Famous Faces & Places

Famous Faces & Places

"So take a step back and see the little people,
They may be young but they're the ones
That make the big people big…."

- Moving Pictures, 1982

Every now and then a celebrity will find themselves basking in the reflective glow of a mighty Bushranger and unable to resist the urge to have their photo taken with one of our legendary scoundrels. By the same token, there are times when a Bushranger on tour gets bailed up by a local tourist attraction or well-known landmark and they feel compelled, for the betterment of the local community, to have their photo taken in the region to boost neighbourhood morale and perhaps bolster the stocks the of the local tourism industry.

These pages are examples of just these types of events where our humble Bushrangers have taken the time out of their busy schedules to give a little something back to the game and the little people that have given us so much. Without our fans, we are just lonely outlaws wallowing in our own self-appreciation and magnificence. If you are a member of Bushranger Golf and have a special image you can share that might make the world a better place, Contact Us and we will submit your proposal to our Famous Faces & Places Review Committee. We need to take precautions as some unscrupulous celebrities and landmarks will stop at nothing to get their image in these pages.

To all current Bushrangers, be sure that you always have your BRG hat on hand so that the next time a shabby B-grade celebrity jumps out of your rubbish bin with a gaggle of snapping paparazzi in tow, you are ready to look your best. Please note that this page is a work in progress. Come back again to see more Bushrangers in and with Famous Faces & Places. Now kick back, relax, perhaps put some popcorn in the fridge or a beer in the microwave, and prepare to be amazed at what some of these people and places will do to have their picture taken with our Bushrangers.

# 1 - Bob Hope and Richard Fellner, Nevada, 1978

Here we see golfer and sometime comedian Bob Hope schmoozing it up with the 2006 Kelly Gang Shootout Champion, our very own Quigley (aka Richard Fellner) before they enjoyed a round a golf together at the Incline Village Championship Course in that glorious year for golf fashions, 1978. That's Bob on the left. He wasn't smiling so much about 20 minutes after this shot was taken when the peewee Quigley had whupped him on their first hole.

The story: The Fellner family lived on the course at the Robert Trent Jones designed Incline Village Golf Course complex and Mrs Fellner was the course marshall and beverage cart driver. That is her groovy beers on wheels trolley in the background. After she served the well known funny guy early on the front nine, she popped home to grab Quigley for a photo opportunity and Bob invited him to play a few holes.

They shared 10 holes together and our man won his fair share. According to the Bushranger, “We weren't really competing, but I was certainly keeping track and I got a couple of long drives in there as well! At that time I was the Incline Village Junior Golf Champion for the last two years, so I went easy on the old fella. He was certainly stoked to share a few holes (and a few bevvies – thanks mum) with a future Kelly Gang Shootout Champion.”

# 2 - Pw Jones, Augusta National Golf Club, 1993

Here we see the famed home of the US Masters virtually throwing itself at a sartorial, hirsute and relaxed Pw Jones. It seems remarkable now that the bloke on the gate didn't let him in for a stroll down Magnolia Drive, let alone a few leisurely holes on a sunny summer afternoon. Perhaps Pw should have given a little more thought to the wardrobe he lined up for the day. How's the dacks? Would that be watermelon? And who would've thought there would be a Rug Emporium just over the road from one of the most famous golf clubs in the world. That's the Yanks for you. Never know when or where you'll need that new rug.

The Story: Pw was in college in San Diego that year and spent the summer doing an anticlockwise road trip circumnavigation of the States with visiting celebrity and legendary man of the people, The Hominator. Naturally a stop in Augusta was essential and the boys had a massive crack at trying to get in for a bit of a Captain Cook at the course that Bobby Jones and Alister Mackenzie built. Alas, the best they came up with was a souvenir scorecard each. Pw now has his safely taking pride of place in the bottom of a cardboard box somewhere under the house.

Said Pw, "At the time, I figured the watermelon strides were going to be a key factor in talking our way into the joint, possibly even the critical final nail in the coffin. That gatehouse guard must've been colour blind or something. There's just no accounting for taste."

# 3 - Dr Russell Gruen, Arbeige & The Hominator, Yarra Bend, 2004

In this picture, we find the world renowned Dr. Russell Gruen, a bloke with more letters after his name than a bowl of alphabet soup, taking great pleasure in getting his noggin in the frame with two of the most notorious Bushrangers ever to pick up a club, the loveable Arbeige, champion of everything, and legendary man of the people, The Hominator. Dr. Gruen has done many famous things besides being a social member of BRG, but he achieved national prominance in June 2007 as the specialist trauma surgeon responsible for saving the life of Dutch backpacker Paul de Waard who was wounded when he went to the aid of Kara Douglas in the tragic shootings in the Melbourne CBD.

The Story: The good doctor, Arbeige and The Hominator are old school buddies and on this day they popped out for some quality time together on Ho's home court at Yarra Bend. This shot is taken on the 2nd fairway. Note the gallery of flying foxes in the trees surrounding the green in the background, making this hole one of the eeriest putting experiences in the world of golf.

