Reliving the lives of Smiley, Colin Petersen

Smiley is coming home to Redcliffe — the place he learned to play the drums before joining the Bee Gees and gracing the silver screen. We delve into the lives of Colin Petersen.

Colin Petersen will visit Redcliffe for the Smiley Comes Home — The lives of Colin Petersen exhibition at Redcliffe Museum. Picture: Dominika Lis

WHILE most six-year-olds are attempting to grasp the basics of reading and writing, a young Colin Petersen already knew his life’s purpose just by a song.

“I remember going to see the movie Singin’ In The Rain in Kingaroy, where I lived at the time, and being in awe of the fact that the introduction to that song was pretty much a tune within itself which had nothing to do with the song,” Colin recalls.

“I thought that was absolutely wonderful, that you could have two different melodies joining up together like that.”

With music deeply rooted in Colin’s DNA, inheriting his mother’s musical talents, it gave the young child prodigy the confidence to create his own symphony in life — becoming an international actor at 9 and later scoring a spot with the Bee Gees as the band’s lead drummer at 21.

Colin Petersen, actor and singer. As a child he starred as 'Smiley' in the film of that name, and later was a member of the Bee Gees band.

It was in the suburb of Margate where Colin first took up drumming lessons after he made the auspicious decision to join the school’s band.

“We lived in Margate and I went to Humpybong State School and the school had a Fife (like a flute) Band. They had three kettledrum players and a bass drum player and I decided then that I wanted to be part of this band and it was here that I had my first drumming lesson.

Too poor to purchase his own set of drums, his uncle bought him a set; Colin later found himself a drum teacher, Harry Lebler and practised playing the instrument for over two years.

“Harry didn’t just teach me the rudiments of playing the drums; he said playing music, unless you’re playing solo, is a conversation. I remember that clearly.

“So Harry taught me not to be just a drummer but much, much more importantly Harry taught me to be a musician and there’s a difference — it’s another dimension.”

1967 Australian band Bee Gees in London, from left, Robin Gibb (17), Barry Gibb (20), Maurice Gibb (17), Colin Petersen (19) and Vince Melouney (22). Picture: The Courier-Mail photo archive

Now 72, the former Redcliffe resident returns to the Peninsula, where it all began, sharing the archives of his extraordinary life in his own words in a stunning exhibition called: Smiley comes home — The lives of Colin Petersen.

Developed by Moreton Bay Regional Council in collaboration with curator Ron Kelly, the exhibition extensively features his private collection including memorabilia from his role as mischievous yet imaginative little boy in the movie Smiley and two of his gold records never exhibited before.

“I didn’t live there for long but it was at a time in my life where the freedom, the friendliness, the atmosphere and the way the people conducted their lives was just wonderful and going back to Redcliffe just brought it all home to me.

“I am just honoured to be up there on the wall and just honoured that people are showing an interest all these later of what I did.”