The results of many decades of hard work were acknowledged at the highest level in 2016. Sue had been appointed a director of the Australia Day Council in 2015, and the following year was awarded one of the nation’s highest honours, a Companion of the Order of Australia (AC). Describing Sue as one of the nation’s most successful businesswomen and a crusader for diabetes research, columnist Lawrence Money reported in The Age on 26 January 2016 that Sue had been made an AC for ‘eminent service to the community’, particularly through philanthropic and fundraising support for a range of medical research, education and sporting organisations; as an advocate for improved healthcare services for the disadvantaged; and in acting as a role model and mentor for young women.
At a congratulatory dinner held at The Australian Club in Melbourne, Professor Len Harrison opened and closed the speech for his dear friend with quotes, the first from Hillary Clinton: ‘It is time for women to take their rightful place, side by side with men, in the rooms and halls where the fates of peoples, their children’s and grandchildren’s fates, are decided’. While America did not see Hillary take that place as President, the message was highly appropriate for Sue, as was the closing quote from actress Roseanne Barr: ‘As a woman, the thing you have to learn is that nobody gives you power. You just take it’.
Len also made the point that Sue has used such power to benefit others, declaring that ‘Sue opened the batting for type 1 diabetes research in Australia. She stayed in, before and after the untimely death of Danielle, and before and after her own health crises, and she is still at the crease’. He noted that ‘despite her exit from the JDRFA, the organisation is the beneficiary of significant funds for research because Sue worked her magic on Tony Abbott before he became PM’.
Governor of Victoria Linda Dessau, also a recipient of an AC, puts this accolade in perspective: ‘The AC is a significant recognition from the community. People are recognising that Sue has done a lot and, for someone who has not led a public life, that is a particularly huge achievement’. With this comment came the reminder that Sue is not and never has been operating in an official public service capacity. She simply does the right thing in the community because she can.
Nephew Andrew remembers the family’s delight for his aunt: ‘The AC is a key achievement. It’s really nice that Auntie got recognition for all the community work she has done’.
As with her efforts in medical research, education and all other spheres, Sue’s contribution to the women of football goes further than the obvious, beyond the game on the ground. As well as acknowledging Sue as the Western Bulldogs’ number-one supporter, Katie Brennan regards her as a valuable confidante and guide: ‘She’s a great mentor about life things. She develops relationships and she really lives it with you’. Katie further articulates this thought: ‘Her generosity includes her passion, time, energy, thoughtfulness, social intelligence, relationships, everything. She has taught me a lot about standing up for what you believe in and for your rights as a woman. And she’s all for pushing for the little things’. As an example, Katie talks about the progressiveness of the Western Bulldogs: ‘It’s all about things like trying to get better facilities for females in community clubs’, where ‘there is only one female toilet, no change rooms and so on’.
Katie fondly describes Sue as ‘like a mum, or more like a big sister’, then says: ‘She’s helped me out with conversations about my Brownlow dress, with media, with fashion, everything. She’s very open and she has given me great advice about the football journey. She said to enjoy it but don’t let people walk over you. And not to sit back and let it all happen to you. Sue has really showed me that if you want something, to go out and get it. And if you’re not happy, to speak up. She has made me see that my time is valuable, and to make sure not to sell myself short’.
VWFL playing legend Debbie Lee, revelling in her role at the Melbourne Football Club, is another who seeks Sue’s advice on business matters, career choices and personal development: ‘Sue is straight to the point and she always has a purpose. When you sit with her, it’s a case of, “Right, what are we here to achieve? Let’s go!”’
With the question of whether people would support women’s football answered with a resounding ‘Yes’, the trajectory of the game is upwards. Katie alludes to Sue’s vision of the women’s game surpassing the men’s in popularity and stature: ‘Sue’s always had that relentless vision of what it will be and she won’t stop until she gets it. She makes a joke about the men’s game being the curtain-raiser to the women’s. We [the players] wouldn’t say that too loudly but she can, because she’s Sue. She has that vision and she still sees that we’ve got so far to go’. Indeed, when the doubters questioned whether the AFLW should be brought forward, Sue met the question with, ‘Is 100 years too soon for women to be part of the game?’
At the end of 2016, Sue stepped down as chair of the St Vincent’s Institute of Medical Research Foundation. In the same week, she resigned from the Western Bulldogs board after three years as vice-president and twelve years as a director. Sue felt it was time to pass the baton on to somebody younger. As Michael Warner reported in the Herald Sun on 4 December, Sue said she had
supported this great club all my life, through the ups and downs, in good times and bad. It was the right time for me to leave—on a massive high. I felt comfortable leaving at that point. I remain proud of everything we achieved and of my contribution to the club’s healthy financial position.
