THE INSIDE WORD
MAGIC MAN ON A MISSION
THE transition from bright idea to marketable service requires many things. Local magician Troy Logan, (or Troy Starr by his stage name), has the idea, time and dedication but he is lacking the dollars to make his dream a reality.
“I have always had a passion for helping small businesses and the best way of promoting in this day and age is to do a video for social media. That is where my idea for ‘Smoochit’ came about. It is a video marketplace, like Airtasker, but for creatives. Animators, copy writers, editors, and voice overs – whatever is needed we can provide.
“My life has been put on hold as I’ve trialled different ways to get this as a usable platform for anyone who needs some direction. It has now got to the point where I need some help to take it to the next level so I’ve started a GoFundme page under ‘ Smoochit’. I think it has the potential to be a global success but I need some assistance to get it out there.”
A Gold Coaster needs some help, folks.
THE BEAR ESSENTIALS
OUR love of selfies and recording every moment in life can sometimes lead to dangerous situations. Take the case of gal about town Leanne St Ge
TODAY’S pic is of comic genius Mark Mitchell in his most famous role as Con the Fruiterer.
He was appearing at Conrad Jupiters and a cake was produced for his birthday.
orge who has just returned from a trip to America with her partner Domenic Gallo. Part of the time away was a trek through Yosemite National Park where they had a close encounter of the ursine kind. Take it away Leanne. “We were hiking through the forest when I rounded a corner and saw this enormous brown bear attacking the bark of a tree about 20m 2 away. I put my h hand up to indicate to Dom to stop but he came bustling up loudly demanding to know w what the problem was. “I pointed at the bear and he went very silent. Luckily the bear didn’t seem to notice
Straight away he smashed the cake and adopted a threatening pose, like a dog over its food, to keep anyone else from sharing in it.
He is on record as a firm defender of the rights of
us so I did what anyone would do and took a video. One was for bragging rights and secondly if it all went horribly wrong, the authorities would know which bear had done us in,” she laughed. Their new favourite song is, of course, There’s a bear in there.
BIG DREAMS WITH A HELPING HAND
WHEN William Choy, then a student at All Saints Anglican School, was sworn in as Gold Coast Junior Mayor in 2016 his first remarks were about helping to fix some of the city’s social issues.
Fast forward to the present and William, now studying medicine at UNSW, has not lost that enthusiasm for helpcomedians and has some strong words to say about cancel culture. In essence he said that trying to eradicate comedy written of and for its time is utter stupidity.
“For many migrant Australians, Con was a hero
ing those in need. . A conversation n with fellow w medical student t Trayden Mun- dine, Anthony’s s cousin, was the e catalyst for they y and others set- ting up a unique e facility.
“It’s called d the Yalbilinya a Educational Project (or YEP) and it is a reciprocal mentoring scheme which allows us to help Indigenous students with their studies.
“Trayden pointed out that during the pandemic, when home schooling was required, it was Indigenous students who suffered the most. Many in his own suburban, mundane way,” he said. “No one can change the past; we have little real hope to change the future either, but we can take charge of the present.”
Funny and smart.
o of them didn’t have devices d or access to the internet so they got left behind. “This was a way for us to get involved, run weekly classes through the PCYC helping students around Redfern and a the inner city while a addressing the educational disparity. There are six of us at the moment and it has been such a rewarding process.” William has also applied and been accepted for a unique opportunity in Oxford. “Every medical school allows its students an exchange opportunity. Some go to aid organisations, others to country areas but I applied to the
Nuffield Department of Population Health at Oxford University. I didn’t think I would get accepted but it is an amazing opportunity to learn and work in a different field of medicine.”
One amazing young man with an enormous future.
LUCY IS BACK ON THE BOARDS
KATE Peters and her merry band of troubadours are currently in rehearsals to bring Sensationally Sondheim to the Gold Coast Little Theatre stage in late July.
Featuring the music of the legendary composer, the show will feature songs from West Side Story, Sweeney Todd, Gypsy and Follies to name a few. One of the talented locals who will be performing is Lucy Mcintosh (below) after an absence of 10 years since her last musical production.
“Work and raising two boys have conspired to keep me off stage but I am so excited to be working with Kate Peters and Kirri Adams in this show,” said Lucy.
“I wanted to show my children that it’s great to dedicate yourself to something you are passionate about. Thankfully they are right into it and have been helping me learn the lyrics and dance moves. It’s very funny because they know the songs and moves much better than I do now.
“I discovered that Kate and I performed on the exact same day at the Sydney Cabaret Convention 20 years ago. We didn’t know each other then but we suddenly have this long connection.” Tickets at GCLT.