Bert Newton state funeral full coverage
Our greatest showman, Bert Newton, was farewelled by a family, state and country that loved him so dearly. Inside the star-studded funeral for a beloved icon.
Entertainment
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TV icon Bert Newton has been farewelled at a moving state funeral in Melbourne.
Dignitaries, celebrities and TV industry heavyweights gathered for the Catholic requiem mass at St Patrick’s Cathedral.
Bert’s wife of 46 years, Patti Newton, daughter Lauren, son-in-law Matt, and her six grandchildren pulled up at the cathedral in a white stretch limousine at 9.15am.
“We love you Patti,” someone in the crowd shouted.
“I love you, too” Patti replied, blowing a kiss.
Under grey skies and light drizzle, TV and radio stars Eddie McGuire, Sam Newman, Rhonda Burchmore, Peter Hitchener, Denis Walter, and John Michael Howson filed into the cathedral.
McGuire, who delivered the eulogy, said as he arrived that he took advice from Patti on talking points.
“She didn’t tell me what to say, but she was pretty keen for people to see the other side of Bert,” McGuire said.
“Hopefully I will get the job done that he so richly deserves. Today we honour the hero of our showbiz world.”
THE SERVICE
Long-time friend Pete Smith began his tribute by saying he had “lost a dear friend”, before reading a letter from Bert’s son, Matthew, who is overseas and did not attend the funeral.
“I am very sorry that due to the pandemic I cannot be with you ... to celebrate dad,” the letter began.
“Growing up I never really watched Bambi or Snow White or a lot of other kid movies you could name. I did not want to.
“What fascinated me were the movies that created that black and white glow radiating from the doorway of my dad’s home office.”
The letter continued: “Over the last 10 years while I have lived abroad, dad and I would play out conversations and songs over Zoom and FaceTime.
“Tools that allowed me to connect and, in a way, reconnect with my whole family and especially with dad.
“Everyone knows he was a great entertainer but what a lot of people do not know about dad is that he would not just be around for the laughs.
“Those close to him experienced how he would show up in the tough times too.
“No-one more than me.
“One final conversation a few days before we lost him was different from the usual and we both knew it.”
Matthew then used the letter to speak directly to his mum.
“Even though your partner is not on stage anymore, the show goes on and you will be okay.
“Mainly because you will have Lauren’s 97 children to take care of you,” Matthew joked.
The letter ended with a famous Casablanca reference: “I am going to really miss jamming with you, mate. Here’s looking at you, kid.”
Mr Smith then read a letter from Bert’s daughter, Lauren.
She wrote that her children “loved Poppy so much”.
“He spent hours playing games with them.
“They played everything from mums and dads to schools. His favourite games were hospitals and hotels.”
She continued: “(Mum and dad) loved one another so much and I know how he waited until she left the room to take his last breath because while she was with him, he could not have gone.
“My beautiful dad will be with us forever in our hearts and memories, but life will never be the same without him.”
Premier Daniel Andrews said Bert would have been “so honoured” to be farewelled with a full requiem mass.
“Bert Newton was a great entertainer, and life itself was his stage,” Mr Andrews told mourners.
“He was always there, omnipresent, on our screens and in our homes.
“Like a fireplace on a cold night, families would gather around their TV sets, drawn in by Bert’s warmth.
“While he was first beamed into our homes in black and white, he was colour TV long before the technology arrived.”
The Premier continued: “Everyone knows that when we think and speak of Bert Newton, we are really reflecting on a duo, a double act.
“Bert’s partnership with Patti was everything. Both formidable talents, both deeply in love.
“Theirs is a story for the ages.”
Eddie McGuire, in delivering Bert’s eulogy, said he had the “impossible job” of condensing the state’s feelings for Bert and his legacy into five minutes.
“To Graham Kennedy, he was Herbie. To Don Lane, he was Moonface. And to all of us, he was our Bert,” he said.
“Bert was a giant. Among the givers of the world, he stands tallest.”
McGuire recounted the time Bert named his famous toupee.
“When he named his toupee Eddie, he said at the time I was on everything else, I may as well be on his head,” he said.
“I was honoured and gratified.”
McGuire continued: “He cut his 21st cake on television and stayed there for his entire life.
“At 84, he was still making headlines with posts on Instagram from his hospital bed.
“Bert never stopped evolving, never stopped learning, never lost his insatiable appetite for what’s new.”
He spoke of Bert’s time at the helm of the Logies.
“To watch Bert in his natural habitat at the Logies was a television highlight of the year,” he said.
“How he’d glide onto that stage, moving like a dancer.
“His celebrated sparring with Muhammad Ali was made even more memorable in hindsight but not the so-called faux pas but by the way Ali realised there was nothing sinister. That Bert was a good man.”
McGuire ended the eulogy with reference to Bert’s greatest partnership of all.
“While it was Bert and Graham and Bert and Don, there was nothing like Bert and Patti. What a combination,” he said.
“There would always have been a Bert, but he was enhanced so much by his Patti.”
Outside the cathedral, Bert’s grandchildren pulled on ribbons to release white doves into the sky when the service concluded.
FAREWELL TO OUR BELOVED BERT
Theatre star Rhonda Burchmore was emotional, and fought back tears, as she arrived at the service.
“I have known and loved Bert Newton my entire life. We’re talking 40 years of memories,” she said.
“My first appearance on television was the Don Lane Show in 1981. There’s a lot of history.
“Not only was Bert my hero and mentor, but a close family friend.
“I’m honoured that Patti and the family have invited me to be part of a special group today.
“It’s very special that we’re here today to honour the great man.”
Music guru Molly Meldrum told the Herald Sun: “Bert was one of the nicest people. He was so kind and generous to me. I’ll never forget that.
“He taught me to be kind to everybody. People loved him because he was respectful and humble.”
Sam Newman said Bert should be remembered as “an icon, a star and a great Australian”.
He added: “Bert taught everyone how to do live television. We owe him a tremendous debt.”
ORDER OF SERVICE
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