This is a nice surprise, a friend just sent this photo of me with Brian Wilson. I’ve never seen it before, but I remember what was going on.
This was just as Brian was leaving a lunch he shared with a group of his Sydney fans. During the afternoon we each got some time with Brian, when i sat next to him, I shook his hand.
Brian said ‘You’re cold!’, I said ‘I know!’, he lean’t in and gave me some advice, ‘The hand dryers in the bathroom will warm you up’. I later took him up on his sage advice, and here I am reassuring Brian, that my hands were now indeed nice, and toasty warm.
“Love anything and your heart will be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact you must give it to no one, not even an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements. Lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket, safe, dark, motionless, airless, it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable. To love is to be vulnerable…” – C.S Lewis
I was sad to hear of Norman Yemm’s passing. Norman was an early TV hero of mine, he played ‘Harry Collins’ on Number 96. He was always causing his poor wife Vera all sorts of trouble and harm. Norman also had a club act that he would tour around the provincials.
The night Norman brought his act to Corrimal Leagues club, my dad, as ever, was holding court. When Norman finished his act he passed dads table, dad reared up, yelled ‘What did you do to Vera Collins you Bastard!!!!!!’, then invited Norman to sit at the table with he and Mama and the rest of dads followers, where they proceeded to drink and become besties.
I awoke the next morning to the odor of a beer soaked Corrimal Leagues club coaster on my bedside table, it was inscribed,
‘To Greg, all the very best, Norman Yemm (Harry Collins)’, my very first celebrity autograph
Take your chance, spin HERE.
