Filling in the Gaps

Peter Keogh

Description

Filling in the Gaps follows on from Peter Keogh's acclaimed and popular autobiography My Hi-de-Highlife: Before, During and After Su Pollard. This exciting sequel explores aspects of Peter's life that were left out of his autobiography, including how a gay boy raised on a farm, and in spite of abuse both physical and emotional, was finally able to come out as a homosexual man. This book is at times comical, sexual and heartbreaking and provides further insight into Peter's relationships with people like Debbie Reynolds, Australian producer John Frost and a distasteful encounter with a famous English MP. The book also reveals more of Peter's life with the stars, his well-publicised trial in London and his relationship with his partner of 25 years, Sacha. Peter's life has been a complex mix of highs and lows and his experiences have ranged from hilarious to terrifying. Filling in the Gap details how, against difficult odds, Peter has managed to survive to be the man he is today and will inspire people of all ages, gay or straight, to realise that there is light at the end of every dark tunnel.

Sujets

• Lettres et linguistique

Informations

• Publié par: Andrews UK
• Date de parution: 04 septembre 2015
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9780993263002
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

Title Page
FILLING IN THE GAPS
My Hi-de-High Life - The Sequel
By
Peter Keogh



Publisher Information
First published in 2015 by Apex Publishing Ltd
12A St. John’s Road, Clacton on Sea, Essex
CO15 4BP, United Kingdom
www.apexpublishing.co.uk
Please email any queries to
[e-mail]
Digital edition converted and distributed by
Andrews UK Limited
www.andrewsuk.com
Copyright © 2015 Peter Keogh
The author has asserted his moral rights
Cover photo: Jon Hewson, Mandurah Coastal Times
Cover design: Hannah Blamires
All rights reserved. This book is sold subject to the condition that no part of this book is to be reproduced, in any shape or form. Or by way of trade, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, be lent, re-sold, hired out or otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition, including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser, without prior permission of the copyright holder.



Preface
Last year I wrote a book!
It was a little book, which to my great surprise seemed to strike a chord with quite a few people from all over the world who kindly informed me they had been moved by it in various ways - some said it had made them laugh and cry and some were inspired by it - all of which truly touches me.
To my family, friends and each of you who purchased my book my deepest thanks.
To all who supported me from the first written word to publication I also owe enormous thanks but most especially to Chris Cowlin of Apex Publishing whose tireless faith in and encouragement of my book made what seemed an impossible dream become a reality and the remarkable Lynne Burford from Lynne Burford Publicity whose belief in and support of Sach and me in every aspect of our lives inspires us daily!
Now in response to many requests and before my memory fails me completely and people start saying, ‘ Didn’t that funny old man over there used to be Peter Keogh? ’ I thought that I would try to ‘ Fill in the Gaps’ left out of my first book. I hope you that may continue to enjoy my further adventures and even my misadventures!
Peter Keogh



Acknowledgements
Thankfully I am surrounded by the most wonderful, funny and especially tolerant people in my life who put up with all of my many quirky ways, people like Lynne Burford and David Shallue - more family than friends, John Frost and Shane O’Connor, Peter and Norma Powell, Peter and Leonie Hansen who are my best audience. Leonie kindly helped edit portions of this book together with Leanne Morton, Marlene Cream and Val, Jan and Peter Hallam - two persons who I admire hugely. Also special thanks to John Burbidge, a very dear friend and a successful author in his own right, and his partner Bruce Robertson for their expert and kind advice and John’s extremely detailed editing, Stan Suiter and his whole family, Betty Box Office, Valerie Adnams, Peter and Mary Costello and especially my family...well, most of them! Since losing Debbie Reynolds’s PA, Jenny Powers, one lovely surprise, has been our friendship with dear Donald Light who is Debbie Reynolds’ ‘ everything ’ and whose friendship we treasure. There are too many of you to mention here but I sincerely hope that you all know who you are and how much you mean to me. I do want to make special mention of Ian Howells who knew me way back when and who I was pleased to establish contact again with through Facebook.





