Symond’s silver lining

Former Aussie Home Loans CEO James Symond is finding joy again, a little over a year following the tragic loss of his wife to cancer, who was also the mother of his six-year-old daughter.

The successful mortgage broker, now in his 50s, appears to be developing a close relationship with Carmen Tomasic, a 38-year-old Australian-Croatian hospitality executive.

Carmen, who attended the prestigious Loreto Normanhurst on Sydney’s North Shore before pursuing her education at Sydney University, has built a notable career in hospitality.

Her experience includes working with the renowned Merivale group and managing high-end restaurants, bars, and exclusive events throughout Sydney.

Currently residing in Singapore, Carmen holds a senior management role at Ennismore, a leading hotel group, where she is responsible for planning dining, cocktail, and nightlife experiences.

When reached for comment, James expressed a desire to keep things private, preferring not to define their relationship at this time.

The businessman said he had ‘zero relationship with anyone at this time as I navigate the passing of my wife in December 2024’, but described Carmen as one of his ‘lovely female “friends” who has been helping with my daughter’.

He stressed that his focus ‘through this bloody tough time’ remained his child.

‘None of this is story-worthy and if it becomes such I will make comment to you,’ he added.

James announced the death of his wife, Amelia Beau Finlay Symond, in late 2024 on a social media page for former Aussie Home Loans staff.

The couple had married in 2019.

James confided he felt ‘terrified and broken’ after losing his 45-year-old wife, but was determined to stay strong for the sake of their daughter, Stella Rose.

‘I searched throughout my life for my darling wife,’ the retired broker said. 

‘The adoring mother of our five-year-old daughter, Stella Rose, and absolute love of my life. 

‘Little Stella and I are just devastated to lose you to heaven today.

‘God only knows how I get through this but get through this for our beautiful daughter’s sake I must.

‘Honey, I am what I am today because of you, my golden ray of sunshine. Godspeed and ’til we meet again, my gorgeous girl.’ 

James did not provide details about his late wife’s cause of death but had previously revealed she had been battling stage-four breast cancer.

Her condition was pinpointed by doctors less than two years after James received his own diagnosis of multiple myeloma, a cancer of the bone marrow.

In his post, James said his ongoing health battle was so serious that his family had expected he would ‘be the first’ to go.

‘Thank you God for loaning us all your angel and then giving me another named Stella Rose,’ he wrote.

‘Way too soon to leave us as I was to be the first. I’m terrified and broken and I just don’t break. You are simply everything to us and are missed more than words can ever say. We can’t stop crying. My heart is in pieces.’

James – whose father Michael famously loaned his brother ‘Aussie John’ Symond $10,000 to start his mortgage brokerage Aussie Home Loans in 1992 – led the family-built firm as chief executive for six years before stepping down at the end of 2021.

His resignation stunned the industry after he had been groomed for decades to succeed his uncle, who had just retired as chairman after almost 30 years at the helm.

However, it soon became clear James had greater concerns to deal with as he and his wife battled cancer.

Socialite feud adjourned… again

Warring TikTokers Elle Salagaras and Cindy Kilian had a court date set this week to deal with that pesky restraining order.

But, as is often the case when eastern suburbs housewives with a flair for the dramatic are called before a magistrate, things didn’t go to plan.

To recap: Canadian‑born Kilian, aka RegardingCindy, was seeking a private personal violence order against Salagaras, known online as ‘EasternSuburbsMum’.

Kilian curiously described it to us last week as a ‘classified police matter’ – prompting a spokesperson for Salagaras to clarify it was nothing of the sort: Kilian had requested the order, not the cops.

(How did it all go wrong for the former BFFs, I hear you ask? Their nuclear falling-out is quite a saga – and you can read the highlights here.)

Anyway, Kilian had been granted an interim order to protect her from Salagaras with the usual conditions, with the matter listed for a first call‑over on January 21. Kilian was a no-show on that date, but did send in a medical certificate.

Salagaras’ legal team, who are opposing the APVO, duly returned to the Downing Centre Local Court on Wednesday before Magistrate Susan Horan.

But when time came for Kilian to show at 9.30am, she did not appear. 

We understand Salagaras’ lawyer and court staff were waiting until about 2pm when Kilian, who is self-represented, got in touch to explain she was too unwell to attend.

Without the applicant present, there wasn’t a whole lot the magistrate could do. The matter was adjourned again – to March 4 – and the interim order remains in place. 

A glance at Cindy’s social media on Wednesday afternoon showed her at Kutti Beach in Vaucluse with her friend, Swedish influencer Lydia Friberg.

Later that day, the pair hopped to Bondi for an al fresco dinner on the grassy knoll from Glenayr Avenue takeaway joint Pizza Laundry. 

It is entirely possible that Kilian was getting some sun to recover from the flu and The Group Chat does not suggest she was seeking to mislead the court.

She has been warned by the court that any further non-appearance without sufficient explanation may result in the application being dismissed.

Kilian declined to comment. 

And finally… guess who, don’t sue!

New Year’s Eve may be a distant memory, but which party girls were ringing in 2026 with a novel method of ingesting ketamine?

Forget a clumsy bump of white powder – the elegant way to do it these days is via a nasal spray. Apparently, it’s easier on the septum.

• The subjects of this blind item are not mentioned or pictured elsewhere in this column
• Lucy Manly is on leave

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