"NEVER WASHED A DISH"

NZ Truth, Issue 1208, 24 January 1929, Page 11

"NEVER WASHED A DISH"

Brisbane Social Star Cannot Live On £2000 A Year

Sitting m her ornate dining-room, surrounded by luxury, and toying 1 gently with a string of pearls that she values at more than £3000, Mrs. decile Viva Oondamine Whittingham, of Brisbane, told •'Truth": "People think that.l airi rich because I have £2000 a year, but lam not. My social position makes many demands on me, and the calls upon my purae are many."

HOW terrible it is to live on an m- a .come of only a few thousands a c year, and\ still be a leader of so- t clety, was told by. Mrs. Whittingham £ m an exclusive interview after, the s hearing of her claim for more financial 1 relief than had been granted her by the will of her late husband, Arthur r Herbert Whittingham, grazier. Mrs. Whittingham divulged to* "Truth" that her husband had prob- E ably made her allowance so small — a x mere £2000 a year— because he feared that she would , be the target of attentions from fortune-hunters, lounge lizards and wealth seekers. At the same time, she considers that her social position demands the expenditure of a great deal more than £2000 and she gave "Truth" some intimate . glances into her social life. Her frocks, she said, she purchased m Paris and' London. Her evening gowns oame from Paquin, and -her shoes came from Pihet, the world's most famous and ex- , elusive* attire establishments. „ Her perfumes are also imported dir-, 1 •ot from, Paris, and her hosiery and s lingerie, from the most expensive houses on the Continent. .' Mrs/ Whittingham and her late husband entertained the Prince of Waives during his visit to ' Queensland. While abroad m Europe on one of her many trips she was presented at Court to their Majesties of England. Vv She stayed with some of the most

iristocratic and blue-blooded families )f. Great Britain, and then went north 0 Scotland during the grouse shooting season, and back to London for the locial season. Lord Curzon was her lost on one occasion. "And how do you fill In the time low?" "Truth" asked. "I wake about ten, when my maid srings me my breakfast and my mail," 3he confided, "Then I rise and go to ny bath." . "The afternoons are spent visiting, playing, bridge, going to parties, and fulfilling general social functions. • "In the evenings I entertain or' go out to' card, parties, theatres and other gatherings where Brisbane . society meets. Sometimes w.e play cards, but I am not fond of bridge. Often we play, banker, and occasionally roulette." "High Stakes?" queried "Truth." *H>h, yes. Frequently the pool la \yorth £60 or £70. Many of our Brisbane society people are very fond of a, little flutter." . Mrs. Whittingham said she had never washed a dish m her life, and had rarely seen the inside of a kitchen, but she instructs her cook to prepare the best of French dishes. Her hobby is the collection of. antique furniture, silverware and china, and she values her jewellery at £15,000. Her wardrobe contains one hundred gowns. "So. you see I have a position to live up to and £2000 a year is not enough." The Supreme Court of Queensland was approached recently by the State's best-dressed woman and most flashing light m society circles. Mrs. Whittingham told the court that a mere £2000 a year was not half enough for her social needs, and claimed that she should have the means to live on the same luxurious scale as m her husband's lifetime. • , She gave the court an idea of that scale. She said that before marriage he., allowed her to pick a house to live [n, and bought It. They took continual trips abroad, a.nd she was attended by the Royal Physician when she. was 111 m London. Her husband had offered her a string of pearls valued at £2500, which she had declined, because she already had two magnificent ropes. These were some of the things she mentioned' m support of her claim. "He wanted me to be the best dressed woman m Brisbane, and showered every indulgence on me m money matters," she. said. In the court it was stated by an Dpposing - barrister that the lady's trieans at present consisted of £4500 1 year, but on her behalf it was deslared that her funds were only a little over £2000. Mr. Justice Macrossah asked if there tvas any legitimate luxury she could not have on an income, of £3500 a year, thereupon Barrister McGill said he aid not think she could have the luxuries she had been given - while her husband was alivej and suggested that 'he would want at least £5000 a year. The judge decided to relieve her sec:ion of the estate from the burden of succession duties ■ and announced that le would adjourn the matter to enable i suitable clause to be drafted m the