News

Margaret Helen Inglis

8th Jun 2015

1922 – 2015

The Australasian thoroughbred community lost a highly-respected elder stateswoman with the passing of Margaret Inglis.

She died at Bowral House on June 4 from melanoma-related cancer, aged 93 years. Margaret was the second daughter of actress Irene and entrepreneur Archer Whitford.

She attended Frensham at Mittagong as one of the first primary school boarders. At the 2013 Frensham centenary celebrations, Margaret was thrilled to discover she was the “oldest of the old girls” and with great aplomb she cut the official cake.

Passionate about sport, as participant and spectator, Margaret, whilst at Sydney University studying biology, represented the University in cricket and hockey and was selected for the NSW State Hockey team, the “Kookaburras”.

Serving in WWII in the Women’s Air Force, she drove senior officers about in trucks, had piloting lessons and generally got stuck right in when required. At that time, her future husband John Inglis was trained as a gunner and stationed near Toowoomba.

Margaret later became friends with Diana Inglis, with the pair attending a shorthand and typing course.

At that time, Diana’s brother John Inglis was widely expected to be a confirmed bachelor – such was his acute shyness, especially around the opposite sex.

John, who began work with the family company aged 15, immersing himself in pedigrees to acquire an unsurpassed knowledge, whilst carefully observing yearlings from the moment they got off trucks, developing an “eye” for good horses, going on to become a renowned auctioneer, seemed far more comfortable with horses than young ladies.

Undeterred, Diana introduced Margaret to John. When Margaret spent a year overseas, Diane persistently urged her brother to write letters. Thus Margaret and John were engaged in 1950, and were inseparable until the passing of John Inglis in 2006, aged 88.

John took the reins of the company from his father in 1957 and his famous cry “Sale-O, Sale-O, Sale-O”, took the podium until lunch, having a pie with vendors and then continuing until dusk. He did not retire from his role with Inglis until 1988, and remained a keen observer at every sale until his death.

Margaret and John’s son Arthur Inglis, deputy chairman of the company, said the couple lived life to the fullest, enjoying small moments as much as big triumphs.

“They were devoted to each other, she was very, very supportive of everything he did,” Arthur said.

“She was very much a force behind Dad, you can’t over-estimate that; she did a very good job of getting Dad out and about and meeting people. In those days there wasn’t the sophisticated sales and marketing there is now, and she would entertain hundreds of people at a time when no-one was doing that.

“At that time, it was a hot pie and a cup of tea for vendors and buyers, and to a large extent, the hospitality my mother began may have been what distinguished Newmarket sales. There was a sale in every capital city then, and Newmarket became notable for entertaining buyers and sellers.”

Pioneering the concept of sales as social occasions long before extravagant hospitality was offered by vendors in swish marquees, accompanied by whirlwind industry social soirees as the norm at sales anywhere, Mrs Inglis thought nothing of putting on formal dinners for many guests.

Arthur said his mother downplayed her knowledge of thoroughbreds.

“She’d say, ‘I can’t tell a horse from a billy-goat’ but she knew a lot more than she gave herself credit for,” he said, adding that Mrs Inglis bought into a broodmare who produced a first crop foal from legendary sire Vain. Later, she had part ownership of an Exceed and Excel colt, among others.

The family lived for many generations in the Newmarket Homestead on the sale complex site, a building that was once the Newmarket Hotel of 1861.

Despite its historic significance, Arthur said the home was managed by his mother with little fanfare.

“It was our family home and she wanted to keep a happy house for us, but she did appreciate its heritage and often went to antique auctions to bid for furniture and artworks for the house, she had quite a good eye for art,” Arthur said.

Mrs Inglis enjoyed attending big carnival race meetings in Sydney, but it was trips to the races at Narromine, Wagga Wagga and other country cup meetings that she particularly relished, catching up with long-time country friends.

Among her low-key charity activities, Mrs Inglis held an Easter Sunday yearling parade and luncheon for many years to benefit the Sydney University Post-Graduate Medical Foundation.

Although she was an accomplished homemaker, an expert craftswoman and gardener with a frugal approach she attributed laughingly to her Scottish heritage, one thing Mrs Inglis perhaps would have like to do more of was travel.

“She was raised in an atmosphere of theatre and entertainment, it was very lively and her father had a range of interests such as radio stations and a banana plantation,” Arthur said. “She did travel throughout Australia a great deal but I think she might have liked more.”

Very physically active, Mrs Inglis was full of vigour but as her memory began to fail she was forced, much to her chagrin, to cease driving, and although this restricted her independence it did not change her “go-getter” character.

“She was always happy, always laughing, and also people found her quite genuine – you knew where you stood with her. She had no airs and graces, she was comfortable with people from all walks of life and always open to new experiences, new cultures, new food,” Mr Inglis said.

“She loved to garden, especially as a kid, she would pick flowers and was very good at arranging them – she was always buzzing around.”

Mrs Inglis is survived by daughter Jan, son-in-law Greg, son Arthur and daughter-in-law Charlotte, and grand-children Andrew, James, Luke, Amy, Olivia, Antoinette and Alexandra.

Relatives and friends are invited to a service to celebrate Margaret's life at St Judes Anglican Church, Avoca Street, Randwick at 2pm on Tuesday, 9th June, 2015.

Words by Bronwyn Farr