The good, the bad and the ugly of Sydney’s social scene join a VERY frail-looking Ita Buttrose to farewell beloved relative

Australian media titan Ita Buttrose had to be helped from a wheelchair and down the steps of the church as she joined a mix of Sydney’s A-List to say goodbye to her sister-in-law on Tuesday.

Robyn ‘Elizabeth’ Buttrose was remembered at a funeral service at St Mary Magdalene Church in Rose Bay in Sydney’s eastern suburbs, on what would have been her 79th birthday.

Mourners included Richard Pratt’s longtime mistress Shari-Lea Hitchcock, fashion designer Charlie Brown, Sydney identity Fadi Ibrahim, narrator Rick Walton, Darrell Lea chocolate heiress Carissa Lea and partner Jamie, and socialite and wife of artist Charles Billich, Christa.

The mother of three and grandmother of six, who was known to everyone as ‘Elizabeth’, suffered multiple strokes almost a decade ago which left her with major health problems.

She passed away peacefully at a care facility in the eastern suburbs on Friday, September 20.

Elizabeth was the widow of economist and banker Will Buttrose, mother of heartbroken siblings Lizzie, Richard and Yvie, and sister-in-law of 82-year-old Ita, veteran journalist and former chairman of the ABC.

A diverse crowd of mourners flocked to St Mary Magdalene Church in Rose Bay for a Catholic funeral service that saw the warring siblings gather to say goodbye to their late mother.

Buttrose arrived through a rear entrance in a lightweight red wheelchair and sat separately from the congregation in a side room, despite several other guests also arriving in wheelchairs.

Beloved entertainer Maria Venuti was also spotted in a leopard skin-covered wheelchair alongside her daughter Bianca and young granddaughter Allegra.

Elizabeth was the widow of the late William Buttrose, a high-profile banking figure who held senior positions at Macquarie Bank, Lloyds Bank and NatWest, and was a respected commentator on Nine’s Today show.

William died in 2006 at the age of 62 after a two-year battle with cancer.

The couple, who met at a famous party when they were both in their 20s, raised three children: Richard, socialite Lizzie, and Evie, director at law firm Corrs Chambers Westgarth.

In a statement to The Daily Telegraph, Ita Buttrose expressed her sadness, saying: ‘My sister-in-law has endured a long illness and she is now at peace.

‘She was loved by everyone and we have wonderful memories of when we were younger.’

The sad news comes after Ita stepped down as chairman of the ABC in March after five years in the role.

Her tenure at the ABC was seen as steadying the ship after the sudden departure of her predecessor Justin Milne and managing director Michelle Guthrie.

“Five years is quite a long time to serve the ABC. I know that some chairs have moved on and served a second term, but I am aware that I am a woman of a certain age,” she told Stellar Magazine in March.

‘Sometimes you have to examine yourself and say, “Well, I’m a person of a certain age and everything is fine, and cognitively I’m good,” but still, weigh it.

‘Five more years. What would it be like? You have to know when to step aside. I felt that. It had nothing to do with current events.”