Fairfax auction to sell off family jewels
It's the end of Sydney's old-money era as the artworks and furniture that once graced the Fairwater mansion are put under the hammer next week.
When Sir James Oswald Fairfax and his wife Mabel moved into Fairwater, a mansion overlooking Sydney’s Seven Shillings Beach, in 1900 it marked the start of the home’s 100-year reign as a social landmark. Fairwater’s doors were soon opened for charity events and fetes to support the Red Cross. Hostess Mabel, also known as Lady Jim, further impressed her friends when she began to design the gardens that roll down to the sea. Those were the old-money days in Sydney’s east.
Fairwater’s fame as a hub for celebrities and the new rich began in 1967 when Warwick Fairfax, James and Mabel’s son, moved to Fairwater with his third wife, Mary, after Mabel’s death. Mary’s first big show was a reception in 1971 for the “best dressed women in Australia”. The Australian Women’s Weekly lapped it up, reporting the party in detail. “The grounds, terraced in lawns towards the Sydney harbour, were scattered with Arabian Nights marquees and trees were threaded with lights.” Three bands played, Greek, Filipino and jazz, as well as a harp ensemble; the Gilbert & Sullivan Opera Company arrived at the party, in costume, by sea.
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