Editing Kerry Packer (section)

==Personal life==
Packer's primary schooling suffered greatly when he was struck with a severe bout of [[poliomyelitis]] at age eight, and he was confined to an [[Negative pressure ventilator|iron lung]] for nine months. His father apparently thought little of his son's abilities, once cruelly describing him as "the family idiot", although Kerry subsequently steered PBL to heights far beyond anything his father or brother achieved. The nickname his father gave Kerry made him strive to new heights in schooling, trying to achieve "A" grades. His end of year report said he was one of the most notable students. In an interview, former employee [[Trevor Sykes]] stated that "He didn't read much on the printed page. If you didn't want Kerry to read something, you wrote more than a one-page memo."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.abc.net.au/7.30/content/2005/s1538561.htm |work=[[7.30 Report]] |title=A good boss |publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation |date=27 December 2005 |access-date=31 March 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080605045259/http://www.abc.net.au/7.30/content/2005/s1538561.htm |archive-date=5 June 2008 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

Packer's grandfather [[Herbert Bullmore]] represented the [[Scotland national rugby union team]] in an international match against [[Ireland national rugby union team|Ireland]] in Dublin in 1902 and worked as a doctor in Sydney for many years.<ref>{{cite news|last=Growden|first=Greg|title=Australians breathe life into Scots' game|url=http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/11/05/1099547389061.html?from=storylhs|work=[[The Age]]|access-date=12 July 2012|location=Melbourne|date=6 November 2004}}</ref>

Kerry Packer and his wife of 42 years, [[Roslyn Packer]] (''nee'' Weedon), had two children: a daughter, [[Gretel Packer|Gretel]], and a son, James. At the time of Packer's death, he and Ros had two grandchildren: Francesca then 10, and Ben, then 7, from Gretel's first marriage to British financier Nick Barham,<ref>Davies, Lisa (28 December 2005), [http://www.news.com.au/story/0,10117,17675668-2,00.html "A grieving Gretel gets ready for birth"], ''News.com.au''. {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051230011746/http://www.news.com.au/story/0%2C10117%2C17675668-2%2C00.html |date=30 December 2005 }}</ref> and Gretel and her husband Shane Murray were expecting their first child together, William (born 2006).<ref name="ninemsn1">{{cite web |author=JCT |url=http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=79417 |title=Small funeral for a giant of a man |location=Australia |work=Nine News |date=13 September 2009 |access-date=31 March 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110605102001/http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=79417 |archive-date=5 June 2011}}</ref> Gretel and Shane married just before Packer's death.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.smh.com.au/articles/2006/01/29/1138469600657.html |title=Baby boy for Gretel Packer |work=The Sydney Morning Herald |date=29 January 2006 |access-date=31 March 2010 |agency=[[Australian Associated Press]]}}</ref>

Packer conducted extra-marital affairs with a number of women including the model Carol Lopes, who reportedly committed suicide after being shunned by Packer; publisher and former ConPress employee [[Ita Buttrose]] and Julie Trethowan, his long-time mistress and manager (from 1983) of the Packer-owned Sydney city health and fitness club, the Hyde Park Club. After his death, ''[[The Sydney Morning Herald]]'' reported that from about 1995, Packer transferred control of multimillion-dollar Sydney real estate holdings to Trethowan.<ref>{{cite news | url = http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2007/07/25/1185339079903.html?page=2 | first = Matthew | last = Ricketson | title =A man of means, mistresses and a few bordellos | work=The Age | date = 26 July 2007 | location=Melbourne}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url = https://www.smh.com.au/news/business/how-packer-lavished-his-property-on-a-friend/2006/01/06/1136387625052.html | title = How Packer lavished his property on a friend | work=The Sydney Morning Herald | date = 7 January 2006 | access-date =31 March 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url = https://www.smh.com.au/news/national/packers-quick-2m-renovation/2006/01/14/1137119007803.html | title = Packer's quick $2m renovation | work=The Sydney Morning Herald | date = 15 January 2006 | access-date =31 March 2010}}</ref>

In June 2009, the ''Sydney Morning Herald'' reported that former [[List of Australian Leaders of the Opposition|federal opposition leader]] and future Australian Prime Minister, [[Malcolm Turnbull]], a former legal adviser and business associate of Packer, revealed to journalist [[Annabel Crabb]] that Packer had threatened to have him killed when they fell out over their 1991 attempt to take over the Fairfax newspaper group through their Tourang consortium. Packer reportedly made the threat after Turnbull told Packer he was going to have him thrown out of the consortium by revealing Packer's intention to play an interventionist role in the newspaper group.

