When I think back on all the people I have met over the years I realize I have actually met quite a few local 'celebs'. Now to those who don't know Western Australia mainly the Perth area this will seem like not much at all. Especially to all my American relatives, I know it's not quite the same as meeting the big stars over there but for us Perthies it's kind of an OMG moment because although we know these celebs live locally you just never expect to run into them.
My first encounter was while I was shopping at our local Woolworths Grocery Store and I was pushing my trolley along minding my own business when a lady and I both wanted to go in opposite directions but were coming at each other front on. So I moved aside and let the lady through, though as I'm moving I'm thinking to myself, 'man you look familiar.' The lady thanked me for moving and we smiled at each other and went on our way and then it clicked where I had seen her. It was Jenny Seaton!!! And I'm thinking to myself 'Oh my GOD I just met Jenny Seaton! Jenny Seaton who I just watched on t.v this morning! Jenny Seaton is shopping at Mirrabooka Square!!! She can shop anywhere!! But I just met Jenny Seaton!!' Now for those of you who don't understand my surprise of Jenny Seaton one of our local t.v presenters shopping at Mirrabooka Square it's like this, Mirrabooka is not exactly an affluent area, it's quite rough and quite a lot of crime and here she was obviously straight from the set and doing her shopping. I was 18 at the time and totally star struck but have to say in the brief meeting we had she is a lovely person.
My second encounter was with Bruce Samazan. For those of you who remember he was on Neighbours, an Aussie soap. So this time I was at a christmas function for kids with disabilities (Luke has Autism) with my ex-husband and all our kids when they were very young and I spotted Bruce not knowing he would be there. I said to my ex-husband, 'hey that's Bruce Samazan, what's he doing here?' to which David replied, 'obviously supporting the kids.' hmmm I thought to myself as at that time I thought Bruce was quite cute. I said to David, 'I want to go meet him but what should I say?' obviously I didn't want to look like a star struck idiot!! Not so easy to do in my family hehehe... David then said 'why don't you just go say hi.' So I thought about it and told him I'd be back in a minute. So I walked over to him and said 'Hi I'm just wondering what time Father Christmas starts handing out the presents.' Can you believe that was the best I could come up with!? Bruce nicely replied, 'in about half an hour and I hope you and your family have fun today.' I thanked him and then went back to David and the kids in total disbelief and thinking I can't believe that's all I could think of to say to him and why oh why didn't I ask him for his autograph or a photo!!! What was I thinking!! But did I really want to look like a crazed fan who thought he was cute?? I don't think so. Now I look back it was quite funny that I watched him on t.v every night and all I could ask him was what time Father Christmas handed out the presents...But I have to say he was very nice and friendly.
So encounter number three happened quite some years back after David and I had split and I was seeing Rick. Rick got it into his head we should go to Cottesloe for lunch one afternoon, and for anyone who doesn't know Perth, Cottesloe is an affluent yuppy area and I'm from the wrong side of town you could almost say hehehehe.....I'm from BALGA!! Definitely not affluent or yuppy side of town....Balga's the lock your doors and don't look anyone in the eye side of town....lol. Any way we had lunch and afterwards we were walking down the street on a nice summer day when I saw this lady coming towards me (no it wasn't Jenny Seaton again hehe) and I'm thinking to myself, 'you look so familiar where have I seen you.' And as we pass each other we give each other a friendly good afternoon smile and kept walking and then it hits me...AGAIN....It was Susanna Carr!!!! Susanna Carr has been Perth's local anchor woman for channel 7 news for quite some years now. So as she passes me I turn to Rick and say, 'OH MY GOD that was Susanna Carr!!'.. keeping in mind she's barely passed us. Rick turns to me and says, 'Do you have to be so loud about it?' and I'm like, 'But that was Susanna Carr, oh my god I can't believe I just got smiled at by Susanna Carr.' Well, Rick just put his head in his hand and shook it until we were out of sight but I was quite chuffed I'd just spotted Susanna Carr who tells me the news every night at 6pm.
My third encounter was with Todd Johnston who was lead singer of a local band called V-Kapri and my older sister Melissa was in love with him when we were in high school and I remember her being so excited because his band played at her high school one year. Well I was doing some work experience in a local hair and retail salon when Todd walked in and straight away I recognized him as he now does the weather on another local news channel. I had just finished serving a customer and he came straight up to me and asked if we had any bobby pins as his daughter needed them for dance class. He is very friendly and down to earth and also quite short for a guy but I overlooked that hehe. I helped him find what he was looking for and the whole time I'm thinking, 'I'm talking to Todd Johnston...argh!!! Mel will be so jealous..' Any way he paid for what he needed and was on his way only to be back about half an hour later with his wife in tow because he'd bought the wrong thing hehehe, never send a man to by girl things. His wife was nice but nowhere near as down to earth as Todd and all the while I'm helping his wife find the right clips she needed he is just chatting away to me and asking if we were busy and what I had planned for the weekend. He's just such a nice person, I think he could see his wife was getting a little demanding so was be extra friendly to counteract her fussiness. I finally served Todd and his wife for a second time and as they were leaving he gave me the biggest smile and told me to have a great weekend. That was an encounter I won't forget.
Well my last encounter was only a few years back and very few people know him but I remember him from when I was about 6 years old and onwards. I'd been living in Ballajura for a few years when I was walking into my local shopping center and saw an elderly gentleman that looked familiar to me but I couldn't place his name. However he saw me looking at him and gave a smile so I smiled back at him politely and kept on my way do do my shopping. While pushing the trolley around I came across the same gentleman who was obviously looking for something and saw me again and asked me what isle the tomato sauce was in. I pointed him in the right direction and he thanked me and said have a lovely day to which I wished him the same. For days after I met him it was bugging me that I couldn't think who this man was. A few months later I was back down at the same shopping center only this time with a friend who had taken me shopping as my car was being serviced. As we were walking into the shop I spotted the same man again and said to my friend Silvana, 'I know that man from somewhere but I don't know where.' When Silvana looked at the man she said to me, 'his name is Peter, one of the brothers from the hall is studying the bible with him.' (we are Jehovah's witnesses so hence the bible study) And again it clicked to where I'd seen him as soon as she said his name. His name is Peter Dean and he used to help host a local children's t.v show here in W.A called 'Fat Cat's Fun Time Show'. Me and my sisters loved it and we watched it every Saturday morning as soon as we got out of bed. I so wanted to go up to Peter Dean and say 'I used to watch you on t.v when I was a little girl,' but again I didn't want to seem like an absolute crazed maniac at 32 years of age so I just smiled at him and let it go. However I did tell Silvana I used to watch him on t.v but unless you grow up here in W.A and watch the local channels, people just don't get it. Chris came over from New South Wales when he was 8 and he doesn't remember Fat Cat's Fun Time Show at all. I saw Peter Dean several more times at the local shopping center before I left the city and moved to the country. He is a lovely man who occasionally needs help finding his grocery items but I enjoyed helping him a few more times after that first meeting and it took all I had not to blurt out' I used to love watching you on t.v with sunny sandgroper'.....trust me all the west aussies will know what a sunny sandgroper is....
So these are my sparkly encounters and as you can see they may not be world famous but to us locals in W.A it is exciting when you run into them on the street or at work but maybe that's just me and my nerdy way of reacting when I see a local celeb. Who knows how I'd be if I bumped into someone really famous.....not tactful I'm sure of that much hehehe.
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