About the Author
Peter Keogh was born in rural Australia during the 1950s. Growing up in a religious family where homosexuality was considered an anathema, he struggled to come to terms with his true identity. He was also subject to physical and sexual abuse, which was to shape his later life.
After a string of jobs, Peter moved to London where he met and worked with some of the biggest names in show business, including comedy actress Su Pollard, whom he married. For several years, Peter enjoyed the celebrity lifestyle, mixing with some of the most famous people of the day, including Princess Diana. After being accused of theft, Peter was also involved in one of the most publicised trials of the time. When his marriage to Su Pollard ended, Peter travelled to the USA, where he went on to work with many iconic stars, including film legend Debbie Reynolds.
Filling in the Gaps follows on from Peter’s first successful autobiography, My Hi-De-High Life , and includes more tantalising details of a life well lived. Book publication has also opened up a new career for Peter as an author, with further projects in the pipeline.
Finally able to publicly acknowledge his homosexuality, Peter lives with his long-time partner, Sacha Mahboub, near Perth, Australia.



Discovering Dad
They say that if one writes a book the next one is always much harder, so I pursue this with trepidation but inspired by the comments of so many who have asked me to Fill in the Gaps !
Before I continue the next part of my journey, I would like to share with you something that only came to light very recently. My dear mum has been quite unwell and she gave me a large bundle of typed notes that my late dad had written during and just before the war when he was engaged to Mum. Included in those notes was one page written in 1951 by Harry Impson, who it appears, served with Dad overseas during World War Two. I was six years old at the time and the note, in which I am mentioned by name, was sent to Dad to give to me when I was older. In fact, to me now he is quite the hero and I realise how lucky I was to have him as a dad. Hopefully, it also gives you, the reader, a fairer picture of the man I have written about but without much clarity of him as a ‘man’, apart from being a distant parent.
Dated July 15 th 1951
From W. X Cpl. Impson 3568 ‘B’ Coy 2/16 th Battalion. ABROAD
“This letter will occasion you some surprise but I thought you would be interested to hear about ‘Doug’ from one who has been with him all the time.
In Syria Doug received his baptism of fire in a heavy engagement involving the crossing of the Litani River under heavy fire and capturing dominating ridges that were stubbornly defended. He did a splendid job as we lost our platoon commander (wounded) and I had to act as sergeant, Doug led the section, and led it well through many bitter scrapes, not bad for the youngest in the section was it?
The action in which Doug was wounded involved the capture of Sidon along the coast of Tyre (memories of Biblical history). We advanced across open country for about three miles and were within half a mile of Sidon when the enemy counter attacked with tanks and with one tank at very close hand. Most of the group with me were killed and Doug wounded.
That should have been enough to give any boy the jitters but Doug carried on for an hour or so after he was hit! The wound has healed well and he is working in the orderly room here at the hospital.
I will miss him very much when I leave here, for at any age it is stimulating to have as a companion such a clean living lad, whose strong faith guides his actions!”
I find the above letter quite sad now because he was obviously an exceptional man and I miss him as I write this more than any other time since his death in 1999.
Mum also gave me a sort of diary he had written about the pleasure he had travelling throughout Western Australia with Mum and especially his brother Len and his family. I will try to collate his writings soon. They are a total joy and were a revelation to me. In my earlier book, and later on in this one, you will note that Dad and I had some major issues with regard to closeness, for various reasons. I cannot tell you how much I wish I knew the man represented in his writings. I never heard him say ‘ I love you’ to anyone, and how I yearned to hear those words. Mum too probably! However, in his writings a side of Dad I never dreamed existed touched me deeply - his love of his family, his fiancée at the time (my mum) and his respect for and caring of his fellow soldiers. Plus his wonderful sense of humour! Following are a few quotes from his diary about travelling from Fremantle to fight overseas that made me see him through newer and clearer eyes. The photo below is of his regiment, most of who were killed and were mentioned in the letter above. Dad is in white shorts, second from the left.


On learning he was about to be shipped overseas:
“ The thought of having to leave all that was dear to me was not very pleasant, but this was offset by the thought that we all had a job to do and it was my job as much as anyone else’s.”
“As the ship left Fremantle wharf I climbed up the rigging and had a very good vantage point to see all that was going on. I felt that I wanted to be alone to sort my thoughts. A feeling which was foreign had come over me and left an ache in my heart. Where was Nita (my mother) - would she be true to me, would she miss me, and a thousand other thoughts flashed through my mind!”
This was written about his ship coming into Aden:
“The journey had an exciting incident as we were bombed by the Italians who occupied Eritrea only a few miles away! When the sirens sounded we were herded below much to our disgust as we wanted to see what was going on. Fortunately for us all of the bombs fell wide. I spent the majority of the time writing letters although I knew they would not be posted before we arrived at our destination but I had made a promise that I would write every week and I intended to keep it while I could.”
For me the letters were