Free Filling in the Gaps by Peter Keogh

well-loved household names. The biggest surprise, and I stress it was a ‘sad’ surprise, was the Rolf Harris arrest. He, too, is from Perth and I believe was a friend of my cousin, the Olympic swimming coach. Many mutual friends here and also staff at several radio and television stations in Australia confirmed the accusations about Mr Harris. I had also attended functions where most of the persons now in serious trouble were in attendance, but the only one who really gave me the creeps was Jimmy Saville, who was a big fan of Su. I always felt almost seedy around him. Every month or so now a new name seems to be exposed. I truly have been shocked by some of the names and it all seemed to be happening around the same time. Most curious and terribly sad, especially for the victims who had to wait so long to have their cases heard.

Beyond Su and Hello Sach
    My marriage to Su was well covered by the press and in my earlier book. Through her I had a life that seems like a dream today. Meeting idols, opening fetes, both of us asked to very high-profile events, receiving mail from fans of Su’s who wanted both our autographs, and so many photographs! English people gave me so much affection through Su that I am inspired by the memories of those days to keep on keeping on, when recent sad times have pushed my spirits to the depths. One very special incident was when I received a message from a certain William Brougham, who disliked me intensely over the years because he thought I was a hanger-on to Su’s coattails. However, when he recently flew to Australia and by chance bought and read my last book, he totally changed his opinion of me and we are now in regular contact through Facebook. This kind of reaction to my last book touches me deeply.
    Mind you, Su and I had our moments. I recall in New York one day a few days before her magnificent opening at the Park 10 Club we had a huge and hurtful fight in a yellow cab. I opened her door and pushed her out of the cab into the street and said something like, ‘ Get back in the gutter where you belong!’ Suffice to say, we made it up half an hour later - in hysterics! Volatile we were but deeply caring too.

    Life with Su brought with it many benefits but it also made me more determined than ever to be my own man and stand on my own two feet. However, there are a couple of incidents I left out of my earlier book that now seem rather camp fun! One of them happened at a gay pub where Su had just done a free charity show in a tiny bar in the East End. Everyone was congratulating her so I decided that it was the perfect time to go to the bathroom, as she was busy signing her record Starting Together . I walked in the door and turned around to see a young man in his early twenties who told me he loved me and to prove it wanted to give me a token of his affection. He did this by undoing his jeans and taking them off, followed by his tiny underpants, which he stuffed into my jacket pocket! I was dumbfounded and forgot that they were in my coat pocket for ages. I don’t think I ever saw him again. The other day in a trunk full of articles and souvenirs from my time in London I found the underpants. I asked Sach if they would fit him but they were much too small. The owner must have been a person of diminished stature. I decided to keep them, with Sach’s approval, a camp souvenir of such fun times.
    Another occasion I was reminded of occurred when I saw the wonderful move Pride about the striking miners who were helped by gay, lesbian and transgender groups to survive in the most awful fights with the Thatcher government. Su and I were in the march that was depicted in the last scene of the movie and it is one of my proudest days. The gay groups were at the head of the march with the miners and although we were down the line we were still very much a part of the protest. Su took a great risk taking sides but she has always had the guts and character to give her