THE INSIDE WORD
TV PRESENTER’S NEW BOBBY
THAT went fast. It only seemed like a few weeks ago that Channel 7’s Amanda Abate gave birth to baby Bobby.
It is in fact six months and she spoke about the changes in her life.
“It sounds so cliche, but nothing can prepare you for the enormous adjustment,” she says. “My husband (Brent Beauchamp) and I have gone from living a selfishly fun and carefree life to now where we have these major responsibilities with Bobby.
“I rarely leave the house or do anything alone,” she laughed. “I wonder now what I would do with all that spare time I once had.
“Bobby has taught me so much – to be more flexible, patient, worry less and live more in the present. I also had no idea about the challenges. Not so much nappies and sleep deprivation but deciding how you want to parent.
“He makes me laugh every day, occasional tears too, but we are definitely getting into a rhythm.”
The very best long-term project.
REMEMBERING A COMEDIC WIZARD
SAD news this week with the passing of the much-loved Jonathan Coleman. Many people have such wonderful memories of the loveable funnyman, including cosmetic surgery consultant Pamela Noon.
“I first met Jono when he was a reporter on Wonder World with Simon Townsend. He came to do a segment with me on Sheila Magazine and coached my presentation to give it a fun spin.
“We became great friends and he came to all the Sheila events after that and even contributed to the magazine for a time.
“My ex-husband was also a friend of Jono’s and somehow talked him into doing a TV commercial for a garden centre. He adlibbed the commercial – he was much funnier than any script – and dressed up as a garden gnome. His opening line still makes me laugh – ‘Gnome me?’.
“He was simply one of a kind and I never heard him say a bad word about anybody. What you saw or heard on air was exactly what you got with Jono.”
Gone too soon.
ROAR LIVES FOR RAW SUBJECT
IN 2001, Lynn Santer began what was to become a long journey.
In that year she hosted a fundraising event at The Star to raise money for the AfriCat foundation in Namibia. To help get things rolling, Hollywood
star Tippi Hedren, her good friend, flew out from Los Angeles to support the night.
To shorten a long story, Lynn’s focus then switched to banning the practice of trophy hunting which was operating under the premise of “scientific research”.
Over the years, information and video footage has been gathered to showcase how the system of “special permits” is being rorted to allow the slaughter of many endangered African animals.
With the help of numerous celebrities, Priscilla Presley and James Ganiere to name just two, and dedicated animal lovers around the world, a film project, Land of the Free, was born.
Now almost to the day of Lynn’s 60th birthday, the film has been released with a world premiere this weekend at Marina Del Ray Film Festival in California.
“The response has been astonishing with more than 100 invitations to show Land of the Free at film festivals from around the globe,” said Lynn.
“Hopefully this is the beginning of the end for this awful trade. We are lobbying everyone we can to help and I’ve started a campaign – $60 for my 60th – with the money going towards the cause.”
Go to LandOfTheFreeMovie.com if you can help.
FUNNYMAN AND THE COVID JOKE ON CRUISING
ENTERTAINER and speaker Scott Williams (below) bills himself as The Laughter Specialist or The Laugh Doctor and, if you have ever seen him “work” a room, it is a very apt description.
For somebody who has earned his living as a guest speaker at seminars around the world or entertaining on cruise ships, the past 18 months have been interesting to say the least.
“I feel lucky that I am closer to the end of my career and not a new artist desperately trying to find work,” he said.
“Cruising is beginning to come back in various parts of the world but the sooner we can create a travel bubble between Australia and New Zealand the better.
“The Australian events industry is spending more time rescheduling events than creating and staging them. Both of those industries create employment for vast numbers of people but they never get mentioned.
“I know when things do eventually get going again, it will take off like a rocket, but I feel we need to take a different approach to the whole Covid situation to save industries like those.”
Apart from work, Scott has turned his hand to learning a new skill and now considers himself to have mastered the art of making sourdough bread and bagels. Oh, and he also has a new grandson.