Gayle Rivkin funeral: Widow of disgraced stockbroker Rene Rivkin is laid to rest with the couple’s only daughter giving moving eulogy

EXCLUSIVE

On Monday afternoon, the widow of disgraced stockbroker Rene Rivkin was said goodbye at a private funeral in Sydney.

Gayle Rivkin died suddenly in his early seventies on August 25 to 18, after her husband committed suicide.

Gloomy friends and family gathered at the Eastern Suburbs Memorial Park in Sydney’s Matraville to say their final goodbyes.

Hundreds of high-profile mourners, including former Senator Graham Richardson, filled the South Chapel, many wearing a single mandarin rose.

A longtime friend and collaborator of the late Rene Rivkin, Richardson was the owners of a $26 million stake in Offset Alpine – a printing company that burned down in 1993 amid suspicions it had been set deliberately.

Tears flowed as Gayle and Rene’s only daughter Tara read a farewell tribute to her mother, describing her recent grief “as all-consuming.”

“Every second of every day, your absence feels like a sharp pain that pierces through me,” she began.

“I don’t know how I’m going to accept this new reality we live in and how I’m going to live the rest of my life without you in it.”

She spoke of an idyllic childhood and close relationships with her four older brothers Damien, Jordan and twins Dion and Shannon.

“I don’t know any close relatives and that’s completely sorted out by Mom and Dad – what a wonderful legacy to leave.” she said.

Jordan Rivkin also paid a touching tribute to his mother and reflected on her ongoing battle with depression.

“Perhaps the most insidious aspect of Mother’s depression was her loneliness, she was lonely in the company of others”

“It has to be said that my mother was not alone, you just have to look around and my siblings and I are incredibly moved,” he said.

Gayle’s friend of more than 50 years, Beryl Sundin, delivered a heartfelt eulogy, saying she would always remember her kind, loyal, loving friend with a smile on her face.

“We are going to miss her so much and now have to find a way to move on,” she said.

The service was led by family friend, filmmaker Peter Scarf, who regaled mourners with stories from the Rivkin household.

Gayle and Rene shared much of their lives together and formed a close and truly inseparable family unit. I’ve never seen a bond like the one Gayle created.’

She loved her children dearly. She loved Rene very much, she was completely devoted to them all.’ said Mr Shaw.

“The conversations would be endlessly entertaining – it was Rene and Gayle – it was and it was a full, colorful and joyful life.”

The funeral took place just meters from where Rene and brother Leonard’s plots lie.

Mourners heard Bette Midler’s song, Wind Beneath My Wings, played during the photo slideshow to celebrate the exuberant woman’s love of dancing.

Gayle supported her husband through his high-profile fall from grace and leaves behind five children, two of whom followed their father into the family business.

Eldest son Damien confirmed his mother’s death to Daily Mail Australia on Aug. 25.

“We are devastated by the loss of our mother Gayle Rivkin,” he said. “She was a loving and devoted mother and grandmother.

“The family is requesting privacy at this time and will not be making any further statements.”

Gayle supported her husband through his high-profile fall from grace and leaves behind five children, two of whom followed their father into the family business.

Rene was the youngest ever member of the Sydney Stock Exchange and was named Stockbroker of the Year in 1985 by Business Review Weekly magazine.

He achieved national fame outside of financial circles after compiling the Rivkin Report, a newsletter featuring stock tips and other investment advice, and was often photographed chewing a cigar.

Rivkin was a household name throughout the 1990s. He appeared regularly in the media and mingled with prominent political and business figures before suffering a spectacular downfall.

Fame didn’t bring out the best side of Rivkin, whose public lifestyle seemed to revolve around flashy cars, fast boats and a clique of hangers-on, including many handsome young men and models.

“Some of his friendships in the 1990s were completely different from his friendships in the 1980s,” Gayle Rivkin once said. “He’s discovered a bunch of playmates.”

Rivkin first became embroiled in major controversy after a printing company called Offset Alpine, of which Rivkin was chairman and chief investor, was destroyed by fire in 1993, resulting in an insurance payout of $53 million.

In April 2003, Rivkin was found guilty of insider trading by buying Qantas stock based on market-sensitive information the airline allegedly provided to Impulse Airlines.

Rivkin was sentenced to nine months in prison, but collapsed in his cell after just one day. He underwent brain surgery and resumed his sentence in 2004.

After his first suicide attempt, Rivkin moved from the family’s residence in Point Piper to his mother’s home in Darling Point, where he committed suicide in May 2005.

The 60-year-old’s funeral was attended by about 300 mourners, including former Labor Senator Graham Richardson, radio star Alan Jones, fashion designer Peter Morrissey and convicted drug trafficker Simon Main.

Son Dion, who is now director of business at the Rivkin Report, told mourners at Eastern Suburbs Crematorium, “I’m not sad for him because he’s finally found peace.”

Shannon Rivkin is chairman and chief investment officer at Rivkin Private Wealth, Damien and Jordan are clinical psychologists and sister Tara is an English teacher.

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