Stuart G., West Melbourne, Publican/Writer/Script Writer/Continuity Writer.
My first few moments of moving into my apartment was to explore the close area to my new home. McMahon's Hotel, a backpackers lodge and local watering hole for those that live in the area just as I do. As a now regular there are a lot of familiar faces and names that I have to remember because they remember mine but Stuart here was the first of all of those.
The first thing I said to him when I grabbed my beer was "I'm new to the area I go by Tom" I usually introduce myself as Tom because it's just been something I've done most my life to help non-indigenous people not butcher my name but members of my own Aboriginal family still do so maybe I should tell them to call me the same also.
Since meeting Stuart I've got to learn a bit about his life and imagine my surprise when he told me that before becoming a publican he wrote over 80 episodes for "Neighbours" and a few other shows before his last Tv show he helped to work on as the Script Writer "The Gods Of Wheat Street". I was pretty amazed by this for some reason, I don't know but it helped to explain his character in the pub a little more to me.
From his showy way of standing in front of everyone on a Friday night yelling above everyone's voices to do the draw for a card picking game called "Joker Poker" to coming in on a quiet Sunday afternoon and just seeing him through the door and sorting out his paperwork for the things that must keep a now publican awake at night when running a bar.
Anyway these are a set of little photos I wanted to do with him because thought he had a pretty cool character with the last one being something he wanted to do - the quick story behind the last photo is Stuart looking up at the sky wondering whether it was going to rain today or not. You tell me what you think Naarm-Melbourne weather is like.
