By Stephen Brook and Kishor Napier-Raman
It has been a while since we have seen Bec and Lleyton Hewitt out in public together. But there they were on Monday night, striding not the red but the blue carpet at Crown Palladium for Tennis Australia’s awards night, the Newcombe Medal.
The celebrity couple were in attendance to support their son Cruz, who was a nominee for junior male athlete of the year and turns 16 on Wednesday.
Lleyton, Cruz and Bec Hewitt on the blue carpet.Credit: Eddie Jim
Alas the young Hewitt, wearing a Louis Vuitton suit, did not win, but he still claims bragging rights over his famous father thanks to winning his first professional tournament when he was one year younger than Lleyton was when he achieved that feat.
Hosting the night were Todd Woodbridge and Casey Dellacqua. Prominent in the audience were Tennis Australia chief executive Craig Tiley and his chair, outgoing Virgin Australia boss Jayne Hrdlicka, whose third Tennis Australia board term expires towards the end of next year. They were both counting down the days to the start of the Australian Open on January 12.
The spectacular dessert served at Tennis Australia’s Newcombe medal awards. Credit: Stephen Brook
The room was overflowing with legends including John Newcombe, and there was a special tribute to the late Davis Cup captain Neale Fraser, who died a week ago aged 91.
The awards night concluded with a presentation to guests of an extraordinary dessert shaped like a tennis ball. The chocolate yuzu canele came with hazelnut praline ice cream and mango passion jelly.
Grayndler grinch
There’s a new grinch in town ahead of Christmas. It isn’t those bloodless boffins at the Reserve Bank of Australia, or a surging Peter Dutton, but none other than Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, whose annual Christmas party in his local Sydney electorate of Grayndler won’t be going ahead this year.
For many years past, Albanese and NSW Transport Minister Jo Haylen, who holds the corresponding state seat of Summer Hill, have co-hosted a barbecue for local ALP members out the back of the prime minister’s Marrickville electorate office, with their respective staff getting on the tools.
But this year, there’s been radio silence about the annual party, and no information to members about the fate of the fixture. Neither Albanese nor Haylen’s office enlightened us any further.
Perhaps after a bumbling few months riddled with enough unforced errors to give Dutton a real shot at The Lodge, Team Albo isn’t feeling too festive. Haylen, meanwhile, has had her hands full trying to keep Sydney’s trains running, with an ongoing pay dispute with the Rail, Tram and Bus Union leaving the city on the brink of commuter chaos.
We also hear security was tight at last year’s event because of the threat of protesters of both the pro-Palestinian and anti-coal variety. Demonstrations have continued outside the prime minister’s electorate office this year, leaving it closed to the public at times.
Perhaps the risk of things taking a decidedly un-festive turn was one the PM did not want to take.
Journalists get out and vote
As they await the coming federal election, our nation’s political journalists have been playing politics. Elections have been held for both the National Press Club, which hosts the weekly addresses beamed to the nation, and the federal parliamentary press gallery itself.
National Press Club president Laura Tingle.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen
ABC 7.30 political editor Laura Tingle again cruised to the presidency of the National Press Club, elected unopposed.
Joining her on the board were ABC colleague Greg Jennett, nicknamed “the Professor” by colleagues, and the Australian Industry Group’s Gemma Daley.
Re-elected were Sky News presenter Tom Connell, The Australian Financial Review’s Andrew Tillett and the ABC’s Jane Norman. They join Nine’s Andrew Probyn, SBS News’ Anna Henderson, the AFR’s Julie Hare and Super Members Council chief executive Misha Schubert. Oh, and the longest serving director (do we call him Father of the House?) SEC Newgate executive Steve Lewis.
Meanwhile, over at Parliament House, Norman is once again president of the press gallery committee. The West Australian’s Katina Curtis is vice president, the AFR’s Tom McIlroy is secretary and Nine cameraman Guy “Sunny” Southwell edged out Connell to be voted treasurer. Committee members are Pablo Vinales (SBS), Sara Tomevska (SBS), Dominic Giannini (AAP) and Elise Scott (ABC).
Just space to note that, as we predicted, Linton Besser will be host of the ABC’s Media Watch next year. We also predicted James Glenday to be the host next year of ABC News Breakfast. On Monday morning Michael Rowland passed the breakfast baton after 15 years on the sofa to the ABC Canberra newsreader, who starts in January.
And our other prediction, about ex-Nine chief executive Hugh Marks getting the ABC managing director job? Stay tuned. Well, it ain’t going to be Michael Rowland.
Baby bonus
Congratulations are in order for Wallabies captain turned independent senator for the ACT David Pocock and his wife, Emma, who recently welcomed a baby boy into the world right when the parliamentary year entered the pointy end.
Before Pocock had entered politics, the couple made headlines for their refusal to formally tie the knot until Australia legalised same-sex marriage. David and Emma, who previously worked as a staffer for Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young, wed in 2018.
If Pocock jnr follows his dad’s relentless diet and fitness regimen – which nearly killed one of our former colleagues – he’s sure to turn out a strapping young lad. Perhaps even a future flanker.
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