Bye Reg and Brian

The bushfires have left many of us with heavy hearts.
As the news started to come out about the loss of life around the state Sunday night was spent ringing many people to find out how they were fairing.
This is a regular activity during these times but this time the calls were going out across the state.

Finally on Monday night the news was not good. Many families had been lost and Entertainment Industry Stalwarts and their partners were gone.

Brian Naylor and his wife Moiree were the first bad news with the announcement that they had died fighting to save their home.

I remember Mr Naylor from the Days of first "Swallows Juniors" and later "Brian and the Juniors". Brian and the Juniors showed us that the song not the puffery is what matters. He was always able to acknowledge a young kid off camera just there to watch his big sister sing.

He also maintained the gravitas of the serious newsreader when he took over the chair in the newsroom from Eric Pearce.

Reg Evans and Angela were next announced missing. Reg was a great performer and all round good guy. There was no artifice you always got Reg. I last saw him at Fortyfive downstairs where he was playing in a Russian piece. He was full of life then as always.

Angela had been apparently recently talking about an exhibition of her work at Fortyfive.

Since starting on my list, Reg was one of the people who called to me last Friday and I had been puzzling since then on the correct aphorism that helped show the man.

The closest I could come was the following:

Reg is like the acting equivalent of Grange, a bit cheeky and tart when young but showing a fuller body with greater and more compex undertones when properly bottle aged and decanted sensitively. Although enjoyable now still has the potential for more enjoyment later.

Sadly we will never now realise what this classic might have become.
Even Variety this week has noted the passing of these two older statesmen of the industry although it strikes me as a somewhat backhanded tribute. Read the headline and you will see what I mean. The more I read it the more shallow I find the American Entertainment media to be.

Vale Reg and Brian and Moiree and Angela.

And Vale all the others who were just getting on with their lives at home on the wrong day. You will all be missed and words are useless at this time.

And to those who chose to risk their lives to fight this monster and to all those who have supported them during this time congratulations.