Lang Hancock

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Langley Frederick George "Lang" Hancock (10 June 1909–27 March 1992) was an Australian iron ore magnate from Western Australia who maintained a high profile in the competing spheres of business and politics. Famous initially for discovering the world's largest iron ore deposit in 1952 and becoming one of the richest men in Australia, he is now best remembered for his marriage to the controversial, and much younger, former maid Rose Porteous. Hancock's daughter, Gina Rinehart, was bitterly opposed to Hancock's relationship with Porteous, and the conflicts between Rinehart and Porteous overshadowed his final years and continued until more than a decade after his death.

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[edit] Early life

Lang Hancock was born in Perth, Western Australia, to one of that state's oldest land-owning families. He spent his early childhood on his family's station at Ashburton Downs, and moved to Mulga Downs in the north-west after his father, George Hancock, bought a farming estate there. Lang attended the elite Hale School in Perth as a boarder, and upon completing his education returned to Mulga Downs to help his father manage the estate.

As a young man, Hancock was widely considered charming and charismatic. Popular with the white women of Perth, he was also suspected to have fathered illegitimate children with Aboriginal workers in the area. In 2001, the Geraldton Guardian reported on Hilda Kickett, an Aboriginal woman who claimed to have been fathered by Hancock, and commented that "it was common for white men to enter into relationships, consensual and otherwise, with Aboriginal women."[1] In 1935 he married the young and beautiful 21-year-old Susette Maley, described by his biographer Debi Marshall as "an attractive blonde with laughing eyes".[2] The pair lived at Mulga Downs for many years, but Maley pined for city life, and eventually left Hancock to return to Perth. Their separation was amicable. Also in 1935, Hancock took over the management of Mulga Downs station from his father. He partnered with his old schoolmate E. A. "Peter" Wright in running the property, later boasting that no deals between the two men were ever sealed with anything stronger than a handshake.

On 4 August 1947, Hancock married his second wife, Hope Margaret Nicholas, the mother of his only acknowledged child Gina Rinehart. Lang and Hope remained married for 35 years, until Hope's death in 1983 at the age of 66.

[edit] Wittenoom Gorge

As a child, Hancock showed a keen interest in mining and prospecting, and discovered asbestos at Wittenoom Gorge at the age of ten.[3] He staked a claim at Wittenoom in 1934, and began mining blue asbestos there in 1938 with the company Australian Blue Asbestos.

The mine attracted the attention of country behemoths CSR Limited, who purchased the claim in 1943. Hancock retained a 49% share after the sale, but appears to have quickly become disillusioned about this arrangement, complaining that CSR viewed their 51% share as a licence to ignore his views. He sold the remainder of his claim in 1948. The mine would later become the source of much controversy, as hundreds of cases of asbestos-related diseases came to light.

[edit] The Pilbara discovery

Hancock struck iron ore in the Pilbara region, in north-west WA
Hancock struck iron ore in the Pilbara region, in north-west WA

On 16 November 1952, Hancock discovered the world's largest deposit of iron ore in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. Hancock was flying from Nunyerry to Perth with his wife, Hope, when they were forced by bad weather to fly low, through the gorges of the Turner River. In Hancock's own words,

In November of 1952, I was flying down south with my wife Hope, and we left a bit later than usual and by the time we got over the Hamersley Ranges, the clouds had formed and the ceiling got lower and lower. I got into the Turner River, knowing full well if I followed it through, I would come out into the Ashburton. On going through a gorge in the Turner River, I noticed that the walls looked to me to be solid iron and was particularly alerted by the rusty looking colour of it, it showed to me to be oxidised iron.
— Lang Hancock speaking on the discovery[4]

The story is widely accepted in modern descriptions of the discovery, but one biographer, Neill Phillipson, disputes Hancock's account. In Man of Iron he argues that there was no rain in the area of the Turner River on 16 November 1952, or indeed on any day in November of 1952. Hancock returned to the area many times and, accompanied by prospector Ken McCamey, followed the iron ore over a distance of 112km. He soon came to realise that he had stumbled across reserves of iron ore so vast that they could supply the entire world, confirming the speculation of the geologist W. P. Woodward, who asserted in 1890 that "this is essentially an iron ore country".[5]

At the time, however, the common perception was that mineral resources were scarce in Australia, and the Commonwealth Government had enacted an embargo on the export of iron ore, while the Government of Western Australia banned the pegging of claims for iron ore prospects. Hancock lobbied furiously for a decade to get the ban lifted, and in 1961 was finally able to reveal his discovery and stake his claim.

