Glitter Strip icon memories flood in
Fave sayings: ‘Astute’ ... ’Any crowd’ ... ’Tip her, she has kids’
COLLEAGUES and friends of Glitter Strip security identity Richie Ahsam - who died suddenly this week - have recounted his amusing one-liners and many colourful anecdotes.
A social media page in honour of the father-of-two and respected longtime Hollywood Showgirls security boss is being flooded with memories and his unique sayings.
It comes as a Gofundme for his family - wife Danielle, teenage daughter Leilani and son Isaiah - soars past a fundraising target of $25,000, nearing $30,000.
The Gofundme campaign organiser Avlon says: “It is with great sadness and a heavy heart we share the unexpected passing of Richie Ahsam on Monday. Our family lost an incredibly special husband, father, son, brother, uncle, nephew and cousin. All who knew our beloved Uncle Rich were privileged to know a fun, loving and caring person. He was so loved by all who knew him and his absence will leave a huge hole that cannot be filled.”
Mr Ahsam, 50, had texted friends a week ago that was feeling “sick as” and
off to hospital but is understood to have returned home, gone to bed and not woken up.
‘NOT IN FRONT OF THE MEMBERS!’
Craig Duffy, the owner of Hollywood - dubbed a “club with a difference” - recalled on the tribute page, a time they were playing golf at a prestigious course.
“Coming up to the 9th hole near the club house he wanted to do something outrageous (I won’t say what) and at odds to the etiquette of the game.
“I yelled out, ‘No! Not in front of the members’. “We both laughed. This would be said many times over the following decade at Hollywood Showgirls if certain things were going to be or had been done.
“He would say it very serious and posh. But totally joking - ‘Not in front of the members’.”
Mr Duffy recalled other favourite sayings included “astute” and “any crowd”.
Ex-colleague Shelley Couch recalled when she first started at the venue he would always refer to her as “Shaniqua”: “But then pulling me aside and saying ‘I know your name’.”
She added: “Richie, so sad, I truly can’t believe it. All the memories. You constantly serenading (colleague) Craig Pesco in the office, to kicking him off his office chair. You are and will be missed.”
‘SO SERIOUS & DEAD FUNNY’
Rhys Osborne recalled: “Top of the Hellenika for lunch, listening to Richie crack the funniest one liners I’ve ever heard for hours on end, have not met another man to be able to be so serious and be dead funny in the same sentence.”
Josh Taylor recalled first meeting him in 2013 when he started working on the Hollywood security team: “The first thing Richie said to me was ‘Damn you too big to be working here, you are taller then me’ followed by a massive smile and handshake. So many wonderful memories and laughs with him over the years. We will all miss you dearly Richie, thank you for everything.”
‘HEY MA - AVENGE ME’
Fellow Glitter Strip hospitality figure Anthony Cerantonio recalled Mr
Ahsam coming to his family-owned venue Howl at the Moon in Broadbeach every few weeks.
“Rich would come in for a drink before work, or come back to our house after he finished in Surfers. He used to have so many sayings - every time he saw you “ahhhh Suuuu Suuuuuuuu!
“Or when after many drinks in the early morning he’d pull his phone out and pretended he was talking to his Mum ‘Hey Ma - I’m with the Italians - any funny business, you come to the place I told you and avenge me’.
“I never saw him in a bad mood he was always on - always funny, always joking, always the biggest personality in the room.
“This group was a great idea, much respect and hope you are all doing ok, especially his beautiful family and closest friends.”
Hollywood colleague Craig Pesco recalled: “I believe this ‘call’ was developed for his family, but I also joined the club on our several trips to Las Vegas. When we would go out together, Richie had this “ch-ch” noise he would make if we got separated. It was only quiet but it seemed to reverberate and travel long distance direct to your ear. I’d spin around and see Rich 20 metres away in the mall.
“Good times. ‘Ch-ch’ my brother.”
‘TIP HER, SHE HAS KIDS’
Another ex-hollywood colleague Kylie Kelly recalled: “I’ve been and gone from Hollywood over the years but he’s always been the same!
“When I came back after my first daughter he would tell me and these different tricks me and my partner should do to have a boy: ‘Bro the room needs to be really cold’ or ‘I spent a week talking to all the mums at the gym crèche about how they got a boy you should do that.’
“But nothing beats all the times I would walk past him waitressing or behind the bar and he would start doing the Haka or singing ‘E papa Waiari’ and he would say ‘Come on Hon bro you know this one’ - or when guys would talk to me and he would say ‘aye she’s married, she’s got a partner and kids’ - or when I would take drinks to his table he would say to whoever he was with ‘Aye make sure you tip her, she has kids’.”