Today’s Hogarth was as good as one can hope for; intelligent company, good conversation, just enough lewdness and blokey preoccupation, without going over the top and laughter, laughter, laughter.  

Michael Jacobs, John Bannon, Paul Lloyd, Malcolm Elliott, Ed Pegge, John McGowan, John Potter, Tony Colebatch.

Main course was a regular offering; corned beef in white sauce, with potato mash.  A pot of mixed steamed vegetables is between Jacobs and Bannon.

John Potter (sporting a Spike Milligan beard since I last saw him at Xmas Hogarth) did wonderful impersonations of Michael Parkinson and, in particular, Michael Caine, from the recent interview of one by the other.  A Caine line something like ‘And you realise, Michael, I’ve never told that story to anybody before’ led to John telling a wonderful yarn.

He told a beautifully paced story, despite constant interruptions (mainly from Elliott who has perfected interjection as a combat sport), about him and Keith Conlon having the task of squiring various Miss South Australia, Australia (?) contestants, to various functions around Adelaide, over some days, perhaps in the 70’s. Potter was caring for someone who later became Miss Somewhere (SA or WA).  Ignition problems forced him to the embarrassment of having to tell her that his 1950s Renault had to be started by cranking in the back, where the engine was.  Stories were told of vomiting in an alley in Glenelg, etc., etc.  Well worth the price of the whole meal.

John McGowan, John Potter, Tony Colebatch, Michael Jacobs, Lisa Rouse, John Bannon, Paul Lloyd.
 
Paul Lloyd is renovating a shed on his property at Port Adelaide (or is it Semaphore?).  He asked John Bannon to ‘Open’ it.  Bannon tried to dodge.  The shed does not have council approval, for example, but he may well open it and my camera and I are invited.  (In time Angus Redford did the official opening).
Bannon laughed about the people who now can beat him in marathons and half marathons, that he is still competing in, because he is now ageing and slowing down.

Michael Jacobs, John Bannon, Paul Lloyd, Lisa Rouse, Malcolm Elliott (very pleased with the service), Ed Pegge.

Edmund Pegge had come well prepared and recited a poem (he knew that it was exactly 4½ minutes long) by Yevgeny Yevtushenko.  Ripping piece of entertainment.

JUNE

Thursday, June 19, 2003.
Hogarth Luncheon. Chesser Cellar, Chesser Street, Adelaide.
Diners:  Paul Lloyd, John Bannon, Tony Colebatch, Wayne Anthoney, Peter Tregilgas, Leo Davis. Non dining visitor: George Belperio.  Apology: Tony Short; (in NZ).

Tony Colebatch, Paul Lloyd, Wayne Anthoney, Peter Tregilgas, John Bannon.

John Bannon showed a superstitious side today.  He was out last night at a function and the name of John Edmund came up.  He’d not crossed his mind in years but the group started to reminisce about times when Edmund had launched Theatre 62 (it was contemporary so meant to be Theatre 63, 64, etc., but it never changed).  John was in several productions and Malcolm Elliott, ever aware of money, joined in with memories of never being paid by Edmund.  Or have I confused him with Rick Marshall? (who certainly did not pay) who was also discussed.  There were stories about him (Marshall) being gaoled (was it for ‘unnatural practices’?) and running a Theatre Group from inside and being allowed to take convicted killers out of gaol for performances, etc., etc.  Lots and lots of anecdotes.  But back to Bannon who was phoned early this morning to be told that John Edmund had just died, last night, at about the time of the conversation.

John was suggesting that some sort of “transmission” had occurred. He got strong support from Wayne Anthoney who told a story involving aborigines.  Bannon then told of his Grandmother, an avid golfer, feeling that she had to leave in the middle of a successful round, at the Bendigo Golf Links, and going home to find that her husband, John’s Grandfather, had died or was dying.  Paul Lloyd had a tale to tell along the same lines.  Tony Colebatch couldn’t stand it anymore.  He roared his disapproval of the superstition.  I was asked an opinion, as a “scientist” and, being cornered, conceded that I couldn’t rule out electromagnetic waves being generated by intense thought or feelings and people “picking them up” the way one suddenly hears their name across a crowded room at a party.  Tony was not happy but the “Actors” seemed satisfied by the benefit of doubt “the scientist” allowed.

