Welcome to The Group Chat with Lucy Manly, where Australia’s most trusted society insider shares the hottest gossip BEFORE it makes the news.
Clara on the move… again
When angry patients of your late husband are banging down your door demanding refunds, what’s a Perth girl to do? Why, head overseas, of course!
It feels like only yesterday I was reporting that glam cosmetician Clara Hurst had returned to the school gate in Claremont after a marathon stint abroad.
Well, the travel bug clearly bit hard, because my western suburbs spies tell me Clara, widow of late dentist Dr David Hurst, has slipped out of town once again.
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Enigmatic widow Clara Hurst (pictured) quietly returned to Perth weeks ago after a marathon stretch in Europe. Now, my sources say she has jetted overseas once again
While her well-heeled neighbours are settling into spring, the founder of prescription skincare brand The Secret has packed her designer suitcase and jetted off for another exhausting stretch of Aperol-sipping on the continent. Or so I’m told.
Her latest dash abroad comes just weeks after she was allegedly spotted leaving Perth Magistrates Court – looking noticeably less polished than usual. Why she was there remains a mystery, and I make no suggestion of wrongdoing.
Still, the Perth rumour mill is in overdrive.
While there are no doubt unkind theories about why Clara may want to be away from WA, it’s quite possible she simply wants distance ahead of the one-year anniversary of her husband’s death.
Dr David Hurst died alone at Crown Perth casino last December while Clara was holidaying in Bali with their children. Her grief was later compounded by revelations of the financial black hole left behind at his practice, Perth Dental Rooms.
Dozens of patients allege Dr Hurst encouraged them to dip into their superannuation to fund costly dental work – procedures that were allegedly botched or left incomplete before his death.
While Clara and I have had our differences in the past – she had me blocked from WhatsApp for months for trying to ask questions about David’s business affairs – I acknowledge that processing these patient complaints must have been a tremendous burden for her over the past nine months.
For her part, she maintains she’s doing everything she can to make things right.
In happier times: Clara and David Hurst are pictured on one of their luxury holidays before his sudden death last December
Clara (far right) was spied partying in Ibiza. She was clumsily cropped out of this photo
‘I can confirm that I have diligently acted as the executor in informing all relevant parties of any potential claim against the estate of my late husband,’ Clara previously said in a statement to Daily Mail.
‘I have great sympathy for the patients who have been left untreated after my husband’s passing, and I hope that the professionals in charge of winding up his business can continue to diligently work to recover value for them.’
But several patients tell me they’re growing increasingly frustrated by the lack of updates…
Wealthy grocers name alleged stalker
Melbourne’s foodie scene was rocked last week when Greg LaManna, along with sons Brandon and Jordan, the family behind specialty greengrocer LaManna & Sons in South Yarra and Cremorne, posted a shocking accusation to social media.
In a now-deleted post, the family publicly named a man they allege had been ‘stalking’ them for years. The upload featured not only a photo of the alleged stalker, but also an image of a damaged vehicle.
‘Does anyone know [this man]? He has been stalking our family and messaging our business accounts for years,’ they wrote.
Then, just as the post started to gain traction, it vanished without explanation.
So why would one of Melbourne’s most respected small-business dynasties air such a serious accusation – only to pull it down hours later?
For a family known for old-school Italian hospitality and polished storefronts, the move was puzzling.
Greg LaManna, along with sons Brandon and Jordan, the family behind specialty greengrocer LaManna & Sons, have publicly accused a man of stalking them
In a now-deleted post, the family named a man they allege had been ‘stalking’ them for years
The upload featured not only a photo of the alleged stalker – which we have decided not to publish – but also an image of a damaged vehicle
Now, whispers are swirling across Melbourne’s food scene: what’s really going on behind the scenes at LaManna & Sons?
The family told me the matter is now in the hands of police. The man accused – whom we have chosen not to name – was contacted for comment.
What’s in a (maiden) name?
It’s game over for Anthony Heraghty, the now-sacked chief executive of Super Retail Group, parent company of Rebel Sport, Supercheap Auto, BCF and Macpac.
Heraghty was fired this week, effective immediately, for failing to fully disclose to the board his alleged relationship with the company’s former head of HR, Jane Kelly.
The saga has Super Retail tangled up in a messy court battle with its former top legal officer Rebecca Farrell and her colleague Amelia Berczelly, who claim they were bullied and harassed after filing whistleblower complaints about the alleged affair.
Super Retail Group had backed its CEO for 18 months, insisting the relationship did not begin until after Kelly had left the business.
Then, on Tuesday, Heraghty was gone. An ASX notice stated that new information had come to light rendering his ‘prior disclosures not satisfactory’.
Super Retail Group CEO Anthony Heraghty (left) looks to have reached the pointy end of his divorce following his alleged affair with the company’s former head of HR, Jane Kelly (right)
Heraghty hasn’t just lost his plum job. He is also no longer living at his five-bedroom marital home in Norman Park, in Brisbane’s south-east (pictured)
Heraghty offloaded a cool $2.7million worth of shares to ‘give effect’ to Family Court orders
It’s giving shades of that Coldplay concert drama, where a CEO’s fling with the HR lady was exposed under stadium spotlights and spawned a million memes.
But this fallout isn’t being measured in TikTok views – it’s being counted in millions of dollars.
You see, Heraghty hasn’t just lost his plum job. He is also no longer living at his five-bedroom marital home in Norman Park, in Brisbane’s south-east.
The Group Chat has seen property records that confirm three things:
1) Anthony’s ex-wife Genevieve Heraghty has legally reverted to her maiden name, Genevieve Bowman…
2) She remains the home’s registered owner…
3) And the property appears to now be fully paid off, with a mortgage held by Westpac released on September 3.
So, despite the humiliation of it all, Ms Bowman seems to have landed on her feet – with the family home and a change of name serving as a neat little parting shot.
According to the AFR, Heraghty offloaded a cool $2.7million worth of shares to ‘give effect’ to Family Court orders – leaving Genevieve sitting comfortably while her ex polishes his résumé…
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