Former Victorian premier Jeff Kennett strolling through Crown dressed in tartan can mean only one thing.
A Lindsay Fox birthday bash. Crown Resorts’ flagship restaurant, Nobu, was rented out for the transport billionaire’s annual birthday shindig – but this year the old fox was getting in early as the big day is not until April 19. He’ll be turning 88.
CBD hears the party was the traditional men-only whisky birthday lunch, with top of the range tipple served and guests encouraged to come in tartan and kilts. Previous parties have been at venues including the (heavily Fox sponsored) National Gallery of Victoria and a Fox hangar at Essendon Airport, and even aboard a superyacht cruising the Mediterranean.
Lindsay Fox poses for a selfie with tenor Mark Vincent during Fox’s birthday party.Credit: Instagram
Rumour has it that the affair cost $85,000 – before any tips – but of course it’s beyond CBD to confirm that.
It is all part of the Fox tradition of big birthdays he celebrates after never thinking he would live past the age of 62 – the age his father died.
“I can’t remember what I did on Tuesday,” Kennett told CBD, coming over all abashed, when we called to inquire. “It might have been my younger or older brother.”
Maybe, maybe not. Other politicos in attendance included the usual suspects, former prime minister Tony Abbott and Daniel Andrews, who turned up to hear trumpet warbler James Morrison perform.
Chivas Regal did a scotch tasting for the 200 or so guests. Other guests included fellow billionaire John Gandel, Deputy Premier Ben Carroll, restructuring expert Mark Korda, former unionist Bill Kelty and Fox offspring including Peter, David, and Andrew as well as various offspring of theirs.
But spare a thought for Anthony Albanese. The prime minister is simply mad for a billionaire party, as evidenced by reports that he flew from Sydney to Melbourne a few weeks ago to attend Anthony Pratt’s VISY packaging industry party at family mansion Raheen, where Air Supply and DJ Marc Ronson performed.
But despite PM31’s penchant for good times, the federal election campaign got in the way. Rats!
As we mentioned, it was an all-male affair, and one source told us that male serving staff were requested, which to us is taking the men’s shed concept a little too far. This is not least because Crown Resorts’ gender action plan for its 23,000 staff says the company is “committed to tackling gender inequality head-on” and that “true change takes collective action, and we believe gender equality is everyone’s responsibility”.
Lindsay Fox on his birthday two years ago at the opening of the Paula Fox Melanoma and Cancer Centre.Credit: AAP
Crown wouldn’t comment. But we were assured by two sources, who are not allowed to talk publicly about such things, that men and women served the function. That’s OK then! Let’s hope the tips were evenly split.
It is a busy old time at Crown, with the unexpected announcement it appointed former Victorian Labor major events minister Martin Pakula as its new chair, taking over from ex-AusSuper boss Ian Silk.
Pakula will drop his consultancies with the AFL and Sportsbet, but will remain chair of the Australian Grand Prix Corporation, of which Crown is a major sponsor. We are still trying to get our head around that.
Shortly after the party, Fox took off for Hawaii on the family Bombardier Global 6000 for more birthdaying at his family compound on Kahala Avenue in Honolulu.
The tradition continues.