#11: Ian McNeilly
Hickson Road, Walsh Bay
By Annette Ekin
What do you do? I'm a retired solicitor who worked for the Australian Government Solicitor's Office.
You don't look like a solicitor. Oh well, that's good, I don't want to be stereotypical. Now I mainly do volunteer work at the Matthew Talbot Hostel and I'm a companion to a couple of old ladies once a week. I also volunteer at the Stables Theatre.
What does a "companion" do? I visit them and I give them someone to talk to so they don't have to stare at four walls.
Where in Sydney are you from? I grew up in the western suburbs but now live in Darlinghurst.
What are you up to now? I've just been to the Barry Divola and Bruce Elder talk [part of the Sydney Writers Festival], Bruce was interviewing Barry and I've been to another talk this morning that was on rhetoric, given by James O' Loughlin and Neil James. I also just went to Patrick Lindsay's talk on Fromelles, a battle in WWI, the first big battle after Gallipoli. All those horrendous tales that are well worth hearing.
Do you read quite widely? Mainly pop culture, social history, some biographies, I'm a music fan so anything related to music...it's Bob Dylan's birthday tomorrow [moves jacket to show his Bob Dylan badge].
How will you celebrate? I'll tune into 2SER FM: they do a six-hour Dylan marathon on Bob's birthday.
Do you have a favorite? Forever Young.
What are you reading at the moment? A book by Joe Queenan called Queenan and Country, he's a sort of satirical writer about pop culture. He's an American guy but he's gone back to England to explore the English psyche. He's a very cynical writer but he's very, very funny.
What do you do at The Stables Theatre? I work behind the bar. It's just beer and wine, don't come there for cocktails. We're enthusiastic, well meaning and the plays are terrific
Come on then, what's the story with the propeller hat? This hat I've been wearing for a long while. I've always liked these propeller hats and a friend of mine bought me one about 20 years ago and I've been wearing one ever since. The guy who makes them is from Berkeley, California and that's his only business, which I think is fucking brilliant. Anyone who can make a living out of propeller hats in this day and age deserves a lot of credit.
So is the propeller hat going to take off? There are a few knock-offs. Gowings bought them from this guy in California, then dismissed him and got some knock-offs from Taiwan. I boycotted Gowings from then on. They were just not worth supporting.