but for her fashion and style, featuring on numerous magazine spreads in high-end clothing. At times Renouf expressed her interest in parliament and politics, even at one stage having considered running for Victoria's Upper House however, she later revealed she had yielded to her husband's wishes that his career took precedence. In 1970, she became the focus of a minor political scandal in Australia when she appeared in print advertisements for Sheridan brand bedsheets while her then husband, Andrew Peacock, was Minister for the Army in the Second Gorton Ministry.Socialite Lady Susan Renouf, 74, dies from cancer
''

ABC News ABC News is the news division of the American broadcast network ABC. Its flagship program is the daily evening newscast ''ABC World News Tonight, ABC World News Tonight with David Muir''; other programs include Breakfast television, morning ...

'' 2016 The advertisement read "Susan Peacock, wife of Australia's youngest Minister of State, adores Sheridan Sheets". This was in breach of a rule which forbids the linking of parliament to any commercial advertising. Despite intending to donate her profits to charity, Renouf was deeply criticised, causing her husband to offer his resignation as a result. Members of parliament, Prime Minister

John Gorton Sir John Grey Gorton (9 September 1911 – 19 May 2002) was an Australian politician who served as the nineteenth Prime Minister of Australia, in office from 1968 to 1971. He led the Liberal Party during that time, having previously been a l ...

and Opposition Leader

Gough Whitlam Edward Gough Whitlam (11 July 191621 October 2014) was the 21st prime minister of Australia, serving from 1972 to 1975. The longest-serving federal leader of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) from 1967 to 1977, he was notable for being the he ...

, denied Peacock's resignation and Renouf later revealed in a 2015 interview with ABC's ''

Australian Story ''Australian Story'' is a national weekly current affairs and documentary style television series which is broadcast on ABC Television. It is produced specifically by the ABC News and Current Affairs Department. The program first aired on 29 ...

'' that "It was horrible for me, because I felt I'd ruined his career". Renouf was later invited by

Frank Packer Sir Douglas Frank Hewson Packer (3 December 19061 May 1974), was an Australian media proprietor who controlled Australian Consolidated Press and the Nine Network. He was a patriarch of the Packer family. Early life Frank Packer was born in K ...

to work part-time on an all-female Channel Nine TV current affairs show known as 'No Man's Land', and at her husband's approval. However, it was not long before the birth of their three children and Peacock's career saw their lives moving in different directions. Renouf's second marriage to Sangster was wild and filled with rich luxuries as the newlyweds travelled the world, partying with wealthy businessmen and women, and other socialites. In 1980, Sangster's horse Beldale Ball won the

Melbourne Cup The Melbourne Cup is a Thoroughbred horse race held in Melbourne, Australia. It is a 3200-metre race for three-year-olds and over, conducted by the Victoria Racing Club on the Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne, Victoria as part of the Melbou ...

race 2 Renouf later commented that winning the Cup with Sangster was a momentous day and occasion, one that would be hard to outmatch. However, their romance was short lived as Sangster had numerous affairs with younger women. Most well known was his affair with model and girlfriend of rock star

Mick Jagger Sir Michael Philip Jagger (born 26 July 1943) is an English singer and songwriter who has achieved international fame as the lead vocalist and one of the founder members of the rock band the Rolling Stones. His ongoing songwriting partnershi ...

Jerry Hall Jerry Faye Hall (born July 2, 1956) is an American model and actress. She began modelling in the 1970s and became one of the most sought after models in the world. She transitioned into acting, appearing in the 1989 film ''Batman''. Hall was th ...

. Renouf was the last to be made aware of the situation and said that it was “devastatingly hurtful”. The couple did try to repair their marriage, but in May 1984 Sangster had another affair with former model Sue Lilley, the then wife of a British shoe millionaire. Renouf's name within Melbourne's social scene saw her as a leading lady for 50 years of fashion and trend-setting. Despite her love of clothing and design, Renouf revealed her regrets surrounding her obedience to first husband Andrew Peacock in backing down on pursuing a political career. Those within her inner circle have also stated that Renouf would have been a great politician had she actively worked within the field.

Jeanne Pratt Richard J. Pratt (born Ryszard Przecicki; 10 December 193428 April 2009) was an Australian businessman, chairman of the privately owned company Visy Industries, and a leading figure of Melbourne society. In the year before his death Pratt was A ...

