David Cloke’s family feud exposed in diary entries
Norma Cloke journal entries lay bare why she left just $20,000 of her $1.2m estate to her son, footy great David. Now the ex-Richmond and Collingwood star is embroiled in a bitter court fight to have his mother’s dying wishes overruled.
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Footy legend David Cloke is at the centre of a bitter family feud after being sensationally cut out of his mother’s will amid claims he was a bad son.
When she died in March last year, Norma Cloke, 91, left just $20,000 of her $1.2 million estate to the ex-Richmond and Collingwood star, saying he deserved no more because he neglected her in her old age.
The rest of the estate was divided evenly between the former Richmond and Collingwood star’s six siblings.
Now, Cloke has launched Supreme Court action in a bid to have his mother’s dying wishes overruled.
But court documents have revealed that for more than a decade Mrs Cloke kept a journal detailing the hurt caused by her alleged estrangement from her footy star son.
She also explicitly defended her decision to effectively cut him out of her will.
“I have done this because I have not heard or seen him, or his wife, or the children for over six years, this includes Mother’s Day, Birthday and Christmas,” she wrote in 2006.
“Before that very seldom contact had been made, since my husband died in 1982. My other children ring me, take me out, keep in regular contact, to make sure I am okay.”
In a series of journal entries, Mrs Cloke detailed a strained relationship with her son and his family, and claimed they went years without speaking.
She said after her 80th birthday in June 2007 Cloke had virtually no contact with her, including not attending her 90th birthday celebrations in 2017.
She said Cloke’s five children, including AFL players Jason, Cameron, and Travis, only ever referred to her as Mrs Cloke, not grandma, and claimed to have never met any of their children, her great-grandchildren.
Mrs Cloke said she never received birthday, Christmas or Mother’s Day cards, and was not invited to grandson Travis’s 2016 wedding.
However in a 15-page affidavit filed with the court, Cloke hit back, saying while he had a strained relationship with his “violent and nasty” father, the relationship with his mother was a good one.
He has called into question the authenticity of some of the journal entries, and denied claims he was estranged from his mum.
He has also questioned the alleged disappearance of more than $500,000 she made from the sale of her Dromana holiday home to one of her sons.
“My mother always had a good relationship with me, Julie and all of our children,” he said.
“My family had regular and friendly contact by telephone and from visits to each other’s homes.
“I, or Julie, would always telephone her on Mother’s Day and we would usually send her flowers if we could not visit her on that day or gave her boxes of chocolates if we could visit.
“We exchanged presents at Christmas time and would visit her at her holiday house at Dromana.”
Cloke said he was left “shocked and surprised” to learn how little of his mother’s estate had been left to him.
But he said the allegations levelled at him and his family were incorrect.
However hinting at a deeper family rift, Cloke said he was turned away from his mother’s death bed after being “warned off by two siblings”.
He said he was turned away by hospital staff, but sought legal advice and was ultimately allowed to visit his mum.
“I attended her bedside and she greeted me warmly,” he said in his affidavit.
“She kissed and hugged me and we both cried until the end of my visit. She told me she was happy to see me and that she loved me.”
Mrs Cloke died several weeks later.
Cloke has been sent to mediation with the executers of his mother’s estate, two of his siblings, before the matter returns to court.
Cloke has told the court that on top of his $1.4 million home he has just $18,500 in savings, modest superannuation and 100 Coles Myer and Telstra shares.
“We do not live a lavish lifestyle,” he said.
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NORMA CLOKE’S JOURNAL ENTRIES
May 16, 2006
This is to explain why I have left my son David, only the sum of $20,000.
I have done this because I have not heard or seen him, or his wife, or the children for over 6 years, this includes Mother’s Day, Birthday and Christmas. Before that very seldom contact had been made, since my husband died in 1982.
My other children ring me, take me out, keep in regular contact, to make sure I am okay … I have written this note to express my wishes in my will.
March 22, 2013
I, Norma Cloke, have not seen or heard from my son David since June 2007. Before that time I rarely heard from him.
September 20, 2015
These are my wishes as to why my son Davis is only entitled to the amount I have left him in my will.
My birthday was on the 20/6/2007. David and his wife Julia and family were invited to my 80th birthday. They did come with their two daughters but did not respond that they were coming. Since that time … I have not heard from them at all. No phone calls, no birthday cards, or wishes, no calls for Xmas, no contact at all.
Over the years before my birthday Julie (David’s wife) refers to me as Mrs Cloke and has her children refer to me as Mrs Cloke also, not grandma like other grandchildren. I have not seen those grandchildren since before 2000. My great grandchildren I have never seen.
Over the years I have sent cheques to the grandchildren for their birthdays until Travis was 21. Then I have not sent anymore cards or cheques as I did not receive any acknowledgment for them. I know they received the cheques because they were cashed.
December 25, 2015
I, Norma Cloke, have not heard or seen from my son David since June 2007 or any of his family.
November 24, 2016
I, Norma Cloke, have today the 24th of November 2016 had a phone call from Julie Cloke. Then David came to the phone. There was no mention of any invited to Travis’ wedding which is to take place on the 1st January 2017. I think she only rang me to see if I still lived here. There was no mention of them coming to see me at all.
February 11, 2018
The last time I heard from my son David was November 2016. To this day I don’t know why they phoned. Their son Travis is getting married on New Year’s Eve 2016-2017. I was not invited. I had my 90th birthday in June 2017 & I never got a phone call or card at 90 from any of their family. To this day I have not heard a word from them.