It all began back in September 1987 in the confines of Dreamworld in Queensland that I purchased my first pin. It was the logo for Dreamworld & there was a choice between it & one which read "I survived the Thunderbolt" & since I hadn't ridden their infamous rollercoaster, I didn't want to have to make up stories that I had!

I don't remember the logic I had at the time (hey, I was only 12), but it was a souvenir of my visit & a whole lot cheaper than a cheesy themepark t-shirt. By the end of that holiday I had accumulated a dozen or so pins from a variety of locations which has spawned quite a scary collection in the decades since.

In an effort of conversion & the interests of macro photography, I thought I'd present a few posts about my fascination of all things metal with coloured enamel.



To kick things off, here's a set of pins which I really wasn't that keen on when I got them. Avid fans will know immediately that it's the pin set from Disney's - The Lion King & was sold as merchandise from the stage production.



The show ran in Sydney from late 2003 to mid 2005 before moving to Melbourne. We caught the show in 2004 after managing to score last minute tickets as we wandered past the theatre one night while on holiday.

Unlike my sister who was really excited about seeing the production, I didn't know much about the story line since I hadn't seen the animated film. I went in with no expectations of what was going to take place, but left in amazement of what was done on the stage.



Taking animated characters from celluloid to Broadway is no mean feat, but when you have elephants, giraffes & a myriad of other African animals walking down the aisles of a theatre, it's hard not to be impressed. The amazing costumes & sets made the whole deal very marketable & easy to produce toys & other items like this set.

Each pin represents the mask of each of the four main characters, being from top to bottom - Mufasa, Simba, Nala & Scar. I don't know what metal was used but they looked to be taken from a mould & then polished & detailed by hand. Considering they are no bigger than an inch across, they are finely detailed.



They were quite expensive but unfortunately came in a crappy cardboard display which looked as though it had traveled for years before being sold. That was my biggest disappointment with the set which could have so easily been presented in a metal or plastic box. One day I'll find another way to display them as they should have always been.

The pin of the Theatrical poster below for the show isn't part of the set but came separately in its own velvet bag! Again, it cost a fair bit for a single pin, but what price is an uncompleted collection!

 

Yes, that does read correct. It has been 20 years since I & a couple of hundred others left our original place of learning to enter High School & start all over again (well, that's what it felt like back then).

After a mass of planning & searching those who are scattered around the globe, the night came together with quite a few nerves & glances at name tags by those in attendance. In the months leading up to the event, a dedicated website was spawned where everyone could check out who was still missing, who had been found & the ability to leave a few details of what we had been up to. (endless thanks to Renee, Belinda & Kate!)

Walking into a room of faces you should recognise is a daunting prospect, made worse if you do recognise the face but can't for your life remember their name. The name tags were a valuable tool for that first half hour! It's amazing how foreign everyone looks after such a long time, but the little things which you remember people by flood back.

By night's end, everything was how it once was. Friends who were close decades ago tended to group up & mingle amongst themselves. Memories were recalled with details I'd long forgotten & as someone put it, "the essential questions" were asked ad verbatim. (What do you do now?, Where are you living?, Married?, Kids?, etc).

It was fantastic to catch up with those who gathered up the courage to come along (a number who did rsvp failed to show! Shame on them!) & plans are already being formulated to continue the reunion in a few weeks in someone's backyard! I did get a couple of unexpected surprises by people I never thought I'd see & that's what made it all the more special.

Of course, there is always one person who skipped the 20 year period & still has the mentality they did back then. It took a bit of alcohol & the early hours of the morning for someone to come up to me & say possibly the most stupid thing I've ever heard. I gave them the benefit of the doubt & moved on, but they had another crack as I was leaving. It was thankfully the one sour note on such a great night.

Since the events of last night, photos from various sources have been put up on the website & It's evident from these alone that a great night was had. I'm sure as hell not going to point myself out, so email if you want to have a shot at which photo's I'm in!

 

In preparation for the Clipsal 500 this weekend, Holden have had their blimp terrorising the heavens, enforcing advertisements both day & night. (It looks twice as cool at night by the way)

I raise the question - What ever happened to the Goodyear Blimp which was around quite a few years back?? Did it come from America & fly back or did it replicate the LZ 129 & vanish in a ball of flame? I'm guessing the former.

Airships are such a great idea in principle. Anything big & menacing in the sky is rather cool & there is definitely a novelty factor, hence me chasing it for a photo! As a marketing tool, hmmm, I'm not so sure. At no point has the screen on the side of the Holden Blimp made me want to buy a car or watch Channel Seven. The Goodyear Blimp was also cool, but I'm driving on Bridgestones. For a company such as Holden, which is already a household name, it doesn't really have the need to promote itself to get the Holden brand to the masses. An unknown company would profit from such advertising far more effectively but the cost of one of these things would prevent that. I guess that's the catch-22!

So I had to chase the blimp to get a photo & despite the size & dopey maneuverability, the speed it moves is very impressive. Somewhere in the realm of 80kph+ is not too shabby in something that big & after pulling over to take a couple of snaps, I dived back into my car to try & chase it somewhere else but it was too far gone by the time I made it back onto the street!

My mission is to get a couple of night time photos, but if I don't post a follow up in the next week, it will be pretty safe to say I couldn't get any!