Last year the Hemmes' family invited me to capture the life story of its patriarch, John Hemmes, the head of Merivale Group and one of Australia's most remarkable businessmen.
The decision to go ahead with this came after an emotional coffee meeting with his son Justin, his daughter Bettina and a number of key members of staff. Our time was limited; the clock was ticking. For many years Hemmes had been fighting multiple myeloma, an incurable form of cancer. We organised a series of dates and times during which I would interview "Mr John", as many of his staff affectionately call him. Those meetings would take place at the Rose Bay home he shares with his wife, Merivale. Thus began a series of encounters organised by Merivale's Kerrie Boylett – with Hemmes in his bed and me taping our conversation while sitting beside him. Merivale was rarely far away.
For an interviewer this is very difficult territory. At the outset I had questioned whether there were any off-limit topics, or issues that might cause him distress.
'No,' came the answer, alongside an assertion that Hemmes was the most positive person you could ever hope to meet. After our first meeting I realised the truth in this. Despite his physical weakness Hemmes demonstrated immense strength of character. The man's force of will radiated from him.
Hemmes answered my questions with a refreshing directness. His memory for certain types of detail was striking, as was his clarity of instinct and speed of thought – on occasion the words tumbling from him furiously fast as he raced to recount his story. And what a story it was to tell.
The tale of John Hemmes' is one of extreme triumph over adversity. Born in Indonesia of Dutch parentage, during World War II he was interned as a child in, at times, brutal conditions. He emerged from this as a young man fuelled by a passion to succeed.
As we sat and spoke Hemmes made it abundantly clear that when it came to his children there was no one of whom he could have been more proud.
He loved his family, he loved his business, and he also loved his adopted city of Sydney. He came across as a resilient and determined man capable of gentleness.
Before meeting Hemmes he was nothing more to me than a well-known name. Despite his not inconsiderable achievements, from recent media coverage I knew more about his son than I did him.
And yet although I only met him a limited number of times over a relatively short period I grew surprisingly fond of him. John Hemmes was an easy man to like. He appeared kind, loving, intense and loyal.
At each of our rendezvous the 83-year-old appeared visibly weaker. The day after our final meeting I learned that he had been taken back to hospital, and I never met him again. I am sorry about that. It would have been wonderful to carry on our discussions about his life.
Australia not only lost a significant figure the day John Hemmes died, it lost a fascinating man.
