provision application might
mean the person making the
claim receives a greater share of
the estate than what they were
left in the Will, but whether this
amount is what they were
seeking is another story.”
Leora says a “blended family”
with a stepmother makes the
case very complicated.
“There are many competing
interests, especially when two
spouses each have their own
respective children. It can create
more tension in the family as
there’s no guarantee the second
spouse to die will leave anythingto the children of the first spouse
to die,” she says. “Some people
feel a very strong moral
obligation to provide for [their
children] and they might leave
equal shares for the spouse and
the children, or others will feel
that their spouse is more
deserving.”
The sum of $750,000 may
seem like a hefty pay cheque to
most – but the Hawke children
were accustomed to a certain
lifestyle thanks to their father’s
prime ministership. This could
mean the adult children can
argue the $750,000 is simply
not enough to support them.
“This will be taken into
account, particularly if their
lifestyle over the years was as
a result of support from their
father,” Leora adds.
“But really it will depend on
how strongly the daughter in
this case can show that, in fact,
she deserves a greater share.”
Relations have long been sour
between the Hawke children andtheir stepmother. Blanche was
14 years Bob’s junior when
the pair met in 1970, later
embarking on an affair that
would stretch almost 20 years.
Bob parted from his first wife
of 38 years, Hazel, in 1994,
marrying his biographer and
lover only months later.
It was a blow to the family
from which they never truly
recovered.
Bob’s grandson David Dillon
described it as an “earthquake”
to ABC News.
“It was an earthquake withinthe family. They were the
quintessential happy couple, as
far as I was concerned,” he said.
In 2011, there were even
reports of an “airport brawl”
between Susan Pieters-Hawke
and Blanche. Susan later told
ABC’s 7.30 that her stepmother
had slapped her in the face.
“I approached her to say a
friendly hello, but she slapped
me hard three or four times, and
yes, I was shaken,” she said.
Bob noted the rift in 2014.
“The kids weren’t happy that
I divorced [their mother] and
married Blanche. They weren’t
as nice to Blanche as they could
and should have been,” he said.
Blanche added: “They didn’t
want me as part of the family
and they actually put that in
writing.”
Their frosty relationship
appeared to thaw out after
Hazel’s death in 2013.
“Particularly since
I lost Mum, we have
become extremely close,”
Rosslyn said.
After Bob left
parliament in 1992,
he accumulated an
impressive fortune,
including a $15 million
Northbridge home and a
$3.63 million apartment,
purchased solely in
Blanche’s name.
Sources estimate his entire
wealth sits around $20 million.
Bob died peacefully at home
on May 16, 2019, at the age
of 89.
By April GloverBob and Blanche met
in the 1970s and after
a love affair that
stretched almost 20
years, married in 1995.Blanche was
given the vast
majority
of Bob’s
estimated
$20m estate.BOB’S KIDS VS
“THEY DIDN’T WANT ME IN THE
FAMILY – THEY PUT IT IN WRITING”
BLANCHE
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