Kurunjang resident and Melton Men’s Shed social group team leader Chris Huon has a long history of living in the region and formerly worked in the entertainment industry. Oscar Parry spoke with Mr Huon about this history, and what he enjoys most about living in Kurunjang.
What is your connection to Kurunjang?
I lived here from about 14 years of age historically, and then moved away, joined the military. July marks my 70th birthday … I lived here in Melton for several years and then ended up moving to Bacchus Marsh. Other than that, I was in the workforce quite busy up until a sad event – the death of my first wife from leukaemia, she was 34 and so was I at the time … I had the good fortune of meeting my current wife, and we’ve been together for some 35 years … and that’s when we embarked on a career of entertainment.
Tell us a bit about your background