{{blockquote|He told me he'd kill me, yeah. I didn't think he was completely serious, but I didn't think he was entirely joking either. Look, he could be pretty scary. He did threaten to kill me and I said to him: "Well, you'd better make sure that your assassin gets me first because, if he misses, you better know I won't miss you." He could be a complete pig, you know. He could charm the birds out of the trees, but he could be a brute.|[[Malcolm Turnbull]], 4 June 2009, as reported in ''[[The Sydney Morning Herald]]''<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.smh.com.au/national/brute-packer-threatened-to-kill-me-turnbull-20090603-bvsk.html |first=Phillip |last=Coorey |title='Brute' Packer threatened to kill me: Turnbull |work=[[The Sydney Morning Herald]] |date=4 June 2009 }}</ref>}}

Packer was a supporter of [[South Sydney Rabbitohs]] in the [[National Rugby League]] competition.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/business/companies/james-packer-signs-3-million-jersey-sponsorship-deal-with-the-south-sydney-rabbitohs/story-fni0d54u-1226641533928 |title=James Packer signs $3 million jersey sponsorship deal with South Sydney |work=The Daily Telegraph|date=14 May 2013 }}</ref>

He was an advocate of the [[Australian Republic Movement]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.smh.com.au/national/james-packer-donates-250000-to-the-australian-republican-movement-20160908-grc9ys.html |title=James Packer donates $250,000 to the Australian Republican Movement |first=Beau |last=Donelly |date=8 September 2016 |work=[[The Sydney Morning Herald]] |access-date=10 September 2016}}</ref>

===Polo===
Packer was a keen [[polo]] player. In 1992, he and [[Gonzalo Pieres Sr.]] founded Ellerstina, a polo team that has claimed multiple titles at the [[Campeonato Argentino Abierto de Polo|Argentine Open]] and other high-handicap tournaments. Packer bought the [[Fyning Hill]] estate in West Sussex and expanded it to over 400 acres. Packer built the headquarters for his Ellerston polo team at Fyning Hill, and would arrive at the estate in May for the three-month English polo season.<ref name="Laffaye2015">{{cite book|author=Laffaye, Horace A. |title=Profiles in Polo: The Players Who Changed the Game|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aRFeCgAAQBAJ|date=28 August 2015|publisher=McFarland|isbn=978-1-4766-6273-2|page=191}}</ref><ref name="Laffaye2009">{{cite book|author=Laffaye, Horace A. |title=The Evolution of Polo|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9i-bgOjaVysC|date=29 May 2009|publisher=McFarland|isbn=978-0-7864-5415-0|page=229}}</ref> Packer sold the estate to the Russian businessman [[Roman Abramovich]] in 1999 for {{GBP}}12&nbsp;million.<ref name="Armstrong2010">{{cite book |author=Armstrong, Stephen |title=The Super-Rich Shall Inherit the Earth: The New Global Oligarachs and How They're Taking Over our World |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rKKeBAAAQBAJ |date=15 April 2010 |publisher=Little, Brown Book Group |isbn=978-1-84901-441-0|page=33}}</ref>

===Gambling===
Packer was a long-time heavy smoker and an avid gambler, fabled for his large wins and losses.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Club|first=Melbourne Press|title=Kerry Packer|url=https://halloffame.melbournepressclub.com/article/kerry-packer|access-date=2021-08-14|website=MPC - Hall Of Fame|language=en}}</ref> In 1999, a three-day losing streak at London casinos cost him almost A$28&nbsp;million – the biggest reported gambling loss in British history.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Gambler Packer loses £13m in 3 days|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/1368368/Gambler-Packer-loses-13m-in-3-days.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/1368368/Gambler-Packer-loses-13m-in-3-days.html |archive-date=12 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|access-date=14 August 2021|website=www.telegraph.co.uk|date=31 August 2000 }}{{cbignore}}</ref>

