KEY POINTS:
Winston Peters may have forgotten, it seems, that he received a $100,000 cheque from the philanthropic hands of ex-pat billionaire Owen Glenn, but I'm happy to bleat that I was a guest onboard Glenn's luxurious superyacht, Ubiquitous, several times during the America's Cup.
It was some years ago now, during the 2003 America's Cup campaign, and Glenn, the benevolent playboy would play the gracious host onboard his floating palace, frequently. He'd come home from Monaco to have a summer of fun and to show off how well done he'd done for himself, and that reflected in the calibre of guests invited: there were pretty girls aplenty, business faces, old friends "from up North," proud family members (including his ageing mum who went everywhere with him), entrepreneurs looking for angel investment, and others Glenn found amusing to hang around with.
I remember being a guest onboard Ubiquitous several times. My boyfriend-at-the-time was always invited, as was my mother, and we'd all grown fond of Glenn and his infectious love of life.
I recall Karen Walker and her hubby Mikhail Gherman taking up Glenn's invitation for the high seas. They were onboard a Harbour cruise one day when I was there. There were rumours the designer duo were looking for investment in their fashion company and the suggestion I'd heard was they were hoping Glenn would sprinkle some of that well-known financial generosity their way, though, what, if anything, came of this, is unclear to me.
Glenn exuded a particular joie de vivre that wasn't so commonplace amongst the wealthy at that time. He wasn't ashamed of his roots, nor his old unglamorous friends who lived a world away from the luxurious life he inhabited in Europe. His immense wealth gave him the ticket to crossover both of those worlds: the old Glenn and the new Glenn. He didn't need to adopt airs and graces like so many new-monied people often do. Glenn's attitude was accept me for me; and in turn he accepted everyone.
But acceptance became a need, I believe, for Glenn to feel like he belonged here, and in my opinion, many of the charitable cheques he'd write came from a deep-seated need to feel liked, appreciated and accepted. Don't get me wrong, Glenn's nature was extremely charitable, but he didn't tolerate fools. He could sniff a vulture circling for cash a nautical mile away.
I recall Glenn's White party being the party of the summer season in late 2002. Ubiquitous was docked at the Viaduct in front of Eric Watson's popular joint Soul bar; the boulevard was heaving full of nosy parkers eager to catch a glimpse of the superyacht set; and Auckland was buzzing with an excitement not seen since the former America's Cup.
The party onboard the moored Ubiquitous oozed wealth: waiters served French champagne and delicacies; female guests danced in their immaculate white party frocks and stilettos; and It girls like Stacey Wah, Jacqui Ansin, Charlotte Dawson and Rachel Deadman with her multi-millionaire beau Mark Cooper (the pair have since wed in a sumptuous wedding in Mexico) were all invited. Geoff Ross manned the 42Below vodka bar. I don't recall seeing Winston there, but if he was, I wonder if he'd admit it.
There's no doubt Glenn's generosity during those summer months touched many people. I only hope, with the saga of late, he is not deterred from sprinkling more of that generosity on other New Zealanders who will be only too happy to acknowledge it, both in private and in public.
Rachel Glucina
Pictured above: Freight magnate Owen Glenn. Photo / Paul Estcourt
