The past talk of Machiavelli restaurant’s 30th anniversary but some big names were missing
IT wasn’t much like the old days. There was a smattering of heavy hitters such as legendary ex Nine Network and Seven Network boss David Leckie but there were some who were notably missing from an Italian restaurant’s anniversary.
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IT wasn’t much like the old days.
There was a smattering of heavy hitters — legendary ex Nine Network and Seven Network boss David Leckie without his wife, newly-styled homeless crusader Skye; powerful media buyer Harold Mitchell, without the kilos that defined him in the old days when commercial television was king and Kerry Packer once complained Mitchell’s hard-bargaining was sending him broke; retired newspaper editor Mark Day and, oh, a Willesee — though not the pioneer TV reporter everyone hopes to see again, Mike, who is now battling stage four cancer, but the one most of us forgot long ago, Terry, no wait, Don, yes Don.
There was a Fordham — radio commentator Ben, who regrettably didn’t bring his old papa, John, the fabled talent agent and one of Sydney’s legendary lunchers.
Most of the political and media powerbrokers whose photographs have famously adorned the walls of the Clarence Street basement establishment for 30 years, the milestone anniversary celebrated on Wednesday night, are in their graves: Gough Whitlam, Neville Wran, Kerry Packer, Sam Chisholm, Ron Walker … Bob Hawke hangs on, but by all accounts, only just.
There was no sign of John Howard, John Laws, Kerry Stokes, John Singleton, James Packer … Not even Eddie McGuire made it into the catacombs of Clarence St.
Alan Jones sent apologies but donated a prize — dinner for eight — with him. (It went for $5000 in a charity auction to the first and only bidder.)
In the hallowed seats once occupied by some of the nation’s legendary deal-makers were a bunch of decent and familiar TV and radio personalities — David Koch as MC, Peter Overton, Larry Emdur, Mark Baretta, Ross Greenwood — none of whom flagrantly exhibit the killer instincts of the kingpins who once famously flocked to the underground institution.
There were women in the room too.
Glenn Shorrock brought wife Jo, Jeff Fenech had wife Suzee on his arm, Day brought film publicist wife Wendy, 2GB radio presenter Chris Smith brought his partner Susie Burrell.
Susie Elelman was one of the rare women of media to get a look in.
The food was, as always, superior and the Italian wine excellent and plentiful.
As lips were loosened conversation turned quickly to that much prized Italian attribute, loyalty, and the absence of the three women who created the Machiavelli Ristorante legacy, “Mama” Giovanna Toppi and her daughters Paola and Caterina, who after selling out of the business and allegedly assuring new owner Nicolae Bircher they would not set up businesses brandishing the name Machiavelli, opened two establishments referencing the restaurant, Mach2 in the city and Bar Machiavelli in Rushcutter’s Bay.
Bircher is now suing the Toppis in the Supreme Court and the assembled guests at Wednesday night’s event all had an opinion on the action and of hospitality businesses going into receivership, something which seems to have settled like a plague on some in the game.
It is believe that Paola is defending the claim having not a rival paper last week: “I am not going anywhere. We are fine. This is just an internal matter. We are trading well.”
Some, like Leckie, had sensibly already called it a night.
Not so 2GB’s national sales director Mark Noakes, who, having partaken of all that was offered was a little shaky on the somewhat treacherous stairs and some guests said he needed navigational assistance at night’s end.
Noakes denied it yesterday. His wife Genine, another guest at the dinner furnished us with further detail: “We left on all of our own feet … after receiving a lovely gift of wine and a
carafe on our way.”