Free Filling in the Gaps by Peter Keogh Page A

all wholeheartedly to any cause she truly believes in, and there are several.
    Being married to Su was a memorable time for both of us and full marks to Su for her support during times that were often daunting. I learned a huge amount from the years I spent with her and I have been able to apply some of those lessons as my life, to be brutally frank, winds down. I know that it sounds terribly dramatic coming from me - something I hardly ever am. Ask anyone! However, as one reaches seventy and has had few major health hiccups the above statement is more true than false.
    After my dad’s sudden and unexpected death at sixty-nine years of age I returned to Australia and stayed to support Mum and the family. After a few months of doing so, Su and I decided to try a trial separation, which is how I met Sach backstage at Her Majesty’s Theatre, Melbourne - in the office of my ex-partner, John Frost, during the run of the musical Big River . My opening line on meeting Sach, ‘ Have I had you? ’ He did not appreciate, so it took many months for us to decide that we would try to form a relationship.
    It was a bit of a shock for me to once again be involved in a gay relationship when I had decided that I would be much happier on my own after the end of my marriage. The last thing I wanted was any kind of involvement, gay, straight or whatever. I cautiously introduced Sach to my family, who were quite welcoming. I think Su was a bit of a challenge to their sensibilities! I also introduced him to one of the most important members of staff at Channel 9 in Sydney and a dear friend of mine and John Frost’s, ‘Lady’ Olga Byron, who has now sadly passed away. She was one of the funniest persons I ever met and with the driest sense of humour. I shall never forget her comment when I first met her through John Frost and asked her if she was married. Her reply was, ‘ Darling, I’ve been married twice - one husband died and one wouldn’t!’
    While we were trying to sort out our feelings, Sach and I were staying with a friend of his in an apartment on Sydney Harbour. This friend fancied Sach desperately but hated me with a passion - hard to believe I know! I would only leave the bedroom when he was out of the apartment. I would run to the fridge and grab some food and drink, go to the bathroom and head back to the bedroom. Needless to say, we did not stay long. I was getting bed sores! After Sydney, we flew to London via Honolulu, Los Angeles and New York to sort out things with Su. Unusually for me, I did a rather bitchy thing once we arrived in Honolulu and sent a postcard to this person who hated me. It just said, ‘The weather is here - wish you were lovely!’
    Honolulu was a test of how we would cope as a couple. Sadly, I failed the test a couple of times. Being newly returned to the gay scene, I was very insecure and became quite jealous of Sach. He looked like a male model and of course caught the eye of roving gays wherever we went in Honolulu. One day in Ala Moana, the biggest shopping centre in Hawaii, a couple of obviously gay guys walked past us and gave Sach a wolf whistle and smiled sweetly. Well, that was the last straw. I lost the plot! I stormed off to the car park under the mall but for more than fifteen minutes I couldn’t find the bloody jeep we had hired, so I was marching to and fro in a fury. When we did finally get into the jeep I let fly with a few choice accusations, saying he encouraged them, he loved the attention, and our relationship would never work out and on and on. Sach lost his temper and punched his fist right through the dashboard and ripped off a door handle. Boy, did I shut my stupid mouth quickly! Violence has always terrified me and still does, and this was some heavy punching - never on me, thank heavens, although I probably deserved a whack every now and then. I was on the receiving end of a lot of them growing up.
    One other slightly embarrassing