Obituaries
Obituaries from page B47
Richard Pratt,
74, Australian
Billionaire
Dan Goldberg
Jewish Telegraphic Agency
Sydney, Australia
R
ichard Pratt, who fled Poland
as a child on the eve of the
Holocaust and went on to
become one of Australia's richest men and
biggest Jewish philanthropists, died of
cancer Tuesday at age 74.
Called the "Cardboard King" for build-
ing a global packaging and recycling
empire, Pratt was Australia's fourth richest
man with an estimated fortune of more
than $3.8 billion. His Visy Industries
employs more than 8,500 people world-
wide, including some 3,000 in the United
States through the company's American
arm, the Georgia-based Pratt USA.
In 1978, Pratt and his wife, Jeanne,
established the Pratt Foundation, which
has given away some $140 million
to charities, many of them Jewish, in
Australia, Israel and the United States.
The foundation's most recent major
project was the construction of the Park
of the Australian Soldier in Beersheva,
Israel, which was opened last year in a
ceremony including Israeli President
Shimon Peres and his Australian counter-
part, Michael Jeffery.
"Australia gave us and many like us
a refuge. Australia has been good to us
and we've been fortunate Pratt said in
his speech at the dedication of the park,
which honors Australian soldiers who
fought in the Middle East. "In contribut-
ing to the development of this park and
all it stands for, I wanted to demonstrate
my pride as an Australian, a Jew and a
friend to Israel."
Born Ryszard Przecicki in Danzig (now
Gdansk), Poland, in 1934, Pratt immigrat-
ed to Australia with his parents in 1938.
Is The Ira Kaufman Chapel considering a new location in the future?
An Australian Rules footballer in the
1950s, Pratt later became an actor, per-
forming on Broadway in New York City
and on London's West End in the late
1950s and '60s. He reportedly rejected a
Hollywood contract by Burt Lancaster's
company. Pratt also was an amateur
boxer in his youth, and he helped bring
Muhammad Ali to Australia.
When his father died in 1969, Pratt
took over his packaging company.
A former publisher of the Australian
Jewish News and the Jerusalem Report,
Pratt also received honorary doctorates
from the Hebrew University and Bar-Ilan
University. He was awarded the Woodrow
Wilson award for Corporate Citizenship
in 2007.
In 2007, his company was fined $25
million for collusion in a price-fixing
scam with its rival, Amcor.
Along with Jeanne, whom he mar-
ried in 1959, Pratt is survived by a son,
Anthony, who will take over the running
of Visy, and daughters Heloise, Fiona and
Paula. ❑
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We planned ahead, considering carefully the central location to
the cemeteries and the population we serve. The location and
building still fit our needs perfectly today. Our extensive parking
area and four points of entry and exit make us easily accessible
from all directions.
My six- and eight-year old children are very close to their
grandfather who's dying and in Hospice care. 1 want to bring them
to the Chapel, but not the cemetery. Is this the right decision?
I'm Often asked this question. Remember, what children see is often
less frightening that What they imagine. I find it best to discuss the
entire process from death to burial prior to the funeral. Knowing
what to expect usually allows them to participate throughout.
.My mother has organized a pre-arranged funeral with a graveside
service. If our family wants to change that for any reason, such as
the weather, can we alter the arrangements?
Yes, we meet and review all of the arrangements. When a graveside
service has been predetermined, there is an understanding that
severe weather could alter the plans.
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