Legal* Celebrity Encounters

We see them on TV, we see them on film, but have you seen them in person? Discuss celebrity/personality encounters here:

Guy Sebastian working out at my gym. I’ve seen Paulini there too.

Ada Nicodemou was a regular at my old gym. Footballer Ian Roberts was also a regular there.

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Fixed the title, just so we’re clear.

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For me I’ve had three:

  • Leila McKinnon in the lift at 50 Cavill Ave, Surfers Paradise when she was weather presenter on Nine Gold Coast News around 1998 (as I was working up there at the time). We just chatted about what was in the news.

  • Rob Readings in the same circumstances as above, similar conversation, different occasion.

  • Wendell Sailor at the now defunct Newcastle nightclub Fannys. Would have been mid 90s the night when I think his team the Brisbane Broncos played the Newcastle Knights here. I asked him how the game went, he said they lost :smile:

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Perhaps you can add quotes as well: “Celebrity”

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Quite a few, mostly through work so can’t really discuss although a few randoms out and about are:

  • Geoffrey Rush wandering the streets of Camberwell.
  • Warwick Capper at the local pub
  • Cassandra McGrath at the height of Seachange asked me the time outside Hoyts
  • Bill McInnes at the barbershop
  • Brian Canham from Pseudo Echo at the bank
  • Brian Mannix from Uncanny X Men at Westfield
  • Shane Warne at Crown on the night of the AB Medal. Was showing a visitor around walked around a corner he walked to towards and just came out with g’day Shane and shook his hand. Visitor thought he was a mate of mine.
    Martin Flanagan writer (celebrity? maybe not), at the footy the weekend he wrote his final column for The Age, shook his hand and thanked him for being a part of my Saturdays for an long. Thanked me and said it means a lot that people go to the effort of doing so.
  • Last for now, Molly Meldrum, then again who in Melbourne hasn’t!
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Former NSW Premier Bob Carr walking down Caslereagh Street towards David Jones, just aftet lunch, a couple of weeks ago.

Went to school with one person and worked with a couple of other people 20 years ago who went on to have on camera television roles. Not willing to name them. They’re actually the last people I would’ve expected to have long running jobs on the small screen. They were down to earth, decent people but there wasn’t anything particularly special or outstanding about them back then.

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Was stopped at the traffic lights next to Glenn Ridge. I know, major celebrity moment!

Also standing alongside Sigrid Thornton at Woolies about a decade ago

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You should have asked him for a drag race…

Going once, going twice…

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my dad was quite annoyed with Magic 1278 a while ago when they started networking with Sydney and Brisbane and decided to call up and say so. He ended up calling the studio telephone number and Glenn Ridge answered the phone. So they had a quick chat.

Actually, I did have a phone call with Larry Emdur. He put his mobile telephone number out on Twitter (deliberately) and invited people to give him a call. I think someone had dared him to do it. So I called. Spoke to him for all of about 30 seconds.

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From my high school year we’ve had an ABC TV newsreader and radio host. Another does media for his company around the world and is often interviewed on TV and radio chat shows and does infomercials. Another has had acting roles in television dramas and commercials. One is a film maker but very small budget movies. One is a theatre producer/director in New York. And one is a co-author of a book with his wife and often appears on TV and radio as an expert in his field.

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I have a few - mainly from visiting or work experience:

10 -
Sandra Sully - Very down to earth invited me in to the Pyrmont headquaters (at This time i was still living in QLD and came down to visit)
Hugh Riminton
Matt Burke
Matt Doran
Natarsha Belling
Jess Rowe
Joe Hilderbrand

Seven -
Mark Ferguson
Jim Wilson
Sally Bowrey

Nine
Peter Overton
Georgie Gardner
Amelia Adams
Julie Snook
Deborah Knight
Belinda Russell
Karl Stefanovic
Lisa Wilkinson
Sylvia Jeffreys
Tim Gilbert

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Larry Emdur was having a coffee alongside me in the coffee shop in my work building. On another occasion I saw Mark Ferguson walking to the coffee shop.

And Mary Coustas (Effie) is a regular at my new coffee shop.

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I served Mr. and Mrs. Sweet (Gary and Joh) drinks in a club I worked at when I was at uni. She was a very striking, freakishly tall woman. I remember thinking at the time they seemed a little mis-matched.

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Last year I noticed Lawrence Mooney in the food court at the Tuggeranong Hyperdome. I don’t think anyone else recognised him.

You see plenty of politicians at the Manuka restaurants.

I don’t think I’ve met that many celebrities, but here’s the stories for what they’re worth…

While at the Royal Easter Show on the first day of that event last month I managed to see Tanya Dendrinos from WIN (doing interviews with people at the District Exhibits), Gillian Bowen from Ten (getting kids to shout out “Showbags!” and “Easter Show” for the report), Amber Laidler from Seven (interviewing someone from NSW Fair Trading, alongside a couple of kids in branded suits) and Mike Dalton from Nine. Dalts was a break at the time so I (and a few others) got to have a photo with him, but the other reporters looked busy so I didn’t disturb them.

In 2009, I saw Sophie Delezio + her mum and Moria McLean at the Variety Club Christmas Party in Sydney. I think I may have seen a few other minor celebrities during those events I attended in the Late 2000s, but their names escape me right now.

If online/Twitter interactions count at all, I could probably add quite a few more names to the list but that’s a very long story for another time! :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

Actor Don Hany and his wife actress Alin Sumarwata walking around the city with their two children.

Actor Steve Bastoni was walking up the same street a few weeks earlier.

Choosing random encounters since I think seeing people where they’re employed doesn’t count.

Most recent was Scott Cam at my local Woolworths when we were both using the self serves. Also have seen Ross Greenwood in a car outside of it.

Joe Hildebrand walking through Central station (pre-studio 10 I think).

Lachy Hulme (@SydneyCityTV would be able to remember for me if that was correct) at Erina Fair one time and possibility Dave Warner there although I can’t be 100% on it.

Ian Ross outside Seven one time and Paul Keating not far from Seven.

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10 years ago I saw Will from Home & Away walking along the street.

Walked past NSW Premier Gladys in the city.