Kath Pettingill

Kathleen "Kath" Pettingill (born 27 March 1935) is the matriarch of the Melbourne criminal family, the Pettingill family.

Pettingill's 10 children are:

(with Dennis Ryan)

(with William George "Billy" Peirce (died 1968))

(with Jimmy Pettingill (died 1972))

Pettingill first worked in a bar, and having herself been a prostitute, she went on to run brothels.

She lived with her children in the Richmond area of Melbourne, and a number of her sons were sent to the Turana Boys' Home.

Pettingill has a glass eye in place of the one she lost after being shot in 1978 by Kim Nelson and Keryn Thompson.

The bullet passed through a closed door at the Collingwood Housing Commission of Victoria flats as she and her son, Dennis Allen, attempted to repay a $300 debt on behalf of her daughter, Vicky Brooks.

A biography of her life, The Matriarch: The Kathy Pettingill Story, was written by Adrian Tame and published in 1996.

As of 2007, Pettingill was living in Venus Bay, Gippsland, Victoria.

Fictionalized versions of Pettingill, as the character Janine "Smurf" Cody, have appeared in both the 2010 Australian film Animal Kingdom portrayed by Jacki Weaver, and the 2016 TNT television show of the same name portrayed by Ellen Barkin.

Weaver was nominated for an Academy Award in the Best Supporting Actress category for her performance.

In the 2011 miniseries Killing Time, Pettingill is a major character, played by Kris McQuade.