It was extremely sad for me to hear the news of Barry Humphries' passing. I recall not that many years ago seeing him in Launceston airport on my way home from the Central Highlands. At the baggage carousel in Sydney I walked up to him, handed him my business card, told him what a fan I was, said I'd love him to visit the Studio... I never heard from him. He just nodded his head. 

In all my time doing this business there are two people I could have sworn I'd eventually come into contact with them and make them a bow tie. One was Barry Humphries, the other was David Bowie. I can't explain it. I just thought "eventually they will be my customers". But that's life, isn't it. People are coming and going, we are all queuing for the final act but nobody knows when someone might get ushered forward. The great precipice.

But -  he leaves us with so much. There was Australia before Sir Les and Dame Edna, and there is Australia afterwards. In fact, some might say he took the stage left at the right time. I was frankly disgusted that he was cancel cultured by a group of people that couldn't appreciate that he was an intellect, a wordsmith, a pioneer and a great contributor to the Australia of his time. He had a different view on certain subjects and rather than have a discourse about it, they just cancelled him. Disgusting. 

We are all the better for Dame Edna and Sir Les - they were reflections of our collective psyche of the time that we needed to see. Thank you Barry, you were an inspiration not just intellectually but your style too, it will live on through me I promise.