Lord Vestey âabidingly proud of his Australian descentâ By Mark McGinness Save Normal text size LORD VESTEY: 1941-2021 The 3rd Lord Vestey, who has died aged 79, was the half-Australian heir to a meat fortune, the surviving great-grandson of Dame Nellie Melba, and the head of one of the richest families in Britain who, for most of his life, were owners of vast holdings in the Northern Territory and Queensland. Within four generations, the Vesteys went from a Merseyside slaughterhouse to a magnificent Cotswold country house hosting titled grandees and members of the innermost circle of royal courtiers. Lord Vestey at Royal Ascot at Ascot Racecourse on June 16, 2015