Sue had put in more than $4 million in her time as patron and director and considered the Bulldogs’ finances to be ‘in great shape’. Sue feels that a big part of her job now is ‘to look after women playing football’. In describing this role as nurturing and encouraging the players, she exemplifies the positive support women can provide each other. She sees the sponsorship, fostering and enabling roles that men perform so naturally for each other, through networking in business, sport and families, and she wants this for women.
Sue has spent more than three decades tirelessly raising funds for medical research into diabetes through a range of events, including as host of the increasingly spectacular annual Gala Ball, which ultimately became a high point of the Australian philanthropy scene. At first, the Gala Ball fundraisers were driven by Sue in her role as president of JDRFA, but following her departure from that organisation in 2013, they were transformed into a SAMRF event known as the Signature Ball. With the final incarnation of that event in 2015, Sue decided it was appropriate to finish on a high note, and she gathered together a crowd of more than 750 people at Melbourne’s Crown Palladium. A standout performance by Australian artist Tina Arena was a fitting finale to what had grown in stature and glamour over the years. Most importantly, more than $400 000 in funding was raised that night.
Funds raised from the balls were used to support diabetes research at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute, the St Vincent’s Institute of Medical Research, and the Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute. Sue chose these three institutes because of their strong track records in diabetes discoveries. She explains that she wanted to ensure all funds went towards ‘the best medical research in Australia’. By bringing together all three research institutes, they could work together to define different roles: one was about education, one was about treatment, and one was about searching for a cure. The formula was as simple as it was effective, and it met Sue’s goal of fostering collaboration.
After raising more than $5 million towards medical research, the gala balls were replaced in 2016 by a series of smaller annual fundraising luncheons and breakfasts. Sue Le Fevre, who runs the dayto-day accounts for the SAMRF, says the priority is ‘always to get as many bums on seats as we can and to keep the overheads down. At the end of the day, it’s Sue’s call where the funds go, but we all put our ideas forward. We all meet—Elda, Melissa, Sue and I—to discuss where the money goes, but the final decision is with Sue’.
Such was the case in 2013 when Sue recognised another barrier faced by young women in medical research and decided to do something about it. She established the Susan Alberti Women in Research Award, which is presented at the annual SAMRF Mother’s Day luncheon to an outstanding female scientist. Experiencing career disruption after making the decision to have children is a vexing challenge for many women. The funding enables scientific research to continue while the recipient is on maternity leave. Sue says, ‘The award recognises and celebrates the women who successfully manage to balance work and family life’.
Dr Urmi Dhagat of the St Vincent’s Institute, a recipient of the award, considers the concept behind it to be even greater than the much-needed financial support: ‘The award is definitely an affirmation that it’s okay to want to actively pursue a career in science while also having a baby. The money is there to get the research done, either by paying for aspects of research work to save time, or by getting a research assistant to work for you. But it’s more than the money. It’s the legitimacy as well’.
The critical aspect of the Women in Research Award, according to Urmi, is the spirit of celebration around motherhood: ‘There is a sense of enigma around having a child. People are very nervous. I was nervous. It’s very stressful to think about being away from your career. Having a baby isn’t viewed as simply a matter of going away for ten months and everything will be fine when you come back. This award is celebrating the choice to have children. It’s a sign that people understand that it’s okay to take a break from your career, to take time out to have children while having a scientific career. It shows that there is someone out there that appreciates that it doesn’t mean that you’re taking your career lightly, or that you just want to go and have kids. It’s very important to do this because it’s a change in mindset. It puts a positive spin on choosing to have children. It says it’s okay’.
Another recipient of the award, Dr Sophie Broughton, adds a practical note: ‘Publications and funding are like key performance indicators for researchers. When you compare someone who has worked continuously with someone who’s had a career disruption and therefore produced fewer papers, that career disruption has a big impact. The more publications you have, the more likely you are to get funding. And when you are successful in achieving funding, you are well positioned for even more funding. That’s why funding through the Susan Alberti Award is so good on your CV’.
Sue explains the motivation behind establishing the award: ‘Until recently, medical research was heavily male-dominated. Rather than ask the government to help out, we decided to do it ourselves. The changing community mindset which applauds and encourages women in the workplace and family environments is so important’.
Another well-known Australian philanthropist, Frank Costa, has witnessed Sue’s strong support and enthusiasm for medical research as a fellow patron of the St Vincent’s Institute, and been very impressed by her commitment and dedication over many years. Reflecting on Sue’s approach to supporting causes, Frank grins. ‘Sue reminds me of an old saying: “If you think you can’t, you’re right. And if you think can, you’re right”. Sue thinks she can. She never thinks she can’t. If it makes sense to her and it’s a good cause, it’s all positive’.
