Duane Mellon

Dear Olive,
An enlightening conversation took place recently between myself and another member of our household. It went along a little something like this ... 
S: You never say anything about me on the blog, it's just all about you and olive.
Me: What do you want me to say?
S: You could have mentioned my one-two down the middle of the field with Brett Kirk at my football match? Actually, maybe no one will know what a one-two* is! Maybe no one will know who Brett Kirk** is! Well, you could mention more about my music. Or things that Olive and I do together.
Me: Um, ok. You know, if you want to be in a blog so much, why don't you just write your own?
But after some consideration, I thought, perhaps he's right. The whole purpose of these letters are to give you something to reflect back on when Shane and I are old and grey and too diddery to remember anything. So maybe there are some things I should be teaching you about your Dad. Here are the first random things which spring to mind.
1. His love for you is ginormous times infinity. He has the hugest, most impressive attention span for being in the moment with you and just playing.
2. He was the cutest little kid. And shy, apparently. And a very snappy dresser.
3. He was the most handsome young man. And a hit with the ladies, apparently. Not so shy after all, as it turns out. But still a snappy dresser.
4. The first thing everyone describes him as is funny. Really, really, funny.
5. He told me the reason he declined to speak at his fathers funeral last year was because he cries really easily since you've been born. Being your Dad has unleashed the emotions within!
6. In his own words, he is semi-professional at most sports.
7. He's a drummer, and has recorded over 20 albums. With some great, and some not so great, bands. His all Sri Lankan covers band Dark Crystal sits toward the not so great end of the scale. Think Girls Just Wanna Have Fun sung by a man with a thick Sri Lankan accent. (Shane was 13 at the time.) I'm sure he'll put a copy of each cd in your hope chest.
8. When you were 10 weeks old I left you with Hayes and Sarah and went to watch Shane play a gig at the opera house. I felt so proud, but of course that was mostly overrided by sheer panic as my phone had no reception in the theatre. You woke up as I was on my way home, such terrific timing.
9. Shane recently starred in a couple of commercials for hahn beer. He was also the chicken drumming in an old chicken in a biscuit ad.
10. Shane can not stand it when things don't work the way they're meant to. Or are dirty. (Don't mention the tennis court around my family for at least another year.)
11. His alter ego is called Duane Mellon, after he won a prize at a drum clinic when he was a teenager and the person misread his name. If you don't know Duane Mellon, you probably don't know Shane.
And I think that's about it - for now. It's by no means an exhaustive list of who your Dad is, to me or to you. Stay tuned for more vital and exciting Shane information coming your way soon!
*AFL term for a super duper move between two highly skilled players.
**Former AFL player who captained Sydney Swans to premiership victory.
Shane, in a tiny, shiny suit. With Aunty Bry and your great grandparents.

More suits! And flares!

 Play it again, Shane. Shane's Mum used to make him perform at the pub they ran. In suits.

Is this what you're going to look like?

 Playing the BDO with the Hummingbirds.