Annita van Iersel
Annita van Iersel | |
|---|---|
 van Iersel in 1992 | |
| Spouse of the Prime Minister of Australia | |
| In role 20 December 1991 – 11 March 1996 | |
| Preceded by | Hazel Hawke |
| Succeeded by | Janette Howard |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Anna Johanna Maria van Iersel 5 October 1948 Oisterwijk, North Brabant, Netherlands |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 4 |
| Alma mater | Australian National School of Arts |
| Occupation | artist |
Anna Johanna Maria "Annita" van Iersel (born 5 October 1948), known as Annita Keating from 1975 to 1998, is a Dutch-born Australian artist and former wife of Paul Keating, former Prime Minister of Australia.
Early life and education
Anna Johanna Maria van Iersel, known as Annita, was born on 5 October 1948 in the Netherlands.[1][2] Her home town in the Netherlands was Oisterwijk, North Brabant.[3]
Career
Van Iersel worked as a flight attendant for Alitalia.[3]
As wife to Paul Keating
While working with Alitalia, Van Iersel met Paul Keating, then an aspiring young politician.[4] They married on 17 January 1975, in her home town of Oisterwijk, Netherlands.[1]
While her husband was Prime Minister of Australia (from 1991 to 1996),[5] their four children[5] spent part of their teenage years at The Lodge, the prime minister's official residence in Canberra. Annita was well travelled, and this, along with her knowledge of five languages, proved a valuable diplomatic asset, especially in support of Sydney's bid for the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games.[2]
In 1998, Van Iersel and Keating separated. They did not formally divorce until 2008, though she had resumed her maiden name of Van Iersel long before then.[6] Annita revealed some years after the event, in an interview with her by The Bulletin, that Keating had broken off the relationship, not she, and had done it at a dinner party with friends.[7]
Art career
Van Iersel studied at the National Art School in Darlinghurst, Sydney, graduating in 2002. In 2008 she was studying for a master's degree and went to Beijing as an exchange student at a major art college there.[8]
She is known for her photographic works.[8]
She was scheduled to exhibit a series of paintings – oils on Belgian linen – that she created in her studio on the Hawkesbury River, in the Palm House in the Royal Botanic Garden in Sydney in August 2008, titled Reflections.[8][9][a]
Other activities
Van Iersel travelled for three months in Central America after her separation from Keating.[8]
On 19 March 2008, she opened a touring exhibition Mrs Prime Minister — Public Image, Private Lives at Old Parliament House in Canberra. The exhibition featured herself, along with five other women who had recently been wives of Australian prime ministers: Janette Howard, Hazel Hawke, Tamie Fraser, Margaret Whitlam, and Sonia McMahon.[8]
Footnotes
References
- ^ a b "Paul Keating: fast facts". National Archives of Australia. 18 January 1944. Retrieved 1 August 2025.
- ^ a b "Paul Keating's partner: Annita Keating". National Archives of Australia. Retrieved 1 August 2025.
- ^ a b "Paul Keating: before office". National Archives of Australia. Retrieved 1 August 2025.
In January 1975, Keating married Alitalia flight attendant Annita van Iersel in her family's village in the Netherlands
- ^ "From aircraft aisle to wedding aisle". news.com.au. 20 July 2010. Retrieved 20 November 2011.
- ^ a b Paul Keating – Prime Minister from 20 December 1991 to 11 March 1996 – National Museum of Australia
- ^ Sharp, Annette (8 June 2013). "Coy Keating must publicly 'fess his love". The Daily Telegraph.
- ^ Paul Ended Our Marriage at a Dinner Party Sydney Morning Herald, 20 April 2004
- ^ a b c d e Wright, Tony (20 March 2008). "Former PM's wife faces life with easel". The Age. Melbourne.
- ^ Narushima, Yuko (20 March 2008). "They kept the company of leaders". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 1 August 2025.