Kate Ritchie joins Fitzy & Wippa’s First X1 Backyard Cricket charity event
Long Bay’s infamous inmate has stint in acute aged care facility. PLUS Morgan Evans sells out the Opera House twice; and one MP has a snooze in parliament. It’s all here in SydCon Unleashed.
Confidential
Don't miss out on the headlines from Confidential. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Long Bay’s most infamous inmate, former NSW detective Roger Rogerson, had a small taste of the outside world recently after a stint in an acute aged care facility at Sydney’s Prince of Wales Hospital.
We are told the 82 year-old occupied room 18 at what is commonly referred to as the “dementia ward”.
Two armed corrective services guards were on duty around the clock in case the wily former detective sergeant made a break for it — although he is now using a wheelchair more often than not.
Rogerson’s old mate turned enemy Neddy Smith famously was caught trying to make a break for it while he was in the same Randwick hospital in 2017.
Smith, who was once a great drinking buddy of Rogerson’s until he went on national TV and told the world Smith was an informant, was stopped in the hallway on his Zimmer frame before he got to the outside world.
Rogerson is now back in the hospital wing at Long Bay jail in failing physical condition, but sources say his mind is still as sharp as ever.
Corrective Services refuse to discuss why he was transferred to the public hospital system.
The once-decorated cop is serving a life sentence for shooting dead a young drug dealer, Jamie Gao in 2014.
FITZY, WIPPA HOPING FOR CRICKET ENCORE
Bring on the drama, say breakfast radio trio Ryan “Fitzy” Fitzgerald, Michael “Wippa” Wipfli and Kate Ritchie.
The Nova 96.9 breakfast team will again host their annual Fitzy & Wippa’s First X1 Backyard Cricket charity event on the grounds of Kirribilli House on October 4.
The 2022 event saw former NSW premier Dom Perrottet and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese exchange heated words over a Roosters sign at Allianz Stadium.
A recorded conversation of the incident showed the PM, a devoted South Sydney Rabbitohs fan, demand the sign be “torn down”.
New NSW Premier Chris Minns and PM Albanese will attend this year’s event alongside a long list of celebrities including Colin Fassnidge, Karl Stefanovic, Beau Ryan, Lynne McGranger and Conrad Sewell.
“That’s what I loved about last year, that there was some robust discussion,” Fitzy told Confidential.
“We don’t want to quash that, we want to continue that.”
The event is held to raise funds for Ronald McDonald House Charities Sydney.
Fitzy will captain one side while Ritchie will front the other, and Wippa will provide commentary.
“I can’t say I am a cricketer but I am a competitive soul, I think that has been very well documented,” Ritchie said.
“I like a game and I like to win and I quite fancy myself as a bit of a batter.”
She continued: “There is a lot of debate around what our national sport is. I can’t say I have watched a lot of cricket — the sound of it has always reminded me of Christmas and that is about as far as my knowledge goes.
“I am considering getting a few little tips, especially since I’m being asked to roll the arm over, so I’ve got a couple of weeks.”
Fitzy said: “Last year Dominic Perrottet tried to take the PM’s head off with left arm fast bowling. but can I just say the player of the match last year was Anthony Albanese who went on to make 40-odd not out and dominated with the bat.”
MORGAN EVANS SELLS OUT OPERA HOUSE
Rising pop star Kita Alexander joined global country music superstar Morgan Evans at Sydney Opera House on Tuesday and Wednesday nights to sing their duet for his live show recording.
The Byron-based singer was certain she wanted to give her heart-warming ballad away — until she sang it with Evans.
With 145 million streams under her belt, Alexander told Confidential she wrote Date Night in 20 minutes in a state of late-night “delirium”.
“I honestly don’t have an explanation for it, because I wasn’t into country music before I wrote the song,” she said.
Alexander’s first album is due for release soon, almost eight years after she started putting out ARIA Platinum and Gold-certified pop anthems.
Evans makes for the perfect mentor.
“In my late twenties I decided to do this forever and see what happened,” Evans said.
“Here I am, having the best moment of my career at 38 years old.”
“I haven’t done any collaborations before. When I heard Kita’s song I thought, ‘I’d love to be a part of that’. I said ‘are you sure I’m not going to mess it up’?”
Aside from Keith Urban, Evans is the only other Australian male country artist to sell out the iconic Sydney Opera House.
The award-winning country singer, who this week surpassed one million single sales in Australia, couldn’t wipe the grin from his face. He brought on his idol, Aussie icon John Williamson to sing Rip Rip Woodchip.
Evans also treated the home crowd to a preview of a new song that appears to be a cheeky nod to his ex-wife, US country singer Kelsea Ballerini.
Ballerini has said much about Evans in the press, while he has stayed quiet, instructing publications — including this column — to leave the topic alone.
The upbeat track, however, is about an ex-partner spreading rumours.
“Well what does that say about you?” the punchline lyric says.
“We love you Morgan!” and “Up the Morgs!” a supportive crowd sung back.
Country music is having a boom in Australian charts right now, creating the third-biggest market for the genre in the world.
DISNEY HONOURS CAMILLA
Sydney fashion designer Camilla Franks has designed the most extravagant couture gown of her career, unveiling her Create 100 masterpiece in celebration of Disney’s 100-year milestone.
