From the desk of Roland Rocchiccioli – 20 December

The late Gordon Chater joked that when it comes to gifts we all know it’s not the thought that counts, but the price!

Of course, he was joking, but he was the most generous man when it came to the giving of gifts. He once presented me a Mont Blanc fountain pen after I admired the one he was using.

Gordon died on the 12 December 1999, aged 77, which is far too young to have shuffled-off the mortal coil. I miss his wonderfully funny phone calls. He was the man of a thousand voices and I never knew which one of them would be phoning me.

We spent a Christmas Day together in London when he was performing in the stage play, The Elocution of Benjamin Franklin. He was so brilliant a notice was posted on the actor’s board backstage at the National Theatre of Great Britain, recommending every member of the company should see it for a masterclass in great acting! Gordon was the most wonderful host and a superb cook. It is one of the Christmas Days I remember fondly.

Sadly, Christmas has become commercialised and lost much of its simple joy. It used to be that one was received a Christmas present. Not so today. The expectation is for a cart load of goodies – and should they not be top of the range the recipient’s displeasure is obvious.

I wrote, with the late Frank Thring, a book called, The Actor Who Laughed. It was a slim volume and part of a successful anecdotal series. The stories were interspersed with marvellous caricatures. On a trip home to Kalgoorlie, I presented a copy to my mother Beria’s daughter-in-law. She eyed it contemptuously, then said haughtily as she handed it back, “I don’t read thin books!”

I have long-since stopped giving presents to adults. I assume, like me, most people neither want, nor need, for anything. I have enough of everything to see me into the next life! At this time of year, a gift from me is likely to be a homemade Christmas cake; and I am not beyond recycling from the cache of china and glassware stored away in cupboards and which never sees the light of day. How many glasses does one man need? Undoubtedly, most of it will be dumped when I am gone, and I would rather it went to homes of my choice.

Recently, someone did a job for me and then refused payment. I gave them a green Wedgewood dish and a piece of blue and gold Limoges.

When asked what she wanted, the close friend of a pal in Perth nominated a goat sponsorship. Recently, while I was looking online, and considering buying two inexpensive shirts, a Christmas fund-raising appeal email arrived from Lort Smith. I was so moved by the images of a dear little abused dog that I forgot about the shirts and immediately sent a donation – the cost of the two items – to Lort Smith. Really, I do not need another two shirts but our four-legged friends need some Christmas assistance.

Christmas is a tough time for some children. You could help change the colour of their Christmas Day by donating to the 3BA Christmas Appeal. COVID-19 has made food and gifts impossible, but you can make a direct cash deposit to the Radio Ballarat Christmas Appeal Trust:

NAB: BSB 083526: Account Number: 635463252.

Also, you can leave toys at Santa’s Christmas Tree at Toyworld, or donate where you see collection tins.

Roland can be heard each Monday on 3BA at 10.45am and you can send him Christmas wishes to [email protected].