Rambling Man Part 2…January
Congratulations go to RAY WOOLF on his MNZM in the New Years Honours List. Well deserved.
MAX CRYER has another Book out, it’s call “IN PRAISE OF CATS”. Anyone who’s ever had a moggy will identify with Max’s writings about them. Witty, well researched and very entertaining. A typical line…’Dogs come when they are called, cats take a message and get back to you later’. A fun and educational read.
The ROCKONZ HALL OF FAME AWARDs are underway for presentation in Christchurch during the last week of February next. Last year the inaugural event was a great success with fans of fifties and sixties music travelling from Brisbane, Adelaide and Auckland to relive memories of our youth. They were the first Hall Of Fame Awards in the Country and now APRA and RIANZ have their own too. Bigger budgets for publicity gave the latter higher profile… so I thought it appropriate to recap some highlights from ROCKONZ. The International Star section awards went to MAX MERRITT, DINAH LEE and RAY COLUMBUS & THE INVADERS. We were all from the Garden City so it was a special night.
The packed Christchurch Town Hall rocked to our shows, Max and Dinah backed by their Australian Band who toured NZ to tie in with ROCKONZ. The Invaders are rather reduced in numbers with Wally Scott (guitar) dying 25 years earlier and Jimmy Hill (drums, vocals) five years ago (strangely enough… they were both from Mataura and Gore in Southland and worked there in the Freezing works in their youth!
So remaining members Billy Karaitiana (Kristian)(bass, vocals) and Dave Russell (Guitar, vocals) (who flew in from Melbourne) were presented with their own awards… well deserved and we opted to perform only as a trio with ex-“That’s Country” drummer Wayne Allen.
Dave and Billy are legends in music Down Under and the fans loved the Invaders’ old hits being reproduced all over again. It was a buzz for all of us. A highlight of the Awards night was special guest Trevor King (promoter, manager, raconteur) being in the audience. He came to see us all backstage, which was special as he was instrumental in Max’s early career…where he was Manager/mentor and I know he gave Dinah lots of advice too. We had a special bond because Trevor also managed Movie Theatres in the fifties like The Avon, The Regent, The Tivoli… remember them?… and I was an Ice Cream Boy, so I already knew Trevor by the time I started breaking out with the Invaders. Trevor was always available with some sound advice… even though he was actively involved with Max & The Meteors business. Sadly Trevor was in Hospital again soon after New Year with another Stroke but I phoned him and he was in good spirits… always positive.
Time marches on and memories of Max and his family from Los Angeles and Christchurch at the event and in and around the parade that preceded it flow back now with the realisation that soon after Max was struck by the terrible Good Pastures disease in LA. Which makes the significance of the Awards even more special Max’s Children and Grandchildren saw what He means to Christchurch and New Zealand, and were there when he was honoured.
Earlier in the day, in Victoria Square there was a huge gathering of fans following on from the classic car parade when Dinah, Max and I were called to the stage by the then Mayor of Christchurch Garry Moore ; whereby he presented us with the Key To The City.
We were all blown away by this honour…rare, for Rock ‘n Roll singers/musicians anywhere and for me personally, I felt that finally my late Dad, Jack would have been happy (he really wanted me to be like Fred Astaire not Elvis) as indeed would all three sets of parents.
Who knows what will happen in the 2008 Awards. Watch this space.
My EECP treatments are slowing down now and I’m feeling great. Old friends like Suzanne Lynch who haven’t seen me for a while are full of positive comments on how healthy I look but for me personally I’m thrilled with the re-growth of my thinning pate and the return of some high notes in singing that I lost over thirty years ago AND my brain is functioning so much better-3 years after my Heart Event (sometimes I felt like there was a blancmange up there in my cranial reaches!)
BUT they are ADDED bonuses to the state of my heart…my HR (heart rate) is around the late 50’s and early 60’s and BP (Blood pressure) around the 120’s over 80’s. I’ve still got some peripheral Vascular disease from all the years of smoking fags (which caused the attack in the first place) but that is improving all the time.
February 6 is Chinese New Years Eve and time for us followers to prepare for the Year Of The RAT. So if you are planning any changes in your life this year;
I suggest you start the changes from February 7th.Benjamin Disraeli…a famous Rat said” Variety Is The Mother Of Enjoyment” how true.
The Year Of The Rat is one of considerable Opportunity. Enjoy it. I know I am going to.
dayze27 - 15 years ago
Ray Columbus at the ROCKONZ Awards…………….
Im sure Wally would have loved for one of his 3 children to have recieved this award on his behalf?? What about Jimmy Hill’s family?? Oh well.
By the by, Wally Scott was inducted into the NZ Musicians Hall of Fame in Invecargille recently (2009) A great honour. The overwhelming crowd expressed thier love & respect for him, it was so awesome – Southlanders ROCK!