Close encounters of the famous kind
Many of us have had close encounters with a celebrity. It might be bumping into a famous footballer at Bunnings, spotting a singer in Spotlight or seeing a movie star on the street. However, two Living Gems homeowners had more than just a brush with fame.
Roy’s star-studded line-up
Now enjoying a more relaxing lifestyle at Living Gems Gold Coast, Roy McKeen’s professional career and personal interests has had him rubbing shoulders with some of the most notable figures of the 20th century.
The former radio presenter and jazz aficionado also had a career as a police officer in Ireland, which resulted in getting up close and personal with the Rolling Stones’ Mick Jagger!
“In 1963 I was a police sergeant stationed in Belfast City Centre.
One evening I was on duty and saw a crowd of teenagers milling around a theatre where the Rolling Stones had been appearing,” he said.
“There was a lot of noise. I went into the crowd and suddenly I found Mick Jagger standing beside me looking quite scared. I grabbed him face-on (those lips!) and carried him to an adjacent police car, told him to get into the back seat, and, as he was bending to get in, I pushed him on the backside to get him in quickly,” Roy laughed.
“I told the driver to take Mick to the Grand Central Hotel where the Stones were staying, and away they went.”
“I have no claim to fame except that I once had my hand on Mick Jagger’s arse!”
But that’s not entirely true. Roy recounts that he and his wife Olivia also bumped into Sir Edmund Hilary – the first man, along with Sherpa Tenzing Norgay – to successfully scale Mount Everest.
“It was in 1985. We were in San Francisco en route to London for a couple of nights. The hotel room opposite ours had a plaque on the door stating, ‘The Sir Edmund Hillary Room’.”
“One afternoon Olivia and I came back to our room and saw Sir Edmund trying to open the door of his room with a key. The key wouldn’t work, so we introduced ourselves as being from Auckland (where we were living at that time) and offered to help. He declined our offer but shook our hands and went down to reception for help,” he said.
But number one on Roy’s list was renowned Olympian Jesse Owens.
The American athlete won four gold medals – the 100-metre sprint, long jump, the 200 metres and the 4 x 100 metre relay – at the 1936 Berlin Olympics.
“In 1971, I was a representative in Auckland for WD & HO Wills – aka Benson & Hedges. Jesse Owens was in Auckland during a promotional tour for the company and I met him briefly at company HQ,” he said.
Names Roy can rattle off include well-known figures in Australian politics including former Prime Ministers Gough Whitlam and Malcolm Turnbull, Federal MP Doug Anthony and former Brisbane Lord Mayor Sallyanne Atkinson.
But when it comes to the entertainment world, there was one name from the industry that he will always remember.
“Guy Mitchell was my pop music favourite singer when I was a teenager in the 1950s,” said Roy. “He was an American from Detroit who had hit after hit including My Truly Truly Fair, She Wears Red Feathers, Heartaches by the Number, Christopher Columbus, and Belle Belle My Liberty Belle.
“His biggest hit was in 1956 when his record of Singing the Blues was top of the USA Top Twenty for ten consecutive weeks, beaten only by Elvis Presley’s All Shook Up.”
Roy had the opportunity to meet his pop idol in 1991.
“I saw him in concert at Twin Towns Services Club at Coolangatta on the Gold Coast. Being a member of his fan club, I appeared with him on Channel Nine TV in Brisbane,” he said.
“Before we went on TV, we were sitting in the green room having our faces powdered to prevent shining from the studio lights. Guy said to me that I didn’t have an Aussie accent and when I said that I was born in Ireland he started to sing When You Were Sweet Sixteen.
“I joined in, and we sang a couple of verses to the amusement of the studio staff.
“When I was 15 and Guy Mitchell was the hottest singer on the planet, and you had told me that one day I would sing with him I would not have believed you!”
