The Sydney Morning Herald logo
The Sydney Morning Herald logo
Advertisement
CultureTV & radioBert Newton funeral

This was published 4 years ago

Bert Newton funeral as it happened: Australia’s entertainment industry pays tribute to TV icon

Karl Quinn, Thomas Mitchell and Rob Harris
Updated ,first published

Key Posts

Tears for a TV legend as mourners farewell ‘Old Moonface’
In pictures: Bert Newton’s state funeral
‘I know he waited until Mum left to take his last breath. If she was with him he couldn’t have gone.’
Matthew Newton pays tribute to his father from New York
‘Showbusiness will never be the same,’ says Eddie McGuire
Dan Andrews: ‘His story is the story of Australian television’
From Fitzroy to the world: a Bert timeline
More celebrities and politicians arrive to pay tribute to Bert

Tears for a TV legend as mourners farewell ‘Old Moonface’

By Thomas Mitchell

An emotional Patti Newton sobbed as she and her daughter Lauren led Bert Newton’s casket out of St Patrick’s Cathedral after a public service to farewell the TV legend.

The Melbourne weather was appropriately glum as more than 500 mourners bid farewell to the man affectionately known as “Old Moonface”.

Patti and Lauren Newton lead Bert Newton’s casket out of St Patrick’s Cathedral on Friday. Simon Schluter

Throughout the service, an assortment of political heavyweights and celebrities paid tribute to Bert. Victorian Premier Dan Andrews reminded us that “Bert’s story is the story of Australian television,” while Eddie McGuire noted how honoured he was that Bert had famously named his toupee “Eddie”.

In pictures: Bert Newton’s state funeral

By

Long-time friend Philip Brady honours Bert with Irish blessing

By Thomas Mitchell

Bert Newton’s long-time friend and colleague Philip Brady has read out a traditional Irish blessing that was one of Bert’s favourites.

Brady worked with Newton on almost every TV project since the 1950s, and was his producer on Radio 3UZ’s morning show in the early 1980s.

May the road rise to meet you,
May the wind be always at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
The rains fall soft upon your fields.
And until we meet again,
May God hold you in the palm of his hand.
May God be with you and bless you:
May you see your children’s children.
May you be poor in misfortune,
Rich in blessings.
May you know nothing but happiness
From this day forward.
May the road rise up to meet you
May the wind be always at your back
May the warm rays of sun fall upon your home
And may the hand of a friend always be near.
May green be the grass you walk on,
May blue be the skies above you,
May pure be the joys that surround you,
May true be the hearts that love you.

Advertisement

‘I know he waited until Mum left to take his last breath. If she was with him he couldn’t have gone.’

By Thomas Mitchell

Peter Smith read out a moving eulogy written by Bert and Patti’s daughter, Lauren. The words had many in St Patrick’s Cathedral in tears, as Lauren recalled the less public side of Bert.

“I’m not sure where to begin, or if I could ever put into words how much I love my dad. From the love I felt as a child, to watching him with my own children, he made us feel so special and always brought laughter and fun to everything we did,” she said. “I always felt lucky I had two dads: one on TV and one at home.

“Family always came first for Dad, and he included us in everything he did. He and mum were a team and he wanted us to be involved in everything. He made me feel very special and I knew I could always count on him.

Lauren Newton, second from left, with her children and mum, Patti. Darrian Traynor/Getty Images

“When my car broke down on the freeway and had to be towed, Dad raced to be by my side with a Diet Coke in hand for us both. That was him, he was always there when I needed him, he was always interested in everything I did.

Matthew Newton pays tribute to his father from New York

By Thomas Mitchell

Matthew Newton has paid tribute to his father from New York, where he remains due to the pandemic, via a eulogy read out by family friend and long-time Newton collaborator Peter Smith.

“I am very sorry that due to the pandemic I can’t be with you to celebrate,” he said. “Growing up, I never really watched Bambi or Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. I didn’t want to – what fascinated me were the movies that created the black and white glow from my dad’s office.

“A lot has been said about my dad’s sharp wit, but my two favourite lines weren’t said on TV, or even in front of an audience. Once was in a doctor’s office and there were only two people in the room – one was a doctor, the other was an 11-year-old me.”

While Matthew kept the line under wraps, he pointed to his father’s unrivalled ability to make people laugh.

“Dad wanted to pop the tension of an awkward situation, see another human being light up and laugh. It was a superpower and he always tried to use it for good.”

‘Showbusiness will never be the same,’ says Eddie McGuire

By Thomas Mitchell

Eddie McGuire has delivered a moving eulogy on stage at St Patrick’s Cathedral.

“I speak on behalf of those who worked with him, the consummate compere. To Graham Kennedy, he was Herbie, to Don Lane he was Moonface, to all of us he was our Bert.”

McGuire paid tribute to Bert’s “generosity of spirit.”

“He gave himself to make a show work, a segment pop, to give everything for his beloved audience.”

McGuire also recalled the long-buried anecdote of Newton visiting a man dying of HIV in a hospital ward and gifting him one of his beloved Gold Logies.

Advertisement

Dan Andrews: ‘His story is the story of Australian television’

By Thomas Mitchell

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has taken to the stage to pay tribute to Bert Newton. Here’s an edited version of his speech.

“Bert Newton had the gift of faith and I can’t help but think he would be so honoured with full mass here at St Patrick’s cathedral.

Bert Newton was a great entertainer, and life itself was his stage. He was always there, omnipresent, on our screens and in our homes.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews speaking at Bert Newton’s funeral. Darrian Traynor/Getty Images

To Australia, Bert wasn’t just a man on a screen or an actor on a stage – he was someone we all felt we knew.

Very Reverend Werner Utri opens proceedings

By Thomas Mitchell

Bert was a longtime man of faith and a devout Catholic, so today’s funeral begins with a welcoming from Very Reverend Werner Utri, Dean of St Patrick’s Cathedral.

“I’d like to warmly welcome you here today, those in the cathedral and joining us from afar,” he said. “I’d like to begin by acknowledging those with us today, first and foremost his wife Patti, daughter Lauren, son-in-law Matt, and grandchildren.

“Bert’s son Matthew and wife Katherine were unable to join us as they are in New York.”

Reverend Utri also welcomed the political heavyweights in the room: Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews and Prime Minister Scott Morrison, as well as an assortment of ministers.

Reverend Utri then honoured the multi-faceted Bert Newton and “the many roles he played in our lives – husband, father, grandfather, colleague, friend, entertainer and as a man of faith.”

Will Bert and Patti’s son Matthew Newton be at the funeral?

By Karl Quinn

One of the biggest questions ahead of today’s service is around Matthew Newton. Would Bert and Patti’s son return from New York, where he has lived for several years now, to bid his father farewell in person?

A source close to the family has told me the answer is almost certainly no. “He has written a message, and Pete Smith will read that out,” she said.

Advertisement

From Fitzroy to the world: a Bert timeline

By
Advertisement