Once he won A$33&nbsp;million at the [[MGM Grand Las Vegas|MGM Grand Casino]] in [[Las Vegas Strip|Las Vegas]], and he often won as much as A$7&nbsp;million each year during his annual holidays in the UK.<ref>{{Cite web|date=27 December 2005|title=Packer's gambling feats: fact or fiction?|url=https://www.smh.com.au/business/packers-gambling-feats-fact-or-fiction-20051228-gdmozo.html|access-date=2021-08-14|website=The Sydney Morning Herald|language=en}}</ref> Packer's visits were a risky affair for the casinos, as his wins and losses could make quite a difference to the finances of even bigger casinos. Packer was also known for his sometimes volcanic temper—and for his perennial contempt for journalists who sought to question his activities.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2006-11-30|title=How Packer slipped on Fairfax|url=https://www.theage.com.au/business/how-packer-slipped-on-fairfax-20061130-ge3oqq.html|first=Rodney|last=Tiffen|access-date=14 August 2021|website=The Age|language=en}}</ref>

Packer is quoted for an exchange in a poker tournament at the [[The Strat (Las Vegas)|Stratosphere Casino]], where a [[Texas|Texan]] oil investor was attempting to engage him in a game of poker.<ref>{{Cite web|date=28 January 2021|title=Biggest Win in Blackjack ($40 millions!) GamblingBaba|url=https://gamblingbaba.com/news/biggest-blackjack-win-in-known-history/|access-date=14 August 2021|website=GamblingBaba|language=en-US}}</ref> Upon the Texan saying "I'm worth $60 million!", Packer apparently pulled out a coin and asked nonchalantly, "heads or tails?", referring to an A$120&nbsp;million wager (according to [[Bob Stupak]]'s biography). Some variations of the story put the sum at A$60&nbsp;million to A$100&nbsp;million and say the line was "I'll toss you for it".<ref>{{Cite web|date=2006-01-12|title=Kerry Packer, the Texan, the toss and the truth|url=https://www.crikey.com.au/2006/01/12/kerry-packer-the-texan-the-toss-and-the-truth/|access-date=2021-08-14|website=Crikey|language=en-US|archive-date=14 August 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210814022037/https://www.crikey.com.au/2006/01/12/kerry-packer-the-texan-the-toss-and-the-truth/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

In the late 1990s, he walked into a major London casino and played £15&nbsp;million on four roulette tables on his own and lost it all. This has been confirmed by casino owners in South East England.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Λολα|title=The unbelievable life of Kerry Packer|url=http://www.gambling-stories.com/2015/02/biography-kerry-packer.html|access-date=2021-08-14}}</ref>

Former PGA professional [[John Daly (golfer)|John Daly]] said on the ''[[Nelk#Full Send Podcast|Full Send Podcast]]'' that Packer closed down the [[Desert Inn|Desert Inn Casino]] (which was replaced by the [[Wynn Las Vegas|Wynn Hotel]]) by winning 52 million dollars in one day and insisting they pay him in cash, as the previous day when he lost 8.2 million dollars they insisted he pay them in cash.<ref>{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.facebook.com/fullsendpod/videos/1148110102502220/ |title=He Won 52 MILLION At The Casino {{!}} He Won 52 MILLION At The Casino 😱 {{!}} By Full Send PodcastFacebook |language=en |access-date=2024-08-30 |via=www.facebook.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iHasdFfgBIs |title=IS KERRY PACKER KING OF THE DEGENS ?!?! 🎰🎰🎰#kerrypacker #johndaly #fyp #gambling |date=2023-04-03 |last=Lock Hub |access-date=2024-08-30 |via=YouTube}}</ref>

The [[The Ritz Hotel, London|Ritz Hotel]] in London even had its own room for Kerry Packer. There he was able to play blackjack with a minimum bet of £10,000 per hand. He once lost more than £19 million in this room.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Lu |first=Garry |date=2021-08-19 |title=The Outrageous Billionaire Antics Of Kerry Packer |url=https://www.bosshunting.com.au/hustle/billionaire-antics-kerry-packer-stories/ |access-date=2024-08-30 |website=Boss Hunting |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Λολα |title=The unbelievable life of Kerry Packer |url=http://www.gambling-stories.com/2015/02/biography-kerry-packer.html |access-date=2024-08-30}}</ref>