Sue’s profile has escalated in several bursts during the past decade, first thanks to the national publicity around the court case involving Channel Nine’s The Footy Show, then through the Western Bulldogs 2016 premiership, and, most recently, the outstanding success of the AFLW. During that period, Sue has changed yet remained the same.
Physically, she is remarkably different. Her delight at her own fitness and slimmer figure prompts her to comment on her clothing options for the final Signature Ball in 2015: ‘I could wear a ball gown for the first time. When you’re the size of a baby elephant, nothing tends to look much good’. But Ros Casey notes that while Sue has transformed physically, there has been no change in who she is. ‘I remember a couple of years ago, the first year that the Footscray Bulldogs had their own VFL team’, she says, referring to the period after the Bulldogs’ long alignment with Williamstown ended in 2013. ‘I ran into Sue at the game in Port Melbourne and she was wearing a Bulldogs tracksuit. It was quite a hot day and, as the day got hotter, the tracksuit zip came down. She had her pearls on underneath the tracksuit!’ Ros says of Sue, ‘She doesn’t compromise who she is, but she’s still able to reach out … She’s just so energetic, so warm and so enthusiastic with everyone. Just look at the relationship with Moana Hope, and her friendship with [Labor MP] Jill Hennessy and with [Liberal MP] Kevin Andrews, who are poles apart’.
Colin North comments that the nature of success can isolate people, and he saw that to a degree with Angelo Alberti. But he adds that while it also happened with Sue to some extent, ‘her wonderful personality means she can relate to people across a broad spectrum of society’.
Sue Le Fevre has noticed that a lot of people behave differently around Sue, but observes that she most enjoys people without their masks on—people like ‘Leesa Catto who are completely themselves. Leesa will not change for anyone! She’s got a great head on her shoulders and is such a breath of fresh air. She doesn’t care who you are. If she’s got something to say, she’ll say it. Mo is the same. Sue connects really well with these people’.
It would be easy to say that Sue’s confidence and happiness have slowly increased over time, but that could imply she has at some point been significantly lacking in either one. In fact, Sue’s longstanding friends agree she has always been a confident person, and people who know her in a specific capacity tend to use words like ‘bubbly’ and ‘animated’. But there has definitely been some personal growth, perhaps as a natural result of achieving goals, winning important contests. Gus Nossal observes, ‘When you have success along the way, it becomes self-perpetuating. There has certainly never been any self-aggrandisement with Sue’.
Gillon McLachlan has seen a shift on several levels in the time he’s known her: ‘Sue doesn’t walk into a room and demand attention. But she does have a presence that has developed over the years’. He also remarks on the physical change in Sue: ‘Now she’s actually diminutive, but you don’t notice because she has such a presence. She’s hugely glamourous, she has an enormous personality … and hair!’ Gillon says: ‘Whether she’s in the change rooms or at a board meeting, she’s always the same. Not just immaculate, glamourous immaculate. Flawless. I’ve never seen her underdone in any way, or understated. It’s part of who she is. She’s still the same person although she has gone through a remarkable fitness campaign’.
George Pappas notes, ‘She’s changed and, yes, become a lot more confident. It’s natural—she’s older, she’s had a lot of influence, dealt with a lot of people. The fact that she’s become slimmer is an indicator of incredible discipline. It’s not easy changing shape and clearly she put a hell of a lot of work into it’.
Kate Roffey describes Sue as ‘unfailingly proper’, but notes that although she has a clear moral sense of right and wrong, she generally accepts other people’s choices: ‘She’s not a conservative thinker. She moves with the times’. But Kate agrees with Gillon that Sue would never compromise her presentation: ‘That’s about self-respect and dignity. Sue would never go out ungroomed. We do tend to judge people by the way they present themselves. It makes a statement, the way you carry yourself—that you have taken the time to brush your hair, that you take care of your appearance. Your clothes don’t need to be expensive, but ensuring you look neat and tidy and that your clothes are appropriate for the occasion says a lot about you as a person’.
This pride in her appearance is something Sue attributes to her upbringing, and she admits she now hankers for the best quality: ‘When I was young, I was a Target girl with the occasional foray into the likes of Myer. But there were two life-changing events for me in terms of my personal style. The first was meeting and becoming close friends with [JDRFI co-founder] Carol Lurie and Mary Tyler Moore, initially through our association with JDRF New York, but later on a personal level. Carol and Mary both loved shopping and they introduced me to the ways of New York ladies of means. They taught me the best ways to shop in New York for the best deals on the most beautiful clothes’.
