Eddie Hepple

When I visited Ernie the other night he gave me the latest edition of a magazine devoted to the history of Theatre in Australia. In the final few pages I found a listing of actors, writers and other theatre practitioners under the heading Exeunt...

When I was a kid, one of my favourite TV shows was The Rovers. This series was based around the adventures onboard an old boat captained by Sam "Cap" McGill. Cap was played by Eddie Hepple with child actor Grant Seiden as his grandson. The other main cast members were handsome Noel Trevarthen and gorgeous Rowena Wallace (plus various native Australian animals such as a cockatoo and a koala). Thinking about it now, I wanted those critters as pets, but I guess I also wanted to be the grandson living a life on the water.

In later years I would meet both Noel Trevarthen and Rowena Wallace. And in a strange twist I also had a connection with Grant Seiden (whose other claim to fame was starring in TV commercials as The Milky Bar Kid). It turned out Grant Seiden (now older and unrecognisable) and I drank at the same hotel night after night, week after week, in the Melbourne beachside suburb of St Kilda. Sadly, I don't recall us ever speaking to one another and by the time I found out who he was (and that we knew people in common) I was on the move to Sydney.

As for Eddie Hepple (who was sometimes credited as Edward or Teddy), he had a long and successful career as both an actor and a writer (my dream combination vocation). His most notable role later in his career would arguably be as Sid Humphries in Prisoner opposite fabulous Sheila Florance as Lizzie. There was something lovable, scruffy and Irish roguish about Eddie and I'm sure he would've had a great ability to tell enchanting tales of his life and times. I'm only sorry I never got the chance to find out. Sadly, when reading that Theatre magazine, I discovered he died last September aged 91. Farewell Eddie Hepple

tempted

I've got a much needed day off today... Last night I went to a dinner party at Ernie's, which was arranged the night we met up with Ewan and Gary at Bravo. Two other friends joined us and as usual there was lots of good food and the booze was flowing. A funny thing happened at the end of the night. We were talking about what we'd missed on TV - Marcia Hines on Enough Rope and John Michael Howson on Talking Heads. I would've loved to have seen both. Ewan then said that he'd recorded one of them (can't remember which one) and invited me back to his place to watch it. I suggested I could just borrow the disk, but apparently he'd used his dvd recorder, which meant he had it on the hard drive and not on a disk. It's seems a bit odd, even to a technophobe like me. It was raining outside so I told him I'd get a lift home with Gary rather than walk home in the rain later on. The thing is, after consuming quite a lot of booze I was feeling horny and I've looked at Ewan "that way" once or twice in the past, but for some reason I knew I'd be getting myself into dangerous territory if I accepted his offer. For a moment I was tempted, but I surprised myself with my ability to think with my head instead of my dick for a change. I've thought about this a bit and all I can figure out is it's somehow tied up with Jon. I wonder what he would've done...

still curious

Uh oh, here I go again... Jon and I have been seeing each other more and more since that first night and it's been fun. At first I told friends I wasn't interested in anything exclusive with Jon, but something went 'click' the other weekend and I found myself looking at him differently. I'm fighting it. I'm at this kooky stage where I'm torn between wanting to spend time with him, but not wanting to get into a situation that has the potential to get messy. I've been down this track before. I drift along, spending time with a man and then next thing you know it becomes a relationship. I need to back off, take it easy, but I can't help myself. For instance, Jon took me out for brunch today and then after we'd said goodbye I got home and couldn't resist ringing him to say hello. I think I've become needy. I like Jon. He's a lovely guy, but initially I never expected more than a bonk. Then I told myself I'll just go along with things until it's no longer fun. Well, it's still fun, but I'm not convinced he's 'the one' for me.

Maybe I'm full of shit. If I'm really honest, I'll admit I'm still curious about someone else...

the man

This is the man I hope to come home with tonight. I hope he goes to Palms...