'It's my knickers' - Lang and Rose Hancock's infamous 1986 interview | 60 Minutes Australia

they refer to themselves as Beauty and the Beast so we thought we could do it too without being accused of bad taste there's Lang Hancock the tough old mining pioneer who's made millions out of iron and there's rose his new wife 40 years younger and quite an iron world character in her own right it was a marriage that didn't just set tongues wagging it raised eyebrows in financial circles about the future of one of Australia's most important mining empires rose a former model from the Philippines has been the target of a lot of gossip just how did she happen to meet lang how did she get through immigration what about the story of her working as Hancock's housemaid especially what about that incident when she reported dropping a ring worth half a million dollars into Sydney Harbour well when you finally meet Rose Hancock face to face some questions just seem to answer themselves bloody Asian why does she have to have it you know or she doesn't deserve it or why couldn't Lange Hancock get an Australian woman you know when Langley George Hancock married rose lexan not only was one of australia's wealthiest men marrying a woman 40 years his junior but his bride was a Filipina so many things were said about you they said you were a gold digger for instance did you take offense to that no I didn't really know I grew up with they under very favorable circumstances and I never was a gold digger I never will be so he doesn't bother me so all of that was nonsense you were never really a housekeeper for my uncle I wouldn't be with my looks I wouldn't be an ax I just couldn't I don't think I'd ever be I make a lousy housekeeper but despite all the innuendo the Hancock's couldn't care less they're happily planning an overseas trip rose to go shopping Lang to wheel and deal in ional do you mind if you go be the bankers and I go to my boutiques you're not gonna help aunt rose or anything not time limits no two hours here two hours there the whole day Laing Hancock is the reason for this massive industry with partner Peter Wright who discovered the original deposits he still doesn't own a mine but every one of these trucks is worth twenty dollars in royalties or three million dollars every year since 1963 so the Pilbara is Lange Hancock and iron ore is his obsession this is black girls of the country that I have to buy things with this is rose Hancock's world away from the heat and the dust at a private fitting Lange loves iron ore Rose loves clothes you were saying you have a budget of 30 or 40 thousands I couldn't possibly call it a budget he asked me how much do you need and I say yeah 30 40 and if you run out then you get small if ever I ran out and I'd want something real real bad he'd give it to me that's what most women in Australia in the world would call a very generous husband do you see him is that he is a very generous husband but mind you Jana he does benefit from it be walking to boardrooms we walked into Prime Minister's offices you can't expect me to look like a trap you know and I can't just get clothes off the rack it isn't me darling Hudson is an imitation done in first Larry has learned a lot about clothes since he married Rose and as it turns out he's been taught by an expert for the former model all the world's a stage including her living room Jana is the witness that I do not go and disappear for two hours and you hit the ceiling saying that I've gone elsewhere two days with Johanna because I'm not shopping for $50 outfits you know I want to make damn sure that I get the real good ones today we're not talking about but despite all this coaching in high fashion Lange Hancock seems to be content in his trademark a safari jacket Spencer and that works out very well Sabrina thank you she's very nicely dressed as a result of it you like it I mean this is this your taste your style anything that makes her look really charming as was my style I don't claim to have any polish or any education and think of this makes her you know I'm a very ordinary in appearance is very flamboyant in appearance he's very well dressed they come young I know I've made the worst-dressed ten in Australia I'm very annoyed that I got beaten by all grass be as the West he really was a dirty Bushman and he had no manners and and he wasn't polished he was the exact opposite of of what I thought a man of wealth would be and that really made me curious you know so curiosity killed the cat and I fell in love with him it's not just his dress since Rose is trying to change but the past 76 years I just showed him a world which never existed it was there all along and he never realized it somebody had just to come into the picture and say like Hancock wake up [Music] could you can inform to have got the time one may lead to the office Rose has artistic flair a flair which he is applying to the considerable Hancock assets the redecorating and painting of the latest private jig [Music] then there's the extensions planned for the Sydney penthouse marble and you've got our swed couch you know it doesn't make sense and the kitchen here yeah look at it how can you expect me to have my steaks grilling here and the visitors over there sitting down and hearing all the Clank of the dishes you know how do you think mr. Hancock managed in the past he never did her visitors in the past back in Western Australia the new home she designed as a city