Kathleen "Kath" Pettingill (born 27 March 1935) is the

matriarch Matriarchy is a social system in which positions of power and privilege are held by women. In a broader sense it can also extend to moral authority, social privilege, and control of property. While those definitions apply in general English, ...

of the

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

criminal family, the Pettingill family.

Family

Pettingill's 10 children are: (with Dennis Ryan) * Dennis Bruce Allen (1951–1987) – a drug dealer, jailed for rape in 1973 and died in 1987 of a heart attack while in custody awaiting trial for murder. *Peter Allen (born 1953) – convicted of armed robbery, who was once Victoria's most dangerous man and spent 28 years in jail.
(with William George "Billy" Peirce ied 1968 *Vicki or Vicky Brooks (born 1954; née Pettingill) – gave evidence against the family in the Walsh Street trial and subsequently went into witness protection. *"Shelley" (born 1956) – real name unknown. Placed for adoption and reestablished contact with Pettingill in 1989.''The Matriarch'' *"Stephen" (born 1957) – real name unknown. Placed for adoption and reestablished contact with Pettingill in 1989. * Victor George Peirce (1958–2002) – acquitted of the 1988 Walsh Street police shootings and was killed in 2002. *Lex Peirce (born 1960) – has a minor criminal record. *"David" (born 1961) – real name unknown. Placed for adoption and whereabouts currently unknown.
(with Jimmy Pettingill (died 1972)) *Jamie Pettingill (1963–1985) – died of a heroin overdose aged 21. *Trevor Pettingill (born 1965) – acquitted of the 1988 Walsh Street police shootings, who has multiple convictions for firearms and drug-related offences and has served several jail terms. He has been described as a "career criminal".

Personal life

Pettingill first worked in a bar, and having herself been a

prostitute Prostitution is a type of sex work that involves engaging in sexual activity in exchange for payment. The definition of "sexual activity" varies, and is often defined as an activity requiring physical contact (e.g., sexual intercourse, non-pe ...

, she went on to run brothels. She lived with her children in the Richmond area of Melbourne, and a number of her sons were sent to the Turana Boys' Home. Pettingill has a glass eye in place of the one she lost after being shot in 1978 by Kim Nelson and Keryn Thompson. The bullet passed through a closed door at the Collingwood

Housing Commission of Victoria The Housing Commission of Victoria (often shortened to Housing Commission, especially Colloquialism, colloquially) was a Government of Victoria body responsible for public housing in Victoria, Australia. It was established in 1938, and was aboli ...

flats as she and her son, Dennis Allen, attempted to repay a $300 debt on behalf of her daughter, Vicky Brooks.

In popular culture

biography A biography, or simply bio, is a detailed description of a person's life. It involves more than just basic facts like education, work, relationships, and death; it portrays a person's experience of these life events. Unlike a profile or curri ...

of her life, ''The Matriarch: The Kathy Pettingill Story,'' was written by Adrian Tame and published in 1996. As of 2007, Pettingill was living in Venus Bay,

Gippsland Gippsland () is a rural region in the southeastern part of Victoria, Australia, mostly comprising the coastal plains south of the Victorian Alps (the southernmost section of the Great Dividing Range). It covers an elongated area of east of th ...

, Victoria. In the 2011 miniseries ''Killing Time'', Pettingill is a major character, played by Kris McQuade. Fictionalized versions of Pettingill, as the character Janine "Smurf" Cody, have appeared in both the 2010 Australian film '' Animal Kingdom'' portrayed by

Jacki Weaver Jacqueline Ruth Weaver (born 25 May 1947) is an Australian theatre, film, and television actress. Her accolades include five AACTA Awards (including the Longford Lyell Award) and a National Board of Review Award, in addition to nominations ...

, and the 2016 TNT television show of the same name portrayed by Ellen Barkin. Weaver was nominated for an

Academy Award The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...

in the Best Supporting Actress category for her performance.

References

External links

Father's fury at Walsh St admission
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Herald Sun The ''Herald Sun'' is a Conservatism, conservative daily tabloid newspaper based in Melbourne, Australia, published by The Herald and Weekly Times, a subsidiary of News Corp Australia, itself a subsidiary of the American Rupert Murdoch, Murd ...

, 2 October 2005 1935 births Living people Australian brothel owners and madams Australian drug traffickers Australian female gangsters Australian female prostitutes Criminals from Melbourne Place of birth missing (living people) Kath Australian people with disabilities {{AUS-crime-bio-stub