AUGUST 2017AWW.COM.AU 53
[ Legal fight]
RUSSELL SHAKESPEARE/NEWSPIX. GETTY IMAGES. TYPEWRITER AT BOTTOM OF PAGE FOR ILLUSTRATIVE PURPOSES ONLY.
She was a best-selling author who was larger than life, yet even in death Colleen
McCullough is having the last laugh. AsSue Smethurstreports, the battle between
her husband and a university over her will is set to be one hell of a story.
The battle for
Colleen
McCullough’s
fortune
I
t is arguably one of the most
memorable scenes in Australian
literature, when the cunning
widow Mary Carson reveals to
handsome priest Father Ralph de
Bricassart that she has secretly crafted
a second will that forever changes the
lives and fortunes of those living on
the Outback cattle station, Drogheda.
The Machiavellian masterstroke
was one of many page-turning twists
in the plot of Colleen McCullough’s
novelThe Thorn Birds, the biggest-
selling book in Australian history.
The characters of the sweeping
family saga, which sold a staggering
33 million copies worldwide, were
inspired by Colleen’s own life. The
itinerant workers followed the
nomadic Outback existence of her
parents and the tragic drowning of a
precious son mirrored the demise of
Colleen’s much-loved brother, Carl.
Now, two years after her death, an
intriguing chapter is being written in
the life of Colleen McCullough and it
reads as if straight from the pages of
her most famous and dramatic story.
In a case of life imitating art, it’s
been revealed that like her protagonistMary Carson, Colleen also left a
second will, shunning her husband
of 30 years Ric Robinson, and giving
her multi-million dollar estate to an
American university.
And it’s now the subject of a bitter
court battle which has all the makings
of a best-seller.
“Col knew exactly what she was
doing all the time,” says her long-time
publisher at HarperCollins and friend,
Shona Martyn.
“In her final years, although her
body was letting her down, her mind
was as sharp as ever and she
continued to write until the end. As
much as she’d hate having her
personal life raked over the coals,
she’d have known something like this
would become public – I think she’s
having the last laugh.”A second will appears
The battle for the 77-year-old’s
fortune began shortly after her death
from a series of strokes in January
2015, when it was revealed there was
more than one will in her name.
The first, signed in July 2014,
bequeathed her estate, which includesland on Norfolk Island where she
made her home, priceless art works
and the royalties from her 25 books,
to the University of Oklahoma.
The second will is a copy of the
first will, revoking the July 2014
version and leaving everything to Ric- already the beneficiary of property
in their joint names, including a
sprawling Norfolk Island mansion.
The case, battled out behind closed
doors, hinges upon a report from
a forensic expert who put both wills
under the microscope to validate the
authenticity of the handwriting.
The results, due to be delivered to
the NSW Supreme Court in August,
will determine if this becomes a very
public, very bitter hearing.
“The only valid will is the will
that benefits my client, Ric Robinson.
We dispute all other claims,” says Ric’s
Norfolk Island lawyer John Brown.
“When the evidence comes before
the court, people will make up their
own minds.”
Respected Sydney literary agent
Selwa Anthony, executor of Colleen’s
estate, argues that is not the case and her
wishes were well known. “I loved»