Ben Lawson Instagram – Growing up it seemed he had been around as long as Australia itself. I got to see him perform live a couple of times, including once when he visited my class at drama school to try out some material on just the 23 of us wide-eyed aspiring actors. He did Edna for us out of costume, which he said he’d almost never done. When Edna asked if anyone had traveled recently I shot up my hand.
Where have you been, darling?
England! I replied.
England, such a beautiful country. Did you bring back anything special for your family back home?
I though for a moment.
Jam! I replied truthfully.
Her face dropped.
“Jam”, she repeated. “You went all the way to England and you brought back… jam. You know we have jam right here in Australia, darling?”
I couldn’t reply because I was laughing too hard, the elated victim of Edna’s signature scorn.
Years later I reached out to Barry through mutual friend @brooklynpascoe to ask if he’d provide a line of praise for my book. He obliged, of course, sending through FOUR different quotes to choose from, telling me to pick whichever I preferred. Those words are a gift that, even now, I can’t believe I get to keep.
The hole he leaves in the Australian firmament will never be filled. We will never see another like him. Vale, Barry. Thanks for the laughs 🤍 | Posted on 23/Apr/2023 02:26:30
