“ I had a professional career in costume making, had just finished The Lion King and I had a chance to do The Producers but my Dad died and I was up in the air at what to do, should I stay or go? I chose to move back to Lismore. I left a career down there. It was fun but it was time. I had always come home for Tropical Fruits every year. You know to be in drag and the party to go to for New Year just happened to be in my back yard. Going away from a region you grew up in and coming back with fresh eyes, it’s like why did I leave, what was I thinking? Leaving a dirty big city with dog eat dog people to fresh air, green rolling hills, people who actually engage, say hello and smile at you in the street.
I had a bridal salon in town which was a trying time. 2008 and the internet was really sucking the guts out of the fashion industry. Boutique 2000 for instance, she had been here for 25 years and she closed her doors the same time as I did. People who had businesses for a long time were pulling the plug. The internet has taken a lot away. I’m guilty of it myself. If I need new eyelash glue and I need that brand, actually all my makeup I get on line now. I did lose the shirt off my back with my bridal salon which was very stressful and it blew the wind out of my sails but it was just bad timing. One door closed and another one opened at the TAFE. I had a glimmer of light for a while.
I’ve been down in the dungeon making frocks. The spring ensemble I wore today was for today and Fruitopia which is on the 10th September at the Lismore Showgrounds.
Lismore has some great local drag queens. Saphira comes over every now and then and I hand bits down. She was given 2 lovely sewing machines for her 21st and she sews her costumes. She has a good friend called Liplash so she’s cracking the whip.
A few times when I went to the Fruits parties and I’m not trying to take anything away from those parties. They were fabulous and they built Tropical Fruits to what it is today but I must say a few times I wanted to fix the ambience or the lighting so I’m back lending my artistic brush. I designed the poster for this years party, ‘Glamatron’. We spend days on days and months on end prepping, designing, lighting and making it all fabulous.
Tropical Fruits is where my passion is, where my heart is, the community. I’m spoilt in so many ways in my life so I can use my skill and volunteering to better our community. It’s getting such an
international reputation now. It really is. Now that Sydney’s locked out and no-one’s allowed to have a good time ever..clock in, clock out, go to your job, spend 2 hours in traffic to get to work, 2 hours to get home. Why? I remember Mardi Gras was such fun and now everything’s so regimented. Big brother looking over your shoulder.
There’s a whole pilgrimage going to Tropical Fruits. It’s like Oh hi love!..Hi love!.. Ahhh.. Hi love!. So many blasts from the past, catching up with people. It has the essence of the old fashioned Mardi Gras, grassroots, community, we haven’t sold out to the big commercial enterprise.
The last Sydney Mardi Gras we made a heap more umbrellas with words on them like we used in our street parade here so about 60 all up. We put fairy light in them and Bob Down, Cindy Pastel and myself had a pink convertible caddilac in the parade and Lismore won the most fabulous float for Mardi Gras so we got an award. That was a very proud moment.
I’ve had a great life so far, lots of stories. I’m 50 next month. I remember at about 40 my eyesight started to go. I mean I can thread a needle, it was just distance. Too many times I’d be waving to somebody across the street and it wasn’t them..time to get glasses or you know, I’ve had a falling out with them so now I can walk to the other side of the road. Mmm now 50, putting makeup on today, those lines weren’t there before, hello!! I have photos of myself at 19 and I was a sun bunny back then and I had more wrinkles on my forehead than I do now so I put it down to drag, the way that I rip my make up off is like dermabrasion. At least a couple of layers of skin every time, 4 or 5 nights a week for years and years in drag can be the best exfoliator.”