The Packers, a princess and Elton John: PR dynamo was king of Sydney social scene

Mark Patrick

1952-2025

To this day, the fate of the screeching bird that threatened to ruin James Packer’s $10 million fairytale 1999 wedding to former bikini model Jodie Meares remains a mystery.

It was Sydney public relations dynamo, consummate aesthete and social networker Mark Patrick’s job to deliver a “magical experience” for the couple after being hired by the late billionaire Kerry Packer’s right-hand woman Vicki Jones to pull off the “wedding of the decade”.

They had a $10 million budget and six weeks to do it. After erecting four giant marquees in the Packers’ Bellevue Hill compound, Patrick’s team lined them in silk and filled them with Moroccan antiques, fresh flowers, priceless silverware and crystal. Elton John and his grand piano were shipped in secret to entertain the 700 guests. No noisy bird was going to get in Patrick’s way.

“The bloody bird just wouldn’t shut up … and it wouldn’t budge. The Packers were not happy. Somehow, Mark had it caught. I have no idea how, but the bird was gone by the time the guests started arriving,” says good friend and artist James Gordon, who, along with an army of chefs, waiters and florists, had been enlisted by Patrick to help pull off the extraordinary spectacle.

Patrick’s partner of 40 years Geoffrey Veivers said: “He was a visionary with endless ideas to create something out of nothing, he just loved putting on parties and interesting people.”

Veivers was by Patrick’s side when the 73-year-old died at Gosford Hospital on September 17 following a long period of declining health.

Patrick once joked about having “nine lives”. In 1984, aged 32, he suffered a massive heart attack in Thailand. A well-known fashion designer in Australia with the Mark & Geoffrey label he launched in the 1970s with his previous partner, the late Geoffrey Williams, Patrick later revealed he “died twice” in a Bangkok nightclub.

Returning to Sydney and undergoing open-heart surgery, Patrick, the eldest of three children, moved in with his parents, publicans Neil and Lizzie Patrick.

Stepping back from the fashion world, his relationship with Williams also ended.

Armed with an impressive contact book, Patrick embarked on a career as a social writer. Working at both the rival Fairfax and Murdoch-family owned newspapers, Patrick used his sharp wit to ruffle feathers. He caused an outrage in 2001 after declaring in print: “Women over 30 should not wear sleeveless fashion.“

In 1985, he met Veivers, a young courier whom he encouraged to pursue a career in floristry. Patrick moved to Mode magazine and was dispatched to Venice in 1990 to cover the ill-fated nuptials of his society pal, the heiress Primrose “Pitty Pat” Dunlop and “Prince” Lorenzo Montessini. Patrick’s scoop took a decidedly different turn when the groom ran off with his lover, the best man.

In the early 1990s, Patrick launched a small fashion public relations business in Surry Hills, which later became the influential Mark Patrick Agency. “He was never the one in front of the cameras, not like how it is today … it was always about the events and the clients,” his friend and colleague Brooke Tabberer said.

Patrick pulled off many publicity coups. In 2002, he smuggled a lovestruck Prince Frederik of Denmark with his then new girlfriend, Sydney marketing assistant Mary Donaldson, into Patrick’s invite-only Moet & Chandon marquee at the Melbourne Cup’s infamous Birdcage. The champagne house lapped up the free press for the appearance of the now King and Queen of Denmark.

For designer Charlie Brown, Patrick hired supermodels Jerry Hall, Linda Evangelista and Amber Valletta, the biggest names in the business, to walk in runway shows throughout the early 2000s at the fledgling Australian Fashion Week. The value of the publicity far outweighed the models’ fees. Patrick co-ordinated the Australian leg of an international fashion design prize for Smirnoff vodka.

Journalist Wendy Squires recalled one year the winning entrant created a gown made of egg shells. The prize was a trip to South Africa to compete in the global finals judged by star designer Alexander McQueen.

“Bad weather meant a connecting charter flight was cancelled, leaving the Australian contingent to catch a packed bus with McQueen. I don’t know how, but that egg shell frock survived the flight to South Africa, let alone ending up on safari,” said Squires, who was covering the competition. “It was hilarious. I fell asleep on the bus. When it hit a bump, I fell out of my seat and somehow woke up in McQueen’s lap with the egg shell dress … crushed.”

In 2010, Patrick suffered a stroke, leading to the closure of his PR firm around 2013. He and Veivers relocated for a “quieter life” to MacMasters Beach and Patrick continued to consult and opened a homewares store.

In 2019, Patrick suffered another, more catastrophic stroke, complications of which ultimately lead to his death. He suffered breathing difficulties in recent weeks.

He is survived by Veivers, siblings Steven and Melanie and their respective families.

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