Blanche d'Alpuget, the biographer and second wife of former Australian Prime Minister Bob Hawke, described their decades-long affair as a relationship that began amidst controversy and endured for nearly a quarter of a century of marriage.
D'Alpuget, who passed away at age 82, spoke candidly about her relationship with Hawke, detailing a complex dynamic that started in 1970. They first met at a party in Jakarta, where d'Alpuget was living with her first husband, diplomat Tony Pratt. At the time, Hawke was married to Hazel, with whom he had three children.
Hawke, then a prominent figure in the Australian trade union movement, and d'Alpuget experienced an immediate connection. "I thought his name was Robin. He sat down and we talked a lot. And I thought, 'You're a good guy'," d'Alpuget recalled of their initial encounter.
Their paths crossed again about six years later while d'Alpuget was researching a biography. She described an undeniable "energy" between them, knowing they would become lovers. "Neither of us said a thing about it… we knew we would become lovers that night," she said. D'Alpuget's own marriage was deteriorating at the time.
The two maintained a clandestine relationship for nearly two decades, with d'Alpuget stating she had been in love with Hawke since 1976. She characterized him as a man of "absolutely good character," clever, charismatic, and compassionate, while also acknowledging that Hawke was involved with other women. "He was charming, funny and straightforward… what he loved was sex," she noted.
Hawke first proposed marriage in 1978, but later withdrew his offer, reportedly believing a divorce could jeopardize his political ambitions. D'Alpuget believed he made the right decision at the time, considering the broader implications for their families, his party, and the nation.
The affair became an open secret in Canberra, though Hawke's wife, Hazel, remained with him. D'Alpuget and Hawke eventually divorced their respective spouses. D'Alpuget divorced Pratt in 1986, and a phone call from Hawke reignited their affair after he left his prime ministership.
A pivotal moment occurred in 1993 when d'Alpuget was involved in a light plane crash. Hawke, fearing for her life, realized the depth of his feelings, which he later described as feeling himself die. This incident prompted him to take their relationship more seriously.
In November 1994, Hawke and Hazel announced their separation after 38 years of marriage. The following year, in February 1995, Hawke and d'Alpuget publicly disclosed their romance in an interview on the television program 60 Minutes. The revelation caused a national scandal, and d'Alpuget faced significant public backlash, being labeled "the most hated woman in Australia." She later commented that such negativity had little chance against her profound love for Hawke.
Hawke and d'Alpuget, nicknamed "B1 and B2," married in July 1995 and remained together until his death in May 2019 at the age of 89. D'Alpuget remembered him as "a great Australian - many would say the greatest Australian of the post-war era."
In later years, d'Alpuget described their time together as a period of "mature love" and "love of old age." She expressed sympathy for Hazel, acknowledging her sadness even until the end of her life. D'Alpuget also addressed Hawke's infidelity, stating, "He was perpetually unfaithful. He loved Hazel and he was perpetually unfaithful. Bob was not a faithful husband."
Most of Hawke's ashes were interred at Sydney's Macquarie Park Cemetery and Crematorium, with a portion at the Prime Ministers Memorial Garden in Melbourne. D'Alpuget selected a spot at Macquarie Park where they would lie side-by-side, accessible to the public.