Tony Colebatch, Paul Lloyd, Wayne Anthoney.

Somehow Bannon got onto a discussion of and a defence of Federalism in Australia and he explained the strengths of our system.  Tony Colebatch told that his experiences in Indonesia had weakened his faith in Federations.

Paul Lloyd spoke of “the wanker who is ‘thinker in residence’”.  Bannon took him to task for anti intellectualism.


Paul Lloyd, George Belperio (visiting), Wayne Anthoney.

The election of Michael Harbison as Lord Mayor was discussed.  Bannon thinks that Greg Mackie misread the play and that he was originally a “spoiler” to help the incumbent to be re-elected but then thought, in error, that he could win himself, and so helped Harbison win.  John thinks Harbison can make a good Lord Mayor.  Wayne Anthoney, who spends most of his time in the N.T., didn’t realise that Harbison had been elected.  He said he remembered him with affection “from the Circus Oz days”.  Bannon said he might invite Harbison along to a luncheon.


Peter Tregilgas, John Bannon, George Belperio, Tony Colebatch, Paul Lloyd (hidden), Wayne Anthoney.

As usual Wayne Anthoney told simple jokes so well that we all fell about laughing helplessly.  Though we had been drinking.  I can barely remember any and I’d not be able to tell them anyway.

He started one saying “I’ve no idea why this is funny but people always laugh”.  And he was doubly right!  I’ve no idea why it was funny and, after we’d all laughed ourselves sore, for five minutes we discussed, with no conclusions, the reasons for it being funny.

The joke went somewhere along the lines of a person at Heaven’s door getting all the answers wrong. What is Xmas?  It’s the celebration of the parting of the waters as Moses crossed the Red Sea. What did Noah do?  He fed the 5000 with two loaves and five fish.  And so on.  What happened when Jesus was nailed to the cross? I lose the plot here but a final answer is something like “Each year the Jews come back and roll back the stone and if Jesus is still there the baseball season is six weeks longer”  And we (and everyone it seems) laughed and laughed.  At least when Wayne tells it.

A man says to his wife “Let’s try different positions tonight”. “OK. You do the ironing and I’ll sit in front of the TV and fart”.

A brunette goes to the Doctor complaining that every part of her body hurts dreadfully.  Where ever she pokes herself she feels terrible pain and cries out. “Your finger is broken”.

Etc.

But Wayne is serious too.  He spoke of Alice Springs as consisting of parallel universes. Two communities pass through each other without contact.  He is setting up a camel catching project.  The aboriginal community gets $300 per camel, after transport costs.

JULY

Thursday, July 17, 2003.

Hogarth Luncheon. Upstairs at Chesser Cellar, Chesser Street, Adelaide.
Diners:  Paul Lloyd, Malcolm Elliott, Tony Short, Peter Tregilgas, Leo Davis.

 Malcolm Elliott praised Paul’s Advertiser opinion item that appeared on Tuesday. He said it was such a relief to find something so positive in the paper.  Paul told us that he was very relieved to have the item published.  He has written up to three articles in a week, without having anything published. He was asked to write the article in question for Monday publication but it was not published.  He went to his editor and said “What if the manager of Mitsubishi has 30% of his production not used?”  The article was printed next day


Lisa Rouse serving pudding to Paul Lloyd.

A discussion about Adelaide publications followed, including The Messenger papers, the Adelaide Review and the “throw away”.  Paul says that The Sunday Mail is a good paper and is in real competition with The Advertiser.  His colleagues say “We must publish this before The Mail breaks it”.  Music papers were discussed.  Paul was surprised that David Sly, the new editor of the Adelaide Review, was allowed to work on, at the Advertiser, for some months after he’d accepted the post at the Adelaide Review.  He thought Sly should have been dismissed summarily, and that it showed the Advertiser staff did not understand what a threat that paper presented.

Tony Short gave us a long lecture on the difference between Common Law and Statutory law.  I didn’t understand much more than the fact that I had no idea of the differences and so should not have laughed so quickly when Joh B-P didn’t understand the separation of powers. The differences from the Napoleonic Code were a revelation to this rarity at Hogarth, a non law trained chap.


