Lucy Carne: Jackie Lewis was the good wife who paid the price for supporting her husband

Behind every king is a king maker and with Wally Lewis that was Jackie. We should not forget the devoted wife who paid the price for her sacrifice and support, writes Lucy Carne.

Please, let’s not forget Jackie Lewis.

If Queensland had a first lady, it would have been Jackie.

Dignified. Proud. Loyal.

Often overlooked yet a constant presence cheering in the stands, she was integral to the success of one of our nation’s greatest sports stars of all time.

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Amid the shock and sadness last week over the sudden breakdown of Wally Lewis’ marriage and revelations of an alleged affair, our thoughts should turn to the tiny blonde woman with the big smile.

For behind every great man is an even greater woman, so the saying goes. Behind every king is the king maker.

And that is what Jackie was: the wife who, like so many others, stepped back so her husband could soar.

She ran their home, raised their children and nursed Wally, 61, through epileptic seizures, brain surgery and the consequent depression which, he said, drove him to almost take his life.

Wally Lewis and wife Jacqueline were married for 36 years. Picture: Jamie Hanson

In Lewis’s book My Life released with Steve Haddan last year, Jackie revealed how she protected Wally from the demands of fame.

“I’ve always made sure that the home Wally comes home to is our real world. That’s his home,” Jackie wrote in her own dedicated chapter in the book.

“I have always told him just to leave all that outside at the door. When you walk in here, you’re my husband and the father of our children.”

She admits they faced many pressures, revealing she even had to get Telstra to provide them with a secret phone number to stop unsolicited calls.

“There have been many challenges thrown at us, but we’ve got our health and that’s the main thing … while that part of us is strong everything else can be fixed,” Jackie wrote.

Years ago I was one of the many journalists that visited their home for a positive story on Wally for this newspaper.

Jackie was, as always, gracious and kind, ushering us into her kitchen, making iced waters and joking about one of her sons who was still upstairs asleep.

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As Wally reluctantly posed for the photographer, Jackie stood to the side, smiling at her grumpy husband. It was clear she adored him.

She was his protector, his secretary and his biggest fan.

Australians aren’t prudish. We accept that divorce is a reality of life.

Certainly Wally deserves the privacy he requested in his public statement declaring the end of his marriage. However, that doesn’t protect him from scrutiny.

“ … I want to acknowledge the pain and upset my family has gone through since (Jacqueline) and I separated last year. I hope over time we can rebuild our ties and move on with life,” he said in his statement.

Jackie, Wally and children at State of Origin at Lang Park in 1992 for the unveiling of the Wally Lewis bronze statue. Picture: Geoff McLachlan.

But there is something about the sudden breakdown of their marriage that hurts.

Is it the hypocrisy of releasing a book just a few months ago filled with dedications to his wife and family?

“Marrying her is the best thing I ever did,” Wally wrote in My Life.

“She has been my rock – a beautiful, smart, resourceful wife and mother who gets along with everyone. And what a smile!”

As a public icon he leveraged his image through the construct of the loving husband and family man. And we all bought it.

Perhaps the collective sadness comes from witnessing a 36-year union end.

Divorce is all too common in the sporting world through no fault of those involved. In the past few years we’ve read about Nathan Buckley, Nathan Lyon and Jimmy Bartel, whose marriages have all come to an end (although, unlike Lewis, they didn’t have an affair).

Wally and Jackie before their 1984 wedding. Picture: Supplied

Jackie was a constant support to Wally. Picture News Corp Australia

It’s hard to forget Lyon’s partner and mother of his children Mel Waring on being asked by journalists if they were still together: “I think seeing his car sitting in the driveway and his washing sitting here, that probably gives you enough of an idea,” she said.

While divorce is slowly declining in Australia (there were 49,116 divorces granted in 2019), it has steadily increased among those married for 30 years or more and among men aged over 60, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

Jackie is just one of the many “grey divorcees” in Australia who suddenly finds herself without a partner in her later life.

She now joins the ranks of Hazel Hawke and Natalie Joyce – left despite their quiet devotion and sacrifice to support their husbands.

Perhaps this will do little to tarnish the shine of King Wally. He will no doubt remain a hero for many.

But please, let’s not forget the good wife who paid the ultimate price.