Franks is the only Australian at the event, alongside Beyoncé, famed French fashion designer Christian Louboutin, Tommy Hilfiger, Italian Global Creative Director for Swarovski Giovanna Engelbert, Chinese virtuoso pianist Lang Lang.
“I am so honoured and humbled to be standing shoulder-to-shoulder with some of the world’s most brilliant and creative minds,” Franks said.
Taking Minnie Mouse’s bow as inspiration, Franks and her team spent months crafting the gown.
“We used 42 metres of silk, 10 metres of tulle and more than 100,000 hand-applied crystals. On the train alone there’s 400 crystal Mickey heads. That’s about 65,000 crystals,” Franks said.
“The embellishments are all individually placed.”
Earlier this year, Franks launched eight limited-edition Disney CAMILLA prints with her team of in-house artisans. The collaboration was the most successful in the brand’s history.
Disney is commemorating the launch with a $1 million donation to Make-A-Wish, and will reveal Franks’ gown on September 15, before it’s auctioned off live in October.
“It’s impossible to put a value on this gown. It’s a beautiful masterpiece capturing the essence of what Disney means to me and I couldn’t be more proud,” Franks said.
QUESTION TIME? NAP TIME
It’s been a rowdy sitting fortnight in parliament, with accusations of “hostile” and “aggressive” behaviour in Question Time, multiple members being kicked out of the chamber for interrupting, and speaker Milton Dick audibly sighing at the loud behaviour on display.
But while the ruckus might have gotten to Mr Dick, there was one MP who remained unbothered.
Queensland MP Bob Katter was spotted seemingly sneaking in a nap in Question Time on Wednesday.
Mr Katter must be looking forward to the upcoming four-week break from parliament.
FROM DAGGY TO CHIC: NEW FACE OF SHAPEWEAR
If Basjia Almaan could tell her teenage self one thing about her body, it would be: “Feeling healthy is more important than unhealthily obsessing over how your body looks.”
The prominent Sydney performer’s Instagram grid exudes self-love, style and sex appeal — but it hasn’t always been this way.
“When I was younger I grew up with a lot of self-hate because of the beauty standards that were constantly projected onto me
“ It made my relationship with myself and with food a lifelong struggle,” Almaan said.
Almaan is fronting Australian label Nique’s new shapewear capsule alongside professional netballer Maddy Eaton.
Once a social taboo to admit you wore it, shapewear is now a bold fashion statement.
In 2001 it was the butt of a viral joke, with Renée Zellweger’s “absolutely enormous panties” exposed in the cult classic movie Bridget Jones’s Diary.
Two decades on, Kim Kardashian launched Skims, turning daggy panties into trendy outerwear to the tune of $4bn.
“It isn’t shapewear, and it isn’t activewear — it is for everywhere,” Nique creative director Nadia Jones said of her Contour range.
Eaton added: “I’m all about being comfy — in your skin and in your clothes.”
FOR RENT: HOME AND AWAY COUPLE LIST CRONULLA PAD
Former Home And Away actors Luke Mitchell and Rebecca Breeds have put their Sutherland Shire investment apartment up for rent, seeking $950 a week.
The Cronulla bolthole was bought as an investment in 2017 when they paid $1,425,000 for the three-bedroom apartment, which was then rented out at $830 a week, so only a moderate increase.
Mitchell, who has 633,000 Instagram followers, and Breeds, who has 197,000, began dating in 2009 when they were both on Home And Away, with Mitchell having made the move from Neighbours to the Palm Beach-based series.
They starred as Ruby Buckton and Romeo Smith.
They moved to the US in 2013, but have been spending more time back in Sydney; owning elsewhere in Cronulla having spent $2.3 million on a home on 760 sqm near Shelly Beach in 2021.
Breeds is set to appear later this month in the locally produced series C*A*U*G*H*T, about four Australian soldiers sent on a mission to a war-torn country who are captured by freedom fighters and produce a hostage video that goes viral.
Mitchell appeared in the recently cancelled Big Sky series on Disney’s ABC.
DINNIGAN HINTS AT PARIS CATWALK RETURN
Could Colette Dinnigan make a return to the Paris catwalk?
Celebrating 10 years creating designs for Specsavers, Dinnigan hosted dinner at Fred’s in Paddington. She held her last Paris runway show in 2015 and subsequently wrapped up the clothing arm of her business.
“A lot of people keep asking me to do another collection,” Dinnigan said.
“I could easily do that because I have the archive, but it is the behind-the-scenes running of the business that doesn’t interest me as much.
“If the right partner came to me, I could consider it — but not just as a very commercialised bastardisation of my brand made cheaper, that doesn’t interest me at all.
“But definitely maybe reissuing the classics that everyone keeps asking for and putting a new twist on it.
“That would be much more attractive to me.”
GUESS WHO, DON’T SUE
■ Which famished media-type ducked out of a recent theatre event at intermission to purchase a kebab, chowing down on the tasty bite through the second half of the performance?
■ What Sydney publicist has earnt themself a bad reputation for scamming tickets to events on the premise they will bring talent, only to show up with non-industry friends?
Why CBD revival is in good hands
The launch night of The International was a defining moment in the CBD’s revival, drawing a vibrant crowd of cool newcomers and Sydney stalwarts eager to experience the space.
Crafty move: Hotel tycoon steps into to take over failed brewery
After taking full control of Sydney Seaplanes, Australia’s largest private hotel owner has turned his attention to beer … and a landlocked brewery.