Teena McQueen’s friendship with dominatrix Madame Lash revealed

While the Liberal Party’s federal vice-president Teena McQueen might want to leave comedy to the professionals after her “attempt at humour” backfired when she was heard telling colleagues at a meeting “I would kill to be sexually harassed at the moment”, some of her oldest acquaintances were hardly surprised by her extraordinary “throwaway line”.

“I actually thought she was being rather amusing,” Gretel Pinniger told PS this week. Pinniger is better known by her alter ego Madame Lash, arguably the most famous dominatrix in Australia – ever.

The Liberal Party’s federal vice-president Teena McQueen.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

Not only were McQueen and Pinniger great mates, at one point McQueen was acting as Pinniger’s “adviser”, though Pinniger was adamant McQueen had never “worked” as a dominatrix herself, although she was “quite a force of nature”.

McQueen confirmed she was an old chum of Pinniger’s, though added she had “witnessed nothing risque” during her times with Madame Lash. As for dabbling as a dominatrix, she shrieked: “Oh god no! I couldn’t even spell the word. Gretel is a highly intelligent and engaging woman – we would go shopping, to the opera and have coffee. I did help her out on a few things, like dealing with her patron in England when he died.”

Pinniger added: “The relationship I had with Teena McQueen was not of the lasting friendship variety.”

“At the time I thought she was a very interesting woman, but it turned out I was much too meek and slow to keep up with her ... and that’s all I’ll say,” Pinniger told PS from her Palm Beach home, the sandstone mansion Florida House where the now 75-year-old spends her days “devoting myself to art”.

Gretel Pinniger, also known as Madame Lash.Credit: Simon Bennett

But Pinniger, famous for her wild parties and raising eyebrows across town for decades, did share details of one episode with McQueen, at the closing ceremony of the Sydney Olympics.

The pair - in sequinned hats - were outside the Homebush stadium at Olympic Park when they decided to buy tickets from a scalper, at $600 a piece, to see the ceremony.

“We had spotted a young Tom Waterhouse with his father, Robbie. Tom was wearing a Tongan costume and had official Tongan credentials, so we just sort of followed him into the stadium. We were stopped by a volunteer at the door, and remember this was all before September 11 changed everything, and we made up a story that we were actually with the Waterhouses and part of the official Tongan entourage,” Pinniger revealed.

“We ended up getting through, thinking we were going to some VIP seats, only to find we were actually swept up with all the athletes walking into the stadium! I mean, really, it was ridiculous! We looked like the most unlikely athletes you could imagine, but someone slapped a glowing wrist band on us and gave us disposable cameras ... and off we went, talking to all the athletes about their various successes and posing in photos!”

Fred Nile meets Madame Lash (aka Gretel Pinniger) in 1974. Credit: Ted Golding/Sydney Morning Herald

Going through old press clippings, PS came across further evidence of McQueen’s time in Madame Lash’s orbit in October 2000.

It was reported that McQueen and Pinniger had failed in their attempt to have apprehended violence orders made against former prominent private investigator, standover man and notorious crook, the late Tim Bristow, who was described at the time as a “business associate” of the pair.

McQueen and Pinniger claimed Bristow had “some kind of sinister agenda” towards them, but the application was dismissed. McQueen said she had no recollection of the details when asked this week.

Vale Carla Zampatti

Businesswoman Jillian Broadbent conceded that her late friend Carla Zampatti was a “private person” when she spoke on ABC’s Radio National on Wednesday about the fashion designer’s fall at La Traviata two weeks ago.

It was Broadbent who held on to Zampatti’s arm as the women made their way out of the makeshift bleachers when the designer’s shoe became caught, resulting in the fall that would ultimately claim her life.

PS has since learnt that Broadbent stayed by Zampatti’s side, along with two medical professionals who were also attending the opera, and a lifeguard, as the designer drifted in and out of consciousness during the 20 minutes it took for the ambulance to arrive.

Jillian Broadbent with her friend Carla Zampatti at the designer’s home in 2018.Credit: James Brickwood

Zampatti, a keen reader of this column although she was not keen about appearing in it, was well known for keeping her personal life out of the press. Indeed, for many years she compared notes with PS about how best to “torture” our respective lemon trees into production, and would often suggest ever more outrageous methods whenever our paths crossed.

