Truth about rogue dentist’s ‘perfect’ society marriage. Plus, a controversial guest spied at the Gold Dinner and Justin Hemmes’ VERY generous gift to his girlfriend’s sister: THE GROUP CHAT

Welcome to The Group Chat with Lucy Manly, where Australia’s most-trusted society insider shares the hottest gossip BEFORE it makes the news. 

Room with a view for Simone

As Merivale hospitality mogul Justin Hemmes prepares to welcome his first child with girlfriend Madeline Holtznagel, it appears his largesse knows no bounds.

While the 52-year-old pub baron shacks up with model Madeline, 27, at his $100million Vaucluse mansion, he has allowed her older sister Simone to live at one of his many Sydney homes.

Simone, a former star of Australia’s Next Top Model, is now staying at his luxury Coogee apartment with beach views during her visits to the Harbour City.

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Merivale CEO Justin Hemmes is expecting a child with his model girlfriend Madeline Holtznagel

Hemmes’ largesse extends to Madeline’s older sister Simone, a single mother of one, who is using his $2.1million Coogee apartment as her base of operations while in Sydney

He bought the three-bedroom unit back in 2014 for a cool $2.1million – but it’s probably worth at least double that now.

The apartment was previously occupied by Madeline when she and Justin first started dating back in 2020. He would later move her into his Vaucluse compound when their relationship became serious.

This week, Simone shared a photo to Instagram of her feet resting on a balcony balustrade as she took in the breathtaking views of Coogee Beach.

Several spies alerted me to the fact it was the same view and balcony that her sister used to enjoy while bunkering down during Covid.

A source at Merivale confirmed to us that Simone was indeed living at the address – but we were assured it was only a place to crash when she visits Sydney.

Last year, we reported Simone was back living with her family, including mother Margaret, in Wollongong after her relationship with celebrity trainer Jono Castano broke down just nine weeks after they welcomed their first child, daughter Gia.

Given the long commute from the ‘Gong to Sydney, it makes sense for Simone and little Gia to have a nice beachside bolthole when she’s in town visiting her sister.

It comes after I heard whispers Simone was romancing eastern suburbs man-about-town Max Shepherd, the ex-partner of ‘nude artist’ Dina Broadhurst.

This week, Simone shared a photo to Instagram of her feet resting on a balcony balustrade as she took in the breathtaking views of Coogee Beach 

Several spies alerted me to the fact it was the same view and balcony that her sister used to enjoy while bunkering down during Covid (real estate photo seen here) 

The twosome were seen cosying up at Hemmes’ recent Silver Party charity gala. 

Meanwhile, Jono, who runs the swanky Acero gym in Kensington with his ex-wife Amy Castano, has since moved on with Love Triangle star Emily Ryder. 

Inside the Gold Dinner

First comes the Silver Party, then comes the Gold Dinner – the jewel in the crown of Sydney’s high society calendar.

A Who’s Who of TV, finance and eastern suburbs elites were out in force on Wednesday night to raise funds for the Sydney Children’s Hospitals Foundation.

Sunrise hosts Nat Barr and Matt Shirvington rubbed shoulders with former Wiggle Emma Watkins and society newlyweds Jordan Sukkar and Bernadette Fahey at the swanky soirée.

But there was a rather controversial guest in attendance who skipped the red carpet.

Yes, the Gold Dinner marked the first public appearance for South African charity maven Vanessa Fennell following a regrettable recent brush with the law.

The mother-of-two this week pleaded guilty to a string of charges after crashing her Range Rover into a parked Tesla in the ritzy suburb of Bellevue Hill on March 21.

A Who’s Who of TV, finance and high society were out in force on Wednesday night to attend the Gold Dinner fundraiser, including Sunrise hosts Nat Barr and Matt Shirvington

The Gold Dinner marked the first public appearance for South African charity maven Vanessa Fennell (right, with a friend) following a regrettable recent brush with the law 

The mother-of-two this week pleaded guilty to a string of charges after crashing her Range Rover into a parked Tesla in the ritzy suburb of Bellevue Hill on March 21. (Pictured left at court on April 1, and right being arrested)

Vanessa generously opened her purse for the silent auction portion of the evening, forking out a formidable $7,600 for a Sydney Harbour motor yacht experience for eight people 

The 54-year-old socialite, who was once in the running to star on Real Housewives of Sydney, formally entered the pleas at Waverley Local Court late last month but is still seeking to have the matters dealt with under mental health provisions of the law. 