# 4 - Pw Jones, Ryan Shelton, Hamish Blake & Andy Lee, Royal Park, 2003

Above, we see Pw Jones, Ryan Shelton, Hamish Blake and Andy Lee at the famous Royal Park Golf Course in Parkville in late 2003 in what is arguably the first ever Bushranger Golf event. At this time, the preparation for the first Bushranger Cup was in full swing, but that event did not take place until the following March. The picture above is from the (now defunct) SYN-FM Friday Razz 9-hole Two-ball Ambrose Shootout World Invitational Golf Championship that was held at the 9-hole Royal Park layout (the first home of five-time British Open Champion Peter Thompson).

The event was a raging success, despite having only four entrants, no prizes, no trophies, no sponsors and no spectators. What it did have was a lot of thrills, spills, laughs and fun. It really set the tone for all future Bushranger Golf events. The format was 2-ball best-ball ambrose and, in a thrilling finish, Pw & Ryan edged out Hamish & Andy by a single stroke on the final hole. Despite years of pleading, the champions have never agreed to a rematch and probably never will.

The (Real) Story: In 2003, Matthew Pitt (aka Pw Jones) was the executive producer of the afternoon drive show on the new Student Youth Network (SYN-FM) radio station that was launched in Melbourne that year. He found a demo tape in the bottom of a cardboard box in the attic with a recording of three dills carrying on like pork chops and laughing at each other. Matt took what, with the benefit of hindsight, we now know was a very low risk decision, and plonked the boys on the Friday afternoon shift. Very quickly the show was the most popular on SYN-FM and the rest is history.

These days, Hamish & Andy present the top-rating drive show on the Today Network around Australia and, along with Ryan Shelton, are regular guests on Rove. Ryan, Hamish, Andy and Tim Bartley run their own production company, Radio Karate, that has produced shows such as Real  Stories. Pw Jones runs Bushranger Golf in the vain hope that one day the US Masters will extend him a special invitation to play under a 'love of the game' clause.

# 5 - The Fonz and Quigley, Malibu, California, 1977

This is one of the most remarkable shots to appear on these pages. Although it contains no golf, nor Bushranger apparel, it does qualify to appear by virtue of the fact that it has a Bushranger Golf member being courted by a celebrity, in this case Henry Winkler, aka The Fonz. Aaaaaaay. Apparently, Mr Fonzarelli spotted our man Quigley (aka Richard Fellner - he was a real celebrity magnet back in the 70s) and was dying to get his photo taken with the boy whose Bushranging destiny must've been obvious, even as a lad. To be repeatedly spotted at such a tender age, we can only asume he had a touch of the Dalai Lama about him.

The Story: Richard’s grandmother lived near the beach where they were filming  an episode of Happy Days - Paradise Cove beach - where they also filmed The Rockford Files - woo hoo. They heard about the shoot and popped down for a bit of a squiz.

According to Quigley, “There wasn't any security back then, so you could basically sit near the sets and just watch (as long as you were quiet). During a break between scenes, the cast was milling about, and my grandmother was trying to take this photo of me and Henry Winkler. She was so nervous that she had the camera upside-down and backwards. Winkler helped her sort it out, and he must have taken pity on us as he took me under his wing for the day. He took a bunch of photos of the cast and crew with our camera. I got to be an extra for the day and appeared in one of the scenes.”

This is a very special shot. It isn’t just Fonzie, it is a symbolic moment in late 20th-century disposable western pop culture. This is taken on the set of the famous Jump The Shark episode of Happy Days, a retrospectively seminal event in television history as it represents the catalyst for understanding the turning point where any remnants of creativity and art are leached out of a project as it becomes completely subsumed by the machine that can only perceive value in fiscal terms and will blissfully follow the path of self-annihilation in pursuit of every last cent of profit. At least that is how we see it at BRG. This episode of Happy Days became known as the turning point symbolic of when a TV series (or indeed anything) lost itself forever, turned bad, and was never as good again. It was the catalyst for the Jump the Shark philosophy and website. Also note the memorable physique and comportment of Ralph Mouth in the background. Nice toggs Ralph.

# 6 - Andy Lee, Hamish Blake, Harry Pitt & Ryan Shelton, Benalla, 2007

Here we see a gaggle of TV and radio personalities clamouring for a piece of a junior Bushranger who isn't even old enough to walk, let alone swing a golf club. Celebrity Bushranger Golf members Andy Lee, Hamish Blake and Ryan Shelton are delighted to be seen in their Bushranger Golf hats with the # 1 BRG ticket holder, young Harry Pitt. Seen here chewing on his 2007 Bushranger Cup stubby holder, Harry and his personal attaché ran into the Caravan of Courage in the central Victorian town of Benalla, smack in the heart of Kelly country, in October 2007.

The Story: This never really happened. The whole photo is CGI. If you look closely, you can see Lee Harvey Oswald driving the utility vehicle full of WMDs in the background.