house but we're going to put in a check up of a big boulder of an iron ore and so that if you are seated here you're not relaxing here you don't see a brick wall and in the country the recently acquired family property named Belle Rosa after Rose Yvonne if you're there could you please bring me a bottle of Dom Perignon as Rose says the iron ore is his the house is mine mark are you there [Music] mark I'd like you to come over in 30 minutes and tell me okay mrs. Hancock I'll see you in 30 minutes bill ro sir is only a thousand acres but it operates with a foreman two gardeners a stable manager and three housekeepers but it seems that these days good help is hard to find have you changed any of the staff around or is it basically stable no I I just sacked a manager that's all I changed one person he was so prima donna he saw me pushing the barbecue and he said you know put it there mrs. Hancock and I said this is your last day today how are you thank you very much I'm quite well thank you these days Rose is not only minding her own business but legs as well see the equipment and engaged two very constructive negotiations the reason Alex for this is that we were looking forward to having them here supposed to be this week and then if we're going to schedule them on the 5th of February we would like something real definite my love are you doing cement sales Lang Hancock's life has always been the iron ore but he does not realize that the iron ore does involve marketing and sales it's not hot the air no he's very crude he could slip in dinner tables you know I'm literally asleep go to bed you know just there and then he'd take a nap and I have to kick him tell me what it's like walking into a meeting with some business people with rose on your arm well what happens they expect to be some some Dadri of like at 76 years of age married to some equally decrepit woman and when Rose has sort of got in ahead of me and I see this you know yet very young girl very nicely dressed their faces fall about two feet and they all fall over the grater and I walk into this big boardroom and the guy whoever he is the prime minister or something expects a poodle looking like 50 year old or 60 year old typically British woman and here I come with it very dark hair and and obviously very youthful looking and I say a pleasure you know my pleasure I'm mrs. Hancock yes given that I was going Rose has moved from her family business in the Philippines to the big league of multi-million dollar deals and the office once occupied by Gina hang at one stage it seems that there was only one woman in your life and that was a daughter Gina how much has Rose now taken over her role in the company where where Georgina's left off the race has come in and she's come in with a good deal of polish and that sort of thing and it's very very handy she speaks several languages and I find these very good all I can speaks a bit of black color is your daughter's still involved in the business not involved with to the extent that she was I keep it up to date with what I'm doing because eventually she will have to run it I would think Wow well understand them today aren't you Gina may be taking over the business but it's Rose who's won Lange's heart the lines are very simple it's almost like what you call even a bad throw but you just put the belt around it and when you walk opens a little bit and that's all that's nothing you know very sexy about it it's not do you think there's nothing sexy better no I think a Disney extremely sexy the way that she read walks with it and wears it I wouldn't say that it was I think it's the best-looking bathrobe I've seen thank you do you find him sexy very very sensual a sensual man he is a very sensual man I mean he has to be to be married to me he cracks a lot of jokes about himself when I spoke to him he said is rose and I it's like Beauty and the Beast who's he mean that yes he tells me that too you're very lucky and that he gives you just those wholesome jokes he gives me 30 jokes you know and I said probably second childhood and he said no it's probably the the sense he was parting you that brings out the dirt in me despite the 40 years that separate them the Hancock say they have the perfect marriage for these newlyweds it's a relationship still full of surprises I'm very lucky in temperament I'm impatient I want to have my way I'm impulsive I've been spoiled at times I admit I am a brat he gives way to that because he understands that that he can't change me you know would you regard yourself as an unorthodox person very I think that I would would shock you and I've shocked my husband many times but he's getting used to it after three years though at times he still does it's a great outfit what's that in your pocket I couldn't find the proper um hanky to the coast with it so it's my knickers hello I'm Liz Hayes thanks for watching to keep up with the latest from 60 minutes Australia make sure you subscribe to our Channel you can also download the 9 now app for full episodes and other exclusives 60 minutes content

Channel: 60 Minutes Australia

Views: 127,314

Keywords: 60 Minutes, 60 Minutes Australia, Liz Hayes, Charles Wooley, Tara Brown, Liam, Bartlett, Allison Langdon, Tom Steinfort, Jana Wendt, Dynasty, Australia, mining, Lang Hancock, Philippines, Rose Hancock, mining empires, millionaire, money, wealth, rich, wealthy

Id: 224fiqe5PyU

Length: 13min 58sec (838 seconds)

Published: Sat Oct 06 2018