She is due to appear in court on June 23 when she will apply to have the charges dealt with under Section 14.

Despite the embarrassing saga being the talk of the eastern suburbs, Vanessa showed no sign of strain as she was spied schmoozing with guests at the $3,500-per-head fundraiser. 

In addition to dropping that eye-watering sum for entry, she generously opened her purse for the silent auction portion of the evening, forking out a formidable $7,600 for a Sydney Harbour motor yacht experience for eight people. 

Vanessa’s prize was one of a raft of high-end items that went under the hammer. 

The big ticket item of the night was a 10 per cent deposit, valued at $440,000, for an off-market apartment at the One Circular Quay residential skyscraper, donated by Lendlease CEO Tony Lombardo, which went to an anonymous bidder.

Auction prizes at the Gold Dinner included an at-home dinner prepared personally by chef Neil Perry (left) and lunch with supermodel Miranda Kerr (right)

The big ticket item of the night was a 10 per cent deposit, valued at $440,000, for an off-market apartment at the One Circular Quay residential skyscraper (pictured)

Another hot item that raised more than a few paddles was a pineapple-shaped cocktail shaker, donated by ABC Bullion, worth $250k

Another hot item that raised more than a few paddles was a pineapple-shaped cocktail shaker, donated by ABC Bullion, worth $250,000

Named Prosperità Dorata, the luxury drinking accessory crafted by W.J. Sanders is embedded with pink and white diamonds.

The winning bidder also nabbed an exclusive cocktail party where a mixologist will serve gold-inspired cocktails using the quarter-of-a-million-dollar shaker.

One anonymous bidder dropped $22,000 for lunch with Miranda Kerr.

The price tag also netted the mystery bidder a Louis Vuitton bag from the supermodel’s personal collection, a swag of KORA Organics products, and a diamond jewellery piece from Michael Hill valued at $21,000. 

An at-home dinner prepared personally by chef Neil Perry also went under the hammer for $27,000, with property developer Patrick Elias offering the winning bid.

Over the top? Of course. But it’s all for a good cause. 

Last roll of the dice for dentist who died at casino

For weeks, I’ve been reporting on the tangled financial mess left behind by rogue Perth dentist Dr David Hurst who died suddenly at Crown casino late last year.

After a cat-and-mouse chase around Claremont and Cottesloe last Wednesday, I finally got a response from his widow, cosmetician Dr Clara Hurst, regarding what she planned to do about the 132 patients of her late husband who forked out tens of thousands of dollars from their super for dental work that was either botched, incomplete or didn’t happen at all.

In the days since my investigation was published, I’ve been flooded with emails about the dodgy British dentist, including tawdry rumours about his personal life that I won’t publish.

But one of the tip-offs does appear to stand up.

This Facebook photo was taken in September while the Hursts were staying at the Waldorf Astoria Maldives. They looked very much in love despite their previous romantic separation

This photo of the Hursts was taken at Derby Day at Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne on November 2. Just over a month later, David would die suddenly at Crown Perth

Despite looking like the quintessential high-society power couple, the Hursts’ marriage was rocky – and had been for a few years.

I’m told the couple, who share two children, split around 2020/21. During the period they were separated, their finances were legally separated too – which is important given the financial black hole her husband left behind.

But there’s a twist… sometime last year, Clara and David patched things up.

We’re told it was ‘for the kids’, but photos of the Hursts looking loved-up at the races, on holiday in the Maldives and at society parties strongly suggest they were genuinely giving things another go.

Then, on December 10, David died suddenly at Crown Perth while Clara and their children were in Bali. His death was not treated as suspicious.

So, were the Hursts broken up at the time? It’s complicated.

One of the last photos Dr Clara Hurst posted on her public Facebook of her husband David was this one from November 12, 2024, showing the reconciled pair with another couple 

A month earlier, they certainly looked like a married couple.

But we are assured Clara was financially separated from her husband when he died – something that is usually consistent with a marriage breakdown.

And here’s the kicker: even if they had rekindled their romance in 2024, that would not automatically alter or disturb any court-ordered financial separation.

This is important because while Dr David Hurst’s patients are pressuring Clara to ‘make things right’ as the wife of the man who swindled them out of thousands, if the Hursts’ finances had been separate for several years, she may be off the hook.

One thing’s for sure, this scandal isn’t going away. We’ll keep you up to date. 

• Additional reporting by Stephen Bisset and Jo Scrimshire