The matriarch who built a crime empire and inspired a movie
Kath Pettingill, a notorious Australian crime matriarch who inspired the film 'Animal Kingdom', has died at age 91. She was known for overseeing a family involved in significant criminal activity, including murder and drug trafficking.
Why it matters
The life of Pettingill highlights the intersection of organized crime and Australian pop culture, reflecting on the legacy of one of the country's most infamous criminal figures.
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Share A A A Crime matriarch Kath Pettingill had one eye, nine lives and the hide of a rhinoceros. She died at a nursing home this week aged 91.
Her criminal record was not impressive, but she created an empire of evil through her six sons (she also had a daughter). Three other children were adopted.
Kath Pettingill poses for a photo at a bridge near the Cherry Tree Hotel in Cremorne while promoting her book The Matriarch in 1996. Simon O’Dwyer Three of that brood died young – which was hardly unexpected.
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