An Afternoon with Colin Peterson | Colin Peterson & Ron Kelly
"In the future, everyone will be world-famous for 15 minutes" quipped Andy Warhol way back in 1968. He predicted our current era where it is possible for any of us could go viral at any moment for all the right and all the very wrong reasons. Without the internet, fame was an ever fleeting thing, only experienced by scant few for one thing
Now imagine an Aussie who had multiple brushes with fame even before Warhol even uttered his famously misquoted line.
Drumming prodigy, child actor and member of the Bee Gees, Colin Peterson is an Aussie treasure, whose achievements may have been lost to the annals time if it were not for local actor and curator extraordinaire, Ron Kelly. Having curated the “Smiley Comes Home: The Lives of Colin Peterson” exhibition with the Moreton Bay Regional Council in 2018-19, Ron returns with Colin to share stories his life in performance as a part of Wynnum Fringe.
Over the course of an hour, Ron expertly guides Colin to recount the history of his many moments in the spotlight. Backed with photos and video, Colin shares stories of his start in tap dancing, wanting emulating the icon of the time Fred Astaire and becoming a child drumming prodigy at age 7, opening for artists such as Gene Krupa. How his curiosity and tenacity landed him the lead role in Smiley and stint as a movie star in the UK. And his musical career that included a stint as the drummer for the Bee Gees and highest of highs, but which ultimately all fell apart. Through it all Colin attributes much of his success to the tireless support of his mother, his upbringing in Kingaroy and Margate and always taking pride in his work, no matter what.
Caught up in the stories of his many brushes with frame, our time with Colin flew by all too quickly. The audience was enraptured throughout, thanks to both Ron’s expert guidance and Colin’s many annecdotes of his life in the spotlight. Despite not knowing much about Colin’s career myself, the combination of guided story-telling and Colin’s honest reflections, with photos and videos from Colin’s career made for an engaging hour on a hot and muggy Sunday afternoon. One quibble I heard from some in the audience was that would have liked the opportunity to ask Colin some questions about his career. Future sessions would benefit from opening up the sesion to the audience, for those curious about a particular aspect of his life.
Personally, I would have loved to have asked Ron what had drawn him to curate the exhibition and to make sure that Colin’s place in history and connection to Australia is remembered. Obviously, Ron has an appreciation for Colin’s work throughout his career, but he is also has a passion for making sure history is remembered, having curated a number of exhibits, including Mt Isa Rodeo’s Hall of Fame. I would love to know the story more about how the collaboration between Colin and Ron came about.
Whatever the case, Ron’s dedication to ensuring the Colin Peterson’s career is not forgotten is a reminder to all of us that history is no longer just written by the victors. You don’t even need to hold an exhibition or an ‘afternoon in conversation’ to share the stories of something you love; everything can be given its due these days through the net. So whatever niche of the world you’re passionate about, make sure it’s captured online in someone way, so that it can remembered for time immemorial.
