Saturday, April 21, 2018

8.9.67 Making contact


Postmarked 8 Sept 67

SYDNEY! (Though except for the doubledeckers it could be home.) [Good grief!]

Courtesy Ferdous
Well, the weather here hasn’t so far been all it should – it’s been alternately hot and raining all day. And guess what – I now have a Saul – and like his counterpart he’s been misbehaving – in the first real gust of wind he blew himself inside out!!  [Presumably an umbrella but why a 'Saul' is now lost in the mists of time.] And broke two of the little hinges off. I’ve fixed one, I think, (now that I’m back at the hotel) but the other has lost the bit that holds it together – may be able to use a bit of cunning - we’ll see. Felt a bit silly walking along with along with a slightly flattened umbrella – but it’s only been necessary in the dark after the pictures and anyway it was better than getting soaked, which almost happened at lunch-time.

A long and busy day. Rang up Lovejoy (Glenda’s friend) and he wasn’t in till 11.00 (but made friends with his (middle-aged) secretary and we had a bit of a chat. [Lovejoy was my ‘contact’ in Oz to try and put me onto the ‘right’ people. Glenda Ferrall was my friend from the NZ Opera Company’s Die Fledermaus tour.] Rang Anne [Newbury, the oboist I later stayed with] but she was out too. Rang Cecil – I never thought that he would be one of these slow, slow, speakers. (One of the kind that has never finished when you start talking.) [Cecil Purdy, one of my father’s best and oldest friends and supporters. A top chess player in Oz.] However, we had a bit of a yarn, and he said to call in and see him if I was going to be in town. Went exploring around here again – constant delights at every turn, plus sudden downpours! I’m just a wee way from Elizabeth Bay, five minutes’ walk in fact, and when it was sunny this morning, it was beaut. The sun always dried me out, anyway. Rang back Lovejoy, appointment for 4.30 this arvo. Went into town (after nearly forgetting letter to Lovejoy) and finished up having a long leisurely lunch with Mr Purdy. He’s got a cute wee shop up on the second floor – you probably know it [she probably didn’t, since she had lived in Melbourne] - and I met his secretary and his junior girl. The secretary, Mrs Shiel (a Dooley [Catholic], so Cecil informs me) was very pleasant and we three had quite a chat both before and after lunch (which Cecil paid for, in spite of my arguments.) He’s a nice old fellow when he gets talking, which we did. We rang up Pikler, and I’ve got to get in touch with him on Saturday. [Robert Pikler, a contact at the Sydney Conservatorium.]

Went to the Massive Public Library (after going round and round in circles, in and out of arcades, into two parts of the David Jones Ladies' shop, trying to get an umbrella), after lunch. It’s tremendous, in every sense, but seems to have a lack of system. [I didn’t understand it, more likely.] Upstairs there’s a part called the Mitchell Library, housing old prints and pictures and original diaries and letters etc. There were several Brothers (Christian) there and one of them was the brother of a boy I went to school with – name of Vincent (I went with Colin – but don’t know this one’s name). He’s the fellow whose face was all scarred and burnt – but I introduced meself (never actually met him before) and we had quite a wee chat! Isn’t it funny?

Finally got out to the University where Lovejoy is, after dying a thousand deaths, and being late – the bus took much longer than planned – and this was where me umbrella blew up! Anyway, he was busy with some people, so I talked to his secretary again, Miss Lonsdale, she is, until he was ready. [Seem to make a habit of this on this trip – the confidence of youth.] [2018 – or it could be that this was a useful trait: getting to know people.]

He was very helpful; besides giving me a list of names – ‘tell them Jack sent you’ so to speak, of others that might be useful for jobs, he personally rang Stephen Hall, who was the guy I’d been writing to, and passed him onto me. I audition on Monday, playing the pieces, probably, and possibly doing a bit of sightreading for some singers who are going to audition. So!! Here’s hoping. There seems to be plenty of things going on here, even if I don’t get in with the Trust meantime, so here’s hoping I’ll be back here soon! [Elizabethan Theatre Trust, which also covered opera at that time.]

Went to a terrible movie – a Walt Disney, too! Called The Ugly Dachshund – and it was too terrible. Everybody looked slightly bored, including the animals, (who had to create one horrible unfunny mess after the other). UGH! [1966 move with Dean Jones and Suzanne Pleshette, the staples of Disney movies of that period. Leonard Maltin thinks it is ‘silly’ too.] In the first half was the Winnie the Pooh film which was only about 20 minutes long – it wasn’t terribly successful either, but still a Disney cartoon. Must go XXX See ya, Love to you and Fred. Mike

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