Blanche d'Alpuget, the author and wife of former Australian prime minister Bob Hawke, has died at the age of 82. In a personal tribute, Craig Emerson, a former member of Hawke's staff, remembers her not just as Hawke's spouse but as a fierce intellect and a woman who saw only the good in people.
A Life Beyond the Prime Minister's Shadow
Emerson, who worked on Hawke's staff and visited the couple often during Hawke's declining years, wrote that d'Alpuget "laughed a lot" and "dwelled on the good in people, rarely complaining about the bad." He emphasized that remembering her solely as Hawke's wife, while accurate, "also diminishes her," noting she was a prolific author with deep insights into people she knew and many she didn't.
D'Alpuget was never entirely happy unless she had a new book in progress, Emerson recalled. She would immerse herself in research for the next project without taking a break from the one just published. Their conversations often touched on the Middle East, its historical conflicts, and the personalities involved—a problem she concluded was "diabolical" with no obvious solution.
A Godmother's Role and Family Bonds
Thirty-six years ago, Hawke asked Emerson if he could be the godfather of Emerson's first child. D'Alpuget always joined Hawke in welcoming the child into their home at Sydney's Northbridge. Emerson described her as "an enormous source of advice and comfort" to Hawke, often inviting Emerson and his partner to dinner where, at Hawke's urging, they discussed spirituality, including life after death.
D'Alpuget was convinced there was an afterlife, which she fully expected to enjoy and assured Hawke he would too. While the form of that afterlife was not entirely clear to Emerson, it resembled the spiritualism of an eastern religion. She did, however, ask him to arrange for a Catholic bishop to visit Hawke.
Champion of Reconciliation and Simple Pleasures
During their visits to the Northbridge house, Emerson noted they would be "out of favour" if they failed to bring Hawke a caramel milkshake, a test they never failed. For respite, they would go to the movies together, leaving Hawke with a carer.
D'Alpuget was an enthusiast for Hawke's reconciliation with Paul Keating, spending time discussing the "good old days" when the two worked together and enjoyed each other's companionship. She was delighted with the restoration of their friendship.
She loved her son, Louis, deeply. For an extended period, Louis set up residence in the boathouse at the end of their garden, providing constant companionship and love for both Hawke and d'Alpuget.
Final Days and Lasting Legacy
On 10 May 2019, Emerson stayed with Hawke for what would be his last weekend, the night before Louis's wedding to his fiancee, Brianna, in the Blue Mountains. D'Alpuget was delighted that Hawke made the trip to witness her beloved son's marriage.
Without Hawke's company, d'Alpuget would get quite lonely, living alone in a fabulous apartment overlooking Hyde Park in Sydney. But now, Emerson concluded, "somewhere in the universe, she would fully expect to be reunited with Bob and resume their decades-long romance."