Peter Tregilgas, Tony Short, Malcolm Elliott, Paul Lloyd

Tony Short told a lovely story about the pace of life in Rural NZ north island, where he spends 6 months each year. He went into a local shop and asked for the Wellington or Auckland daily.  “Do you want today’s or yesterday’s?”  “Today’s”  “Well you’ll have to come back tomorrow

Short did not approve of the lamb we had today.  Not up to NZ standards. He often makes complaints about the food and the service.  He is a diabetic and delays in the arrival of food can be a problem for his sugar levels.

 The principal at Gilles Street Primary School was discussed.  One of today’s chaps has a child or children, or did have, at the school.  He disapproved of him being re-appointed despite the “10 year rule”. In fact I think he spent a year away, “on the round about” before being re-appointed. And he disapproved of the possessive way the principal spoke of “my parents”. “One of my parents is a publican”.  I can’t see the cause for concern.  But worst of all a new hall at the school is to be named after him!  Some time tabler, Tony Colebatch, had his last teaching post as Principal at Gilles St Primary School where he taught Paul Lloyd’s two daughters.

Somebody took a poorly framed (so it certainly was not Lloyd) shot.  It has been cropped to retrieve the image above.

Peter Tregilgas told of attending the funeral of a second Mitchell, brother of Hogarth stalwart, John, already deceased.  He promised he’d complete the trifecta and attend the third brother’s funeral, if he happens to be in the UK at the right time.  Recently I said to John’s widow, when I saw her at Christos Juhansens’ 60^th, that I was sorry to hear that her brother-in-law had died. “Good riddance! I wish he’d died years ago. He swindled us of half a million dollars.”  Peter told us that Neville(?) had gone into the Anglican priesthood after two of his sons were already priests, and after “getting into some trouble”.  Financial?  The matter Pam referred to?

Stories about an actor were told with some relish and malice. Rick Marshall (think it was him) was a repeating and incorrigible (tautology?) con man.  He successfully conned the same people again and again. He didn’t pay his actors.  Elliott told of a cast going on strike and refusing to go on stage until they were paid.  And they were.  Marshall operated a puppet show, from inside gaol, and, according to Tregilgas, most of the cast were convicted killers.  They were allowed out of gaol for performances.  The voices were “dubbed”, on tapes, by the likes of Elliott.
 

Grantley Payze, Michael Jacobs, Lisa Rouse, John Bannon, Edmund Pegge, Malcolm Elliott.
 

Plum pudding is toasted.    Wayne hand, John Potter, Tony Short, John McGowan (hidden), George Belperio,  Frank Staltari, Grantley Payze, Michael Jacobs, John Bannon,

Edmund Pegge, Malcolm Elliott, Lloyd’s flute.

John Potter (sitting or rising), Frank Staltari, Grantley Payze, Michael Jacobs, John Bannon, Edmund Pegge, Robert Martin. 


George Belperio and Frank Staltari sporting Bali tans.

Peter Tregilgas grabs a chance with Lisa Rouse.


George Belperio, Frank Staltari, Grantley Payze, Michael Jacobs (hidden, drinking), John Bannon (leading a spirited singing of ‘The Good Ship Venus’), Edmund Pegge, Robert Martin.


George Belperio, Frank Staltari, Grantley Payze, Michael Jacobs (smoking a cigarette) , John Bannon, Edmund Pegge (smoking a pipe).

 
Wayne (Potter, Short & McGowan to his left) has just told a very simple joke.  Something like people are arriving at Heaven’s door must bring an object with spiritual significance. 

A string of examples that I forget till a guy arrives and pulls a pair of knickers from his pocket.  ‘What’s spiritual about them?’  ‘Oh, they’re Carol’s.’ 

You may not think it’s funny but look at the reaction above!  It’s all in the telling.

 

Primo had to be summoned to play his role in the following piece written by Wayne.

 
Tony Brooks amused us with a tale.


Grantley Payze, John Bannon, Edmund Pegge (conducting again) Malcolm Elliott and Tony Brooks sing Carols accompanied by Paul Lloyd.