, billionaire philanthropist and friend to Renouf, often expressed that Renouf's intelligence was overlooked and overshadowed by her life as a socialite. Following the breakdown of her second marriage, Renouf rushed into a marriage with Sir Frank Renouf despite the 25-year age gap between them. In 1985, Sir Frank paid what was at the time the highest-ever price for a Sydney home, when he bought the mansion "Paradis sur Mer" in Wolseley Crescent at

, where the vendor was her second husband, Robert Sangster. The house was eventually razed. At the time Renouf delved into the financial world taking on the role as director of Renouf Corporation. Renouf's position within the company did not end well in 1998. Following the Global Financial Crisis, there was a public grapple for the possession of the harbourside mansion due to the sudden and drastic loss of Sir Frank's fortunes. However, the property was later demolished and rebuilt as two houses in 1990. Their divorce was as public as their marriage had been and the two did not separate on good terms. After the breakdown of her third and final marriage, Renouf was involved in numerous short-lived scandals including the burglary of some of her houses and cars. The most well-known case was her housekeeper of 14 years who stole over $50,000 worth of jewellery, which Renouf recognised being worn by the wife of a Sydney meat wholesaler at a social luncheon. Renouf's other passions flourished in the following years, with her love of design and architecture apparent in the six homes she bought, redecorated, and on-sold in the years following 1988. Four of her properties made considerable profits, and Renouf's friend and former

Vogue Australia ''Vogue'' ''Australia'' is the Australian edition of ''Vogue'' magazine. ''Vogue Australia'' became the 4th edition of Vogue in 1959 after ''Vogue'', ''British Vogue'' and ''Vogue Paris''. Prior to becoming a stand-alone issue, the Australian edit ...

editor,

Sheila Scotter Sheila Winifred Gordon Scotter, AM, MBE (2 December 1920 – 6 April 2012) was an Australian businesswoman. She was a fashion designer and third editor of the ''Vogue Australia'' magazine. She also founded the '' Vogue Living'' magazine. ...

, had described her unique style as “horny and blokey”. Renouf's career in fashion took off with clothing brands Just Jeans and Myer, and beauty producer L'Oreal. Her short-lived role in Renouf Corporations saw her knowledge in finance extended to Jesuit Social Services – Marketing, Chairman St. Joan of Arc, and Treasurer of the Inaugural Board of Star of the Sea College.

Illness and death

Renouf was diagnosed with

ovarian cancer Ovarian cancer is a cancerous tumor of an ovary. It may originate from the ovary itself or more commonly from communicating nearby structures such as fallopian tubes or the inner lining of the abdomen. The ovary is made up of three different c ...

in 2013, with only an estimated five months left to live. Following an aggressive treatment plan, Renouf had surgery and several rounds of chemotherapy. Approaching the end of her life, Renouf received palliative care following her diagnosis of acute kidney failure. During her 2015 interview with ''Australian Story'', when asked about how Renouf had coped dealing with cancer she replied that the ongoing support of her "inner spirit and family and friends ... Or you put on Human Nature and do a bit of a jive around the room" was what had kept her going. Renouf died on 15 July 2016, her 74th birthday. She was survived by her three daughters, Caroline, Anne, and

Legacy

Following her diagnosis of ovarian cancer in 2013, Renouf dedicated her remaining years to raising awareness of ovarian cancer and the importance for women to have regular cervical health checks in order to catch signs of cancer at an early stage. She will also be remembered by her many charitable acts, notably her donation of $37,400 to Melbourne's St Vincent Institute towards the purchase of a protein identification machine. Following the $1.475 million sale in 2007 of her Sidney Nolan Kelly Outlaw painting, Renouf donated to many other charitable sources as well.

References

External links

"Susan Peacock v. Bobby Riggs"
cover of ''

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 th ...

'' 1 January 1975. {{DEFAULTSORT:Renouf, Susan 1942 births 2016 deaths Australian socialites Spouses of Australian politicians Deaths from ovarian cancer Deaths from cancer in Australia People from Brighton, Victoria Journalists from Melbourne University of Melbourne alumni People educated at Star of the Sea College, Melbourne People educated at Firbank Girls' Grammar School Monash University alumni