Hollie Hughes (NSW, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

Sometimes you're lucky to meet someone who changes your life for the better, whose kindness, generosity and love puts a new spin on everything. That person for me was Marie Sutton—always a Moree girl whether she was in Singleton or Darling Point. Mars, as we knew her, left this world a much better place than she found it, if not far too soon. We said our final goodbyes to her just two weeks ago.

Marie was a loving wife to Bill, a proud mother to Tim—my friend from school—and most fiercely delighted by her granddaughter, Harriet. She was one of the best friends anyone could ever hope for, and just one of her enduring legacies is a group of women that I'm lucky to call friends. She would never accept a no in getting us together. We all understand that she did it for a reason. We're all in this together now to provide each other with the love and support that Marie gave to us. It's for all of them—for Julie Singleton, Marie Simone, Gordy Willesee and Elizabeth Sinodinos—that I rise tonight to pay tribute to our friend Mars, who was known as the woman who brought Princess Diana to Australia for her beloved St Vincent's and Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute. Whilst there was so much more to Mars, this extraordinary act encapsulated her attitude of getting on with the job.

As Jules said in her eulogy, to Marie there was no such thing as 'it can't be done'. So when she decided that Princess Diana was the perfect person to host the Victor Chang ball, she took no notice of being told that there was royal protocol to go through and that it would be impossible. Marie simply picked up the phone, called the palace and left a message for Diana, who of course called her back. In what would've seemed daunting to most of us, Mars took the call as casually as picking up the phone to any of her girlfriends. When Princess Diana said to her that she would love to come to Sydney but Mars needed to understand the difficulties of the arrangements—she was a royal and there would be complexities to the plan—Marie simply replied, 'Darling, I have been a princess all of my life, so I completely understand.'

Mars was a tireless fundraiser and loved her charities across a range of areas. I was particularly grateful for her support of autism, but she always had a special affection for St Vincent's, having trained and worked as a nurse. You could often find Marie visiting those who were unwell, or making calls on their behalf to try and get them access to whoever she deemed was the most appropriate and best specialist.

Mars never thought twice about asking for support for her causes—auction items or even the venues themselves. When Mars asked, she received. I have no doubt that there are a number of businesses in Double Bay who will now see a sharp reduction in requests to make donations!

Mars was glamorous in a way rarely seen. She would have been proud of the attendees at her funeral, where not only did Father Tony Doherty come out of retirement to celebrate her life but Gordy removed her nose ring. Haircuts, blow-dries and new outfits were the order of the day, out of respect for Mars, and I knew there was no way that I could mourn her in aviators!

A long lunch was a staple of Mars's diary. Poor Bill would be told by her that she was staying home for the day—but then she'd get a better offer at the Woolloomooloo wharf and off she'd go. Whilst many of those friends were there to celebrate her life, there were also friends from Singleton and her long-suffering cobbler from Double Bay, who tried in vain to get her out of her six-inch heels!

Marie was also a stalwart Liberal supporter. The only time you would ever see Mars in a T-shirt was on election day, which she would always dutifully volunteer for. Mars never doubted for a second that the Prime Minister would be re-elected. Her faith was unwavering. In the weeks before the election, she'd been ill. She was in hospital when she called Julie to see what time she'd be picking her up to be at the polling booth on the weekend, volunteering to hand out how-to-votes for Dave Sharma. Jules made the error of trying to get Mars to stay in hospital. She was sternly told, 'If everyone has your attitude, we'll lose. Whilst I have breath in my body, the Labor Party will not get in.' Mars escaped from the hospital and she was there on election day to hand out. She was my guest that night in the VIP room. A memory I'll treasure forever: she was there with me when I was elected and when Scott Morrison was re-elected.

I think Marie's belief in the freedom to speak your mind also included calling her friends several times a day—sometimes at midnight, as she was nocturnal, or even later when the tennis was on, which she loved watching. Whilst Jules would get calls critiquing outfits at Wimbledon, I was more likely to get a 'Sky after dark' report—something I dare say Mars watched a little too much of! When you missed or dared not to answer one of Marie's calls, there would be follow-ups or repercussions. I miss the messages. 'Hols, darling, it's Mars. Give me a call when you have five.' I'd always ensure I had closer to an hour. I know this is what we're all missing so much right now, and we'll always miss Mars. We're all poorer for her loss. You only get one Marie Sutton. (Time expired)