Sue says the second life-changer was the wealth created by many years of hard work: ‘As a result of our many and varied businesses, Angelo and I reached a point where we could indulge ourselves in some serious shopping. His passion was motorbikes and mine was clothes. It is one of the great joys in my life to buy top-quality clothes at mostly bargain prices. Being able to buy out of season in New York or Melbourne is a great help’. Sue confesses to being a planned shopper, as well as a strategic one: ‘I am not one to meander, window-shop or impulse-buy. I always have a plan’.
But beneath this fastidious presentation, observes Mark Cooper, Sue maintains a sense of self-protection: ‘She has an amazingly friendly, outgoing personality, but there is a wall, a distance. Maybe it’s a sadness’. With her strong commitment to social etiquette, it is logical that Sue defaults to stoicism rather than risk an expression of her own emotions. In that sense, the wall she chooses to put up is intended to protect those around her just as much as keep her safe. ‘I don’t want people feeling like they’re treading on eggshells around me’, Sue says.
George Pappas sees Sue as ‘like a really good football player. She has this underlying skill, capability and a sense of what she wants to achieve, and then she tackles every contest as it comes. The most important contest is the next one. You hear coaches talk about contest after contest. It’s all about staying in the game. That’s Sue. As each challenge arises, she looks at it and says, “Here’s the contest. I can win it. Right, next. Okay, I’ve conquered that field, let’s move to the next one”. I think Sue’s that sort of person and that’s the way she works, contest after contest. When the topic of planning is raised with Sue, she claims she can only do it three to five years in advance: ‘Ten years is too far into the future’.
So what’s next for Sue Alberti? She says she has several issues in her immediate sights, one of them being appropriate infrastructure for women in sport. ‘It’s desperately needed’, she says. Sue’s red lipstick is set in a line and her eyes are ablaze. ‘I’m not going to have these women exposed anymore to urinals and one shower with a door missing. These women deserve respect. Women don’t shower together. There’s such things in life as modesty and privacy. Urinals! And they’re given second-best facilities.’ Sue adds: ‘The men will benefit too. Some of the facilities are so antiquated. If we get it right for the women, we get it right for the men. We all benefit. It’s for the community’.
But it’s the last of her three big wishes—after a flag for the Western Bulldogs and an AFL women’s competition—that is her priority: ‘The third wish, until my last breath, will be finding a cure for diabetes. I don’t want to take away the emphasis on type 1 diabetes, but I’m also especially concerned about type 2 diabetes in young children. We have too many fat children and we have an obesity epidemic. We need education about diet and exercise and sport’.
Sue then admits that her own weight loss was not entirely due to her diabetes diagnosis, recalling what she discovered while serving on the National Diabetes Strategy Advisory Group a few years ago: ‘That’s another reason I decided to stop being a hypocrite, apart from Danielle telling me I was. It hurt but it was true. My weight was always in the back of my mind. How can you go and tell people to get their life together when you yourself are a fat blob? I saw the statistics on type 2 and learned that we’re the fattest country on earth. I’m ashamed to say that, I really am. We’ve got a real problem in our children, in the west particularly. To continue to be the leader that I think I am, I needed to lose weight and stay as fit as I can. We need to inspire people to eat properly and exercise, to get our children involved in sport. I’ll continue to support type 1 and will do everything I can to promote it, but my big concern now is this country’s obesity epidemic and our children’.
Sue adds that she’ll keep doing what she’s doing ‘as long as I know I can make a difference’. She then admits: ‘I don’t take on anything unless it’s difficult, unless it’s a challenge’.
For someone who is so fearless on behalf of other people, Sue struggles to name what frightens her—that is, until she recalls how sick she once was: ‘What is my greatest fear? Ill health. I’ve been there and I know what it can do to you. I never want to go there again. Gee, I’ve been sick. When I was sick, it made me realise what good health meant. I don’t ever want to waste that opportunity for good health again’.
In her seventy-first year, Sue is vivacious—light on her feet, alive with humour and energy, with her diary busier than ever, and happier than friends and family have ever seen her. Victorian Governor Linda Dessau echoes the delight shown by those close to her friend: ‘Sue is in a time of her life where she’s actually given herself a bit of love and attention. She is so happy with Colin, with her work, with where she is in her life. She just looks wonderful, and what a joy it is to see her blossoming! She is a great example to young women that these can be the great times in your life as a woman. There’s no reason to be frightened of getting older, as long as you maintain your energy. Sue is the epitome of a woman who is ageless and contributing, and there’s no reason why she shouldn’t be’.