Aussielicious

On Thursday we had our second rehearsal and it definitely felt like the bar had been raised, to pinch a cliche from So You Think You Can Dance. The Journey we are on is such a learning experience that I’m hoping we all grow and learn and develop and find out more about who we are as performers.

Seriously though, we put together some moves and then when we realised the real speed we had to do them, we all panicked a touch, then laughed a LOT. It’s all coming together really well and I think we are going to make a great impact!

This year’s Mardi Gras parade is being televised on Foxtel and in preparation they are filming profile pieces on a few of the floats to air in the quiet moments of the parade. Today they filmed the piece on the Lifesavers With Pride as we’ve been a popular float the two years we’ve been included.

They filmed us this morning running in and out of the water, along the edge of the water, doing a rescue and also, embarrassingly, rehearsing a very clumsy run through of our routine so far. I can’t wait to see what they put together and which bits of the interviews they did with us all that they use.

I’ve just gotten home from our first rehearsal for this year’s mardi gras parade and I have to say I’m really excited again. The routine is shaping up to be a bit of a departure from the last couple of years in a good way but keeping some of the great elements that made it so much fun for us doing it and for the crowd watching.

There are some familiar faces back again and plenty of fresh excited faces in the mix, including an American guy who has to be at LEAST 6’8″ tall. Also along for the ride is fellow blogger Shannon. Shannon is busy doing his Bronze medallion at my old beach, Bronte!

The effects of the financial crisis are trickling down all the way to our little Mardi Gras float and budgets are tight. If any readers or their businesses feel like contributing to our cause, we’d dearly love to have you on board.

Today has been a long and busy but very good day. I learned something new at work which is always good. It wasn’t a big victory, but it was a couple of points on the board. Then I had to race to silks class where I’m still feeling the weeks off but LOVING the fact that I’m so challenged. We learnt a new trick which is very cool and a little scary. But of course, those tricks are the ones that look the best.

Then it was race out of class slightly early to drive across town to a meeting with the committee for the lifesavers with pride mardi gras float to decide on a song. I can say that I’m very happy with the selection and I think it’s a nice new direction/evolution on where we’ve been before. I think it will be popular.

Right now I’m eating some food so I have the energy to go to the gym in the morning.

A weekly event in Sydney is Bingay, a rowdier and raunchier version of Bingo than your gran plays and a hell of a lot more fun. It’s a fundraiser for ACON (AIDS council of NSW) and has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars over the last 7 or 8 years.

Every year they hold Big Bingay in the lead up to Mardi Gras. It’s in a bigger venue and raises more money for a very important cause. This year, the Lifesavers With Pride, the Mardi Gras float that I’m a part of, is proud to be associated with Big Bingay. We’ll be helping the ever fabulous Mitzi with her Grand entrance and generally being a bit of help around the place on the night. Yes, for those of you wanting to know, we’ll be doing it in our little swimming costumes.

The event is on Friday 27th February at Paddington RSL Club at 7.30 Sharp. I suggest you book now if you are planning on coming along. Call David on 9206 2110 or email events2009@acon.org.au

This year I’ve taken over doing the blog for the gay lifesavers and a bit of PR and media for them too. Last week I did an interview over the phone with a freelance journalist for BBC Brasil and the article is now up on their site. It’s pretty cool that we are getting our message out around the world!

If you are a lifesaver and you want to be part of the Lifesavers With Pride float in the Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras, email your details to lifesaverswithpride@gmail.com and even if you aren’t a lifesaver we hope we’ll hear you cheering for us on the night!

As I said the other day, it’s Mardi Gras preparation season and as part of that, we are looking for gay guys and girls who are lifesavers to join us in the Mardi Gras parade and celebrate being a Lifesaver With Pride up Oxford Street.

Today we had our first comittee meeting for the 2009 Lifesavers with Pride Mardi Gras float in the Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras. It’s less than 2 months away and we’ll be waving sequinned flags up Oxford Street celebrating equality. It’s a heap of fun and I can’t wait to do it all again.

Here’s a little reminder of the experience yours truly had in the 08 parade!

A friend messaged me on Facebook yesterday asking if it was me in Tetu magazine, which took me by surprise as I wasn’t expecting it to be out yet. But sure enough we are there. The shots look really good and seem to disguise just how cold it was, although one of the boys in particular has plenty of room for shrinkage.

It was a tough morning for me. I was 8 years old than the closest to my age, two of the boys have pretty good six packs and one of them has the weapon of mass destruction in his aussiebums that the U.S. have been looking for in Afghanistan for years. How the hell do you pick which guy is safest to stand next to in a photo with that lineup? You don’t. You sit down, shut up and try not to look old.

I hate to admit it but I’m very glad to be rid of my moustache. I know Movember still has a bit over a week to go but I had to get rid of my porntache. This morning 5 gay lifesavers were interviewed and photographed for a special “Australian” edition of the French gay magazine Tetu and quite frankly, there was no way I was going to be put in print in an international gay magazine looking like a dodgy pedophile from the 80′s.

The edition, to be released in January I believe will feature articles on Hugh Jackman, Australia the movie and all sorts of other bits and pieces along with a 4 page article on gay lifesavers. I can’t wait to see how the shots come out. The lighting down at the beach was beautiful.

You can still donate to our Movember cause by clicking here.

Anyone who is going to be in Sydney on Friday 3rd October, please come along and help raise some money for Lifesavers with Pride, the Gay & Lesbian Lifesavers Mardi Gras group. Money raised will not only go towards our float in next years parade, but also help gay and lesbian lifesavers with their training fees etc. It’s going to be a great night with DJ’s Luna T and Miss Kitty Glitter.
I’ve just come home from rehearsing my routine for my first public performance and I’m not quite as terrified as I was last week. If you are a regular reader of the blog and are there on the night, say hi, I try and be very friendly, but while I’m dangling from the roof might not be the best time. I’ve also hijacked the evening and am using it as a birthday celebration for my 35th (holy crap I never thought I’d make it) on 7th. I hope to see you all there! Click the picture to see the flyer in full detail.

Remember, always swim between the fags!

For those of you that are in the U.S. the Logo channel is running a special segment on the gay lifesavers and our participation in the Mardi Gras parade. I’ll find out more about when it’s running and keep you posted. 

I’ve just been sent this little highlights package of our efforts in the parade on Saturday night! Hope you enjoy!

Well, the time has arrived and it’s gay christmas here in Sydney today. It’s less than four hours til our float is meeting at our designated spot and the closer it gets the more excited and nervous I get. It’s going to be a wild night with a sold out dance party afterwards and rumours of all sorts of stars making an appearance on stage. Forgive me if I don’t blog tomorrow, I’m going to be curled up in bed starting the recovery process!

Happy Mardi Gras everyone!

Last week at rehearsal we turned up to find a photographer from the local media waiting to shoot us for a cover story. Now when I did several years of patrols not once did the entire patrol group stand around in a line with our hands up to our forehead, nor did we all jump and cheer in unison. Maybe I was working on a dull patrol but I think it’s more the photographer didn’t know what to do with us.

It’s now only 3 more sleeps til the Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras and everyone is enthusiastic about it and there is a great vibe about the party. Given that it’s the 30th anniversary, it’s been especially popular and tickets are sold out, with numbers like 18,000 and 22,000 being thrown around. Rumour has it they are releasing another 1,500 tickets by the end of the week!