Her yearning for privacy continued to be respected by those closest to her as the true gravity of the 78-year-old fashion icon’s condition was kept secret for the week she lay in intensive care at St Vincent’s Hospital hooked up to a ventilator and fighting for life.

Among those who had privately expressed grave concerns within the designer’s tight circle was her partner of recent years, Kogarah ear, nose and throat specialist Dr Kenneth Howison. Their relationship was not widely publicised, but friends informed PS this week they had found great comfort in each other into their winter years, which they were looking forward to spending together.

As Zampatti’s three children, Alexander Schuman, Bianca Spender and Allegra Spender, came to terms with the potential demise of their mother last week, St Vincent’s staff were instructed to redirect all media queries to a family spokesperson, former Harper’s Bazaar Australia editor-in-chief Kellie Hush, a long-time friend and associate of Zampatti.

Hush had the unenviable task of shielding the family from the media and was given limited details, instructed to tell reporters only that Zampatti remained in hospital purely for “observation” and was “on the mend”, which this column reported in good faith.

Tragically and regrettably, as it transpired last Saturday morning, that was not the case.

Australian Club’s glacial pace

Change moves at a glacial pace within the rarefied air of the exclusive Australian Club on Macquarie Street, which counts James Packer and former prime ministers John Howard and Malcolm Turnbull among its ranks.

It’s been 18 months since PS exclusively revealed the country’s oldest gentlemen’s establishment was gingerly taking steps into the 21st century by opening membership to women.

Lucy Turnbull, whose father and grandfather were both members and has visited many times as a “guest”, said she welcomed any moves towards gender equality but added that she would “have to think about it” if she were ever invited to join.

She’d better not hold her breath.

On Tuesday members received a long-winded letter from club president John Stanham, who PS understands is a descendent of John Macarthur, confirming that “a proposal is circulating which requests support for a proposed process: The Desirability or Otherwise of Women Being Entitled to Membership of the Club”.

“The view of the general committee is that the issue of women’s membership is an issue for members to consider, debate and determine. Not an issue to be determined, or advocated (either for or against) by the general committee,” read the letter, no doubt causing several of the club’s more rusted-on members to squirm on their well-stuffed Chesterfields.

The prestigious Australian Club on Macquarie Street in Sydney.Credit: Rhett Wyman

Stanham then unleashed even more turgid club speak, telling the lads in “the interest of transparency” that “around six months ago I was approached by two club members seeking to progress the proposal referred to above”.

“Following discussion with the general committee I requested these members delay initiating their proposal so that the club could retain focus on other matters. On the basis that it was in the club’s interest, these members agreed to delay initiating their proposed process. Recently in recognition of the current environment, I advised these members that the general committee had withdrawn its request that their proposal be delayed, and accordingly they were free to commence collecting the required number of names and/or were free either to instigate discussion of, or respond to any issue that may arise at the AGM. The reason for the withdrawal of my request to delay their proposal was simply to not place these members at a disadvantage due to them having delayed their process at my request.”

Eesh! Keeping up?

“Ultimately it should be, as it always has been, that members will determine the soul of the club. An interesting time lies ahead of us,” Stanham writes, adding somewhat hopefully: “I encourage everyone to respectfully debate this and other issues which will arise as we progress as a club in today’s society.”

Sarah and Lachlan Murdoch are back in Australia.Credit: SIPA USA

Sydney life for the Murdochs

Sarah and Lachlan Murdoch appear to be settling nicely back into the Sydney pace. On Good Friday Sarah was spotted at the Royal Easter Show with the couple’s three children, all of whom PS has confirmed have been enrolled to attend school in Sydney now that they are living back at the family’s Bellevue Hill compound, Le Manoir. On Tuesday former international model Sarah, wearing a chic black cocktail dress, was among the VIPs attending the Australian Ballet’s opening night of New York Dialects, the first by new artistic director David Hallberg. She held court with Vogue Australia editor-in-chief Edwina McCann, dance patron Primrose (Lady) Potter, Qantas honcho Alan Joyce, News Corp boss Michael Miller and Ros Packer among others.

PS has been told to get used to having the Murdochs in town, with expectations they will be here for years, not months, as initially believed. Welcome home!