In the mid sixties, Hancock turned once more to Peter Wright, and the pair entered into a deal with mining giants Rio Tinto Group to develop the iron ore find, which Hancock named "Hope Downs" after his wife. Under the terms of the deal, Rio Tinto set up and still administer a mine in the area, and Wright and Hancock walked away with annual royalties of AU$25 million, split evenly between the two men. In 1990, Hancock was estimated by Business Review Weekly to be worth a minimum of $125 million (not adjusted for inflation).[6]

[edit] Political activity

Although Lang Hancock never aspired to political office, he held strong conservative political views, and often entered the political arena. In addition to his activities in the 1950s, lobbying against government restrictions on iron ore, Hancock donated considerable sums of money to politicians of many political stripes. His political views aligned most closely with the Liberal and National Parties of Australia, and he was a good friend and strong supporter of Queensland Premier Joh Bjelke-Petersen. Hancock donated A$632 000 to the Queensland National Party while Sir Joh was in charge, and a further A$314 000 to their counterparts in Western Australia. He also gave the Western Australian Labor Party A$985 000 because "at least they can't do any harm"; Hancock had had a falling-out with Sir Charles Court and the Western Australian Liberals, and was adamant that the Liberals should be kept out of power as long as possible.[7]

Hancock did not restrict his political donations to money; he was also known to occasionally offer advice to the politicians he favoured. In 1977 he sent a Telex to then-Treasurer of Australia Sir Phillip Lynch, telling him he needed to "stop money coming in to finance subversive activities, such as Friends of the Earth, which is a well-heeled foreign operation." He also suggested to Sir Joh Bjelke-Petersen that the Federal Government should attempt to censor the works of Ralph Nader and John Kenneth Galbraith, lest they "wreck Fraser's government".

Lang Hancock was a strong believer in small government, and resented interference from the Commonwealth Government in Western Australian affairs. He declared before a state Royal Commission in 1991 that "I have always believed that the best government is the least government", and that "Although governments do not and cannot positively help business, they can be disruptive and destructive."[8] Hancock bankrolled an unsuccessful secessionist party in the 1970s, and in 1979 published a book, Wake Up Australia, outlining what he saw as the case for Western Australian secession. The book was launched by Gina Rinehart and Sir Joh Bjelke-Petersen.

[edit] Attitudes towards Aborigines

Hancock is quoted as saying:

Mining in Australia occupies less than one-fifth of one percent of the total surface of our continent and yet it supports 14 million people. Nothing should be sacred from mining whether it’s your ground, my ground, the blackfellow’s ground or anybody else’s. So the question of Aboriginal land rights and things of this nature shouldn’t exist.[9]

[edit] Rose Porteous

Main article: Rose Porteous

In 1983, the same year as Hope Hancock's death, Rose Lacson (now Porteous) arrived in Australia from the Philippines on a three-month working visa. By the arrangement of Rinehart, Porteous began working as a maid for the newly-widowed Lang Hancock.

Hancock and Porteous became romantically involved over the course of Porteous' employment, and they were wed on 6 July 1985, in Sydney. The marriage marked the third time each of the newlyweds had exchanged vows. Porteous, who was thirty-nine years younger than her husband, was often accused of gold digging because of this age disparity, and of being unfaithful and promiscuous. These perceptions were heightened by her habit of flirting with other men, and she was known to introduce a number of men as "my future husband" while still married to Hancock. As Porteous later stated: "I have been accused of sleeping with every man in Australia ... I would have been a very busy woman."[10] Until his marriage to Porteous, Hancock's daughter, Gina Rinehart, stood to inherit his entire estate. Rinehart did not attend the wedding.

