Welcome to The Group Chat with Lucy Manly, where Australia’s most trusted society insider shares the hottest gossip BEFORE it makes the news.
Diving back in the Fishbowl
It looks like love might be back on the menu for New Zealand-born model Georgia Fowler and her salad-slinging husband Nathan Dalah.
The photogenic pair are said to be ‘working things out’, a family friend tells me – and they’re not just doing it for the kids either.
The couple, who share two young children, quietly went their separate ways earlier this year while living in America.
If they do reconcile, it’ll spare them a very pricey divorce – given Dalah’s fortune as a co-founder of the ever-expanding Fishbowl empire.
New Zealand-born model Georgia Fowler and her salad-slinging husband Nathan Dalah (above in March 2022) are ‘working things out’ after quietly splitting earlier this year, sources say
If they do reconcile, it’ll spare them a very pricey divorce – given Dalah’s fortune as a co-founder of the ever-expanding Fishbowl empire. A friend tells me, ‘There’s still a spark there’
‘They’ve been spending more time together – there’s still a spark there,’ the friend said.
Fowler and Dalah tied the knot in 2023, a year after announcing their engagement. Their daughter, Dylan, came before the ring, in September 2021. Their son, Zeke Atlas, followed in February 2024.
Sadly, their once-blossoming romance appeared to wither earlier this year, with The Daily Telegraph reporting: ‘It ended a few months ago… it all happened very quickly.’
The duo were living in New York at the time, where Nathan was expanding his buzzy lunch chain to the U.S. and Georgia was pursuing her modelling career.
But insiders say things have shifted more recently: ‘They’re taking things slow, seeing what happens.’
I’m told both families are quietly rooting for a happy ending.
Georgia’s older sister, Kate, was previously partnered with Sydney hospitality billionaire Justin Hemmes, the man behind Merivale. They never married but share two daughters, Alexa and Saachi, whom they now amicably co-parent.
School camp trouble
I paid a visit to Moriah College in September after rumours several students had been expelled
Back in September, I broke the news that several students had been expelled from the prestigious Jewish day school Moriah College in Queens Park.
At the time, there was a frenzy of speculation across Sydney’s well-heeled east about what the young troublemakers could’ve possibly done to get the boot.
The main rumour then was that the expelled students were linked to a so-called ‘waterbomb gang’ drenching cars in the Queens Park, Rose Bay and Bondi areas.
I tried visiting the $40k-a-year institution looking for answers, but was refused entry. No one would confirm details, only that a handful of students ‘had been shown the door’ after alleged mischief went awry.
But now the full story has emerged – and it’s far more serious than water balloons.
I’m told three boys were expelled for bringing drugs to the school’s Counterpoint program, Moriah’s flagship ‘transformative experience’ for Years 8 to 12.
According to the school’s website, Counterpoint is ‘more than just a camp – it’s a program that fosters authentic connections and encourages personal and collective growth through themes like values, family ties, Jewish law and identity.’
Some of those values were left behind this year, it would seem.
At the time, the rumour was that the expelled students were linked to a so-called ‘waterbomb gang’. Now I’m told that three boys were actually punished for bringing drugs to a school camp
The expulsions sent shockwaves through the tight-knit school community, with several parents up in arms over what they figured was an over-the-top response.
‘It’s political correctness gone mad,’ fumed one former Moriah parent. ‘Teenagers make mistakes – but this was a chance to educate, not exile.’
Two of the expelled boys have reportedly moved to other eastern suburbs schools.
Moriah’s leadership is understood to be standing firm – determined to make an example and uphold the school’s strict zero-tolerance policy.
Bonding blow-up
A wholesome father-son camp on Rottnest Island for one of Perth’s poshest boys’ schools has turned into the WA scandal of the season.
The bonding weekend is now the talk of the ritzy western suburbs after one dad allegedly brought along some, er, party powder for the trip.
Feeling rather pleased with himself, the man shared a photo of his bag with what he thought was a small WhatsApp group of fellow ‘party dads’ attending the camp.
There was just one problem: he didn’t send it to that private group.
Instead, he sent it to the entire Year 3 parents’ WhatsApp chat. That’s right: 200-plus mums and dads from one of Perth’s most prestigious boys’ schools – the ‘Cranbrook of the West’.
The photo was swiftly deleted – but this is Perth. Someone always screenshots.
Within minutes, the photo was quietly doing the rounds faster than a bottle of rosé at Cottesloe Beach – and inevitably made its way to the school.
The hapless dad has since claimed he found the suspicious-looking bag in the hotel toilets and thought it would be funny to share it with his mates.
Needless to say, the story hasn’t washed with the school’s community of surgeons, lawyers and business types, many of whom are reportedly ‘mortified’ by the blunder.
The school has yet to comment publicly, but insiders say the incident has been quietly dealt with.
As for the dad in question? Let’s just say his days in the parents’ WhatsApp group are… snow more.
