Did You Attend?

The Perth Entertainment Centre had turned one and Queen had just released A Night At The Opera as a young Duff was approaching 12 years of age beginning to choose favourite bands thanks to influences from my school friend Richard Ollerenshaw ,  cousin Marin Garbin and Countdown. My first albums were Sweet, Fleetwood Mac, Queen, Meatloaf, ELO and borrowing my sisters ABBA records.

Queen in Australia had been booed off stage previously at Sunbury in Victoria due to arriving two hours late, a story disputed by Daddy Cool front man Ross Wilson. The release of their hit Bohemian Rhapsody saw Queen grab headlines and fill venues for many years to come including our own Entertainment Centre April 11th 1976.

A rare Queen interview by my favourite Saturday morning music show,  ‘Sounds Unlimited’ during Queen’s time in Perth whilst presenting their ‘A Night at the Opera’ Tour. Were you at the concert and does it still bring you joy today that you were one of only 8000 Sandgropers to witness such an event? The movie, Bohemian Rhapsody released recently mentions Perth and I was so proud to see it knowing we made an impression on them 43 years ago. Maybe future generations will refer to us as RAC Arena and Optus Stadium?

So many songs take me to a special place such as Bohemian Rhapsody that transports me to the Ollerenshaw’s home on Central Road Rossmoyne playing cricket with Richard, Michael and David in the back yard in our youth we thought would last forever.

Queen below at the studios of Radio 6PM, Perth, 12 April 1976 courtesy of SLWA

In the past 6 years, I have gathered the best memories I can to print on t shirts which when worn in public (after doing so myself) spark conversations with complete strangers bringing back memories of the past with one another such as The Perth Entertainment Centre from ABBA, Queen and ACDC, The Swan Brewery and familiar logos such as Made In Way. Your support buying these t shirts will see the range of designs and sizes increase to help fund what I do behind the scenes at your favourite Facebook page, Lost Perth.