Ray Meagher brushes up on his IT skills
HOME and Away veteran Ray Meagher on why he thought he’d last six months on the show that has made him a household name and whether Alf should take his bait shop online.
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HOME and Away veteran Ray Meagher on why he thought he’d last six months on the show that has made him a household name and whether Alf should take his bait shop online.
Congratulations on bagging your second Logie this year. Did you think you were a shoo-in on the night?
Look, I wouldn’t have backed myself with somebody else’s money. That’s how sure I was that Rodger [Corser] was going to win the category. It was a total shock, a total surprise and very nice since it had been a fair while since the Gold in 2010.
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It’s also been a fair while since you joined Home And Away — 30 years. Did you ever expect to still be in Summer Bay at age 74?
When I was first offered the part it was a two-year contract and I said, “No, no... I don’t want to be tied down that long.” They said, “Would you do a year?” I said, “No, I couldn’t possibly!” But then, it’s shot in Sydney and I thought it might be nice to be at home at the end of the day. So I said, “I’ll do six months.” Then you get a bit seduced by being able to sleep in your own bed.
It’s not like you haven’t plied your trade elsewhere. You did a couple of stints on London’s West End in Priscilla Queen Of The Desert The Musical.
Pretty good for a rugby-playing bloke from the bush who can’t sing or dance.
So how did you get your start in showbiz?
A couple of guys in the rugby club told me the amateur theatre in town needed a few more blokes. I wasn’t keen but when they got parts, they came back and said, “Listen, there’s not a lot of competition for the girls.” And that was that.
Have you made your peace with fans demanding selfies, or does it ever rankle?
That’s something that does go with the territory. You get the occasional yahoo screaming “Stone the crows” or “You flamin’ mongrel” out the car window, but usually people are really nice about it — they just want to talk about the show. My attitude is, if you’ve been bursting into people’s lounge rooms uninvited for 30 years, they’ve got every right.
Aside from acting, you have a brand of hot sauce. What made you pick that condiment?
Growing up in the bush, I’d go mustering with my eldest brother and in the middle of the day, you’d sit down, boil the billy somewhere and have a mutton sandwich — I’d like to say lamb but some of the old girls were definitely more on the mutton side. Two slabs of bread, slice of tomato if you were lucky... which made for a bit of a dry mouthful. Worcestershire sauce would come to the rescue. I would slather it on. I got hooked, so when I started thinking about what to do, it felt like there was a bit of a bloodline there.
You have partnered with internet company GoDaddy, which has a website builder for small businesses, to sell the sauce. How are your IT skills?
Lack of my IT skills is a better way to put it. Small businesses are the lifeblood of this country but more than half don’t have websites. They need all the help they can get; I figure if I can do it, anyone can.
And now all the proceeds from your sales will go to charity?
I always wanted my share to go to Cure Cancer, but GoDaddy said, “No, let’s put every dollar that way.” A decision like that restores your faith in humanity. It’s inspiring and invigorating.
Do you reckon even Alf could take his bait shop online? What do you think of www.alfstackle.com?
I reckon he needs to.