Kath Pettingill

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

Pettingill died from complications of dementia on 1 August 2026, at the age of 91.

In popular culture 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.

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

Fictionalised 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.