From the desk of Roland Rocchiccioli

I am gifted of a retentive memory. I recall, with clarity, those first tentative steps as I laboured to find my place in the world. By good-luck or good fortune, I am not sure how, but I found what I wanted soon after I left school. I was implacable. Still I marvel at the daring with which I persevered. I joined the ABC, Perth, in 1966/67, then The Playhouse Theatre. While nothing is achieved by looking back and wondering — particularly when so much has been so good, there is the temptation to ponder what might have been. If only…

Luck plays a big part. Being in the right place at the right time. The late Debbie Reynolds believed it was 90% luck, and ten percent talent. I remember meeting with the acclaimed Austrian/American film director, Otto Preminger, whose 35-films include Exodus, The Cardinal, Laura, Anatomy of a Murder, and, The Man With The Golden Arm. He was a brilliant film maker and a most generous man. I enjoyed his company immensely. He had the reputation of a bully, but I was never a victim of his pursuit of excellence. We became friends. He said: “Had I met you when you 18, I would have made you a star! Now it’s too late.” I was too old. I was 32.

While I say, “all joy to them”, I am envious of the abundance of opportunities for Australian actors. While a few had carved-out international careers, the 1960s-70s offered scant chance of securing the film and television careers enjoyed by Russell Crowe, Cate Blanchett, Judy Davis, Guy Pearce, and Margot Robbie. When Jackie Weaver accepted the role in, Animal Kingdom, she never envisaged the film would reward her a Hollywood career. She is relishing working at a creative pace and level she never imagined would happen — and having the most agreeable time!

On reflection, I was unaware. I wish there had been a greater cognisance of my minor part in theatrical history. I have worked with, met, interviewed, become friends with, and been allowed to spend time in the company of some of the finest creative minds. Certainly, I never took it for granted, but I cannot remember pausing to consider my good fortune. We were the generation of baby-boomers born immediately following the Second World War. We were basking in the shadow of Victory. Such was the excitement and vibrancy one could smell it in the air! Regrettably, I was unaware of the creative magnitude and the pre-eminence of those stars whose names now are writ large in the entertainment pantheon. That I did not write a diary, or save letters and cards, is regrettable. I had no inkling of the historical importance of the work.

The creative zeitgeist has advanced; mores changed. As we did, the new generations of practitioners are pursuing their dreams. While none of us has a monopoly on good ideas, not all has been a waste. Lamentably, there is a propensity for discarding methodologies. Combining the past and the future is a delicate process which makes for a richer balance. We must embrace revolution, but not re-invent the wheel.

Roland can be heard with Brett Macdonald — radio 3BA Monday at 10.45 a.m.

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