Prix d'Amour, during its demolition in early 2006.
Prix d'Amour, during its demolition in early 2006.

Although the marriage would later prove tumultuous, early on Hancock was clearly infatuated with his young wife. He gave her money and investments in real estate in the Sydney area. Porteous, in turn, helped Hancock to look and act like a much younger man, belying his eight decades. As The Age put it, "Rose made Lang feel younger, sprucing up his wardrobe, dying his hair and getting rid of his cane".[11] Together they built the "Prix d'Amour", a lavish 16-block mansion overlooking the Swan River. The mansion, which was modelled after the Tara Plantation from Gone with the Wind, was the setting for many large parties at which Hancock and Porteous would "dance into the night".[11]

As the marriage wore on, however, the relationship between Lang and Rose began to break down. Rumours of disputes between Porteous and servants, or others close to Hancock (especially Gina Rinehart), surfaced, and as Hancock's health worsened so did his relationship with Porteous. Rinehart would later claim that Hancock's bride had paid little attention to his worsening health, but had instead "screeched at him for money".[11] Despite many quarrels, the Hancocks remained married until Lang's death in 1992.

The Prix d'Amour, built in 1990, was to be bulldozed in 2005. The demolition was postponed until the end of March, 2006.

[edit] Death and inquest

Hancock died at the age of 82 in the guesthouse of the Prix D'Amour, the palatial home he had built for his third wife, in March of 1992. According to his daughter, the death was "unexpected" and came "despite strong will to live".[4]

An autopsy showed that he had died of heart disease, and police investigation revealed no evidence to contradict it. However, Hancock's daughter insisted that her stepmother had unnaturally hastened his death. Two successive state coroners refused to allow an inquest, but one was eventually granted in 1999 under the direction of State Attorney-General Peter Foss. Rose Porteous married for the fourth time less than three months later, marrying Hancock's long-time friend William Porteous on 25 June 1992. Rinehart was indignant at the haste with which her stepmother had remarried.

The inquest, when it finally came, was dominated by claims that Rose Porteous had literally nagged Hancock to death with shrill tantrums and arguments. Porteous denied the allegations, famously explaining: "For anyone else it would be a tantrum, for me it's just raising my voice."[10] In the last few days of Hancock's life, Porteous had attempted to pressure him into changing his will, and Hancock eventually took out a restraining order against her. The inquest was put on hold after allegations that Rinehart had paid witnesses to appear, and that some had lied in their testimony.[12] It resumed three months later with a smaller witness list, and ended with a finding that Hancock had died of natural causes and not as a result of Porteous' behaviour.

[edit] Legacy

His daughter Gina Rinehart continues to chair Hancock Prospecting and its expansion into mining projects continues unabated in Western Australia and other state of Australia.

[edit] Footnotes

  1. ^ "Battling for a birthright", Geraldton Guardian, 10 February 2003.
  2. ^ Marshall, 2001.
  3. ^ Mining Hall of Fame biography.
  4. ^ a b Lang Hancock Chronology
  5. ^ Commonwealth House of Representatives HANSARD, 3 March 2003
  6. ^ "LANG HANCOCK", Business Review Weekly, 4 June 1990.
  7. ^ "Why Hancock Gave Millions For Nothing", Deborah Light, The Age, 6 June 1991.
  8. ^ "Hancock: The Enigmatic Tycoon", Mark Beyer, Australian Financial Review, 30 March 1992.
  9. ^ Lang Hancock, quoted in Michael Coyne and Leigh Edwards, The Oz Factor: Who’s Doing What in Australia, (East Malvern, 1990), p68. http://epress.anu.edu.au/bwwp/mobile_devices/ch10.html#d0e8316
  10. ^ a b Quotes from the Inquest, The Age, 26 April 2002.
  11. ^ a b c "The maid who married the boss", The Age, 26 April 2002
  12. ^ "Lang Hancock – final chapter", David Weber, ABC News, 22 May 2003

[edit] References

[edit] Further reading

[edit] External links

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