DAME ELISABETH MURDOCH RIP MOTHER OF RUPERT MURDOCH

                                                                                                        

Dame Elisabeth Murdoch was the mother of Rupert Murdoch, the newspaper tycoon. 

She was completely different to her son.

She died at the age of 103 on the 5 December 2012. Her son is more known in this country for ruin the News of the World through phone hacking but in Australia where she lived her name was wide spread for generosity and devotion to charities . All her life she worked for and with numerous charities.

How did she deserve a son like that?

She was born on 8 February 1909 and the third daughter of Rupert Greene and his wife Marie. Her father was a hard-drinking wool valuer. She was born in Melbourne and married newspaper publisher Keith Murdoch. He fell in love with her picture in a magazine. She was 18 years old and Keith Murdoch was 24 year older than her.  Keith Murdoch became the most powerful man in Australia. He hit the headlines when he uncovered the mismanagement of the Dardanelles campaign in the First World War.  Soon after that he became knighted and Lady Elisabeth Murdoch devoted herself being a mother to one son and three daughters and charity work.

DAME ELISABETH AND HER HUSBAND KEITH MURDOCH

She worked tirelessly on the board of the Melbourne’s Royal Children’s Hospital; established the Murdoch Children Research Institute and offered numerous patronages to organisations to health, welfare and arts. She stated once: “Probably the most useful contribution one can make is to forget oneself and care for others.” Apparently this statement describes her perfectly.

Her husband encouraged her interest in Arts and she became the first woman trustee of the National Gallery of Victoria and benefactor of Australia Ballet, Opera Australia and the Deafness Foundation.

Her husband died in 1952 after 24 years of a happy marriage and she was so heartbroken that she never married again.  After that she devoted her whole time and energy into charity work. One project she was very interesting in and chaired the planning committee for Melbourne’s new children’s hospital.

In 1963 she received the title Dame of the British Empire from the Queen. She saw herself as the busiest old lady and her son labelled her “the disciplinarian”. It gives a glimpse of her high standard of principles. Her opinion on Rupert’s divorce from his second wife Anna, his purchase of the News of the World and the following invasion into people privacy was well known. At the same time she was very proud of him.

Yet Rupert Murdock did not seem to come quite up to his mother’s standard of principles.

RUPERT MURDOCH AND HIS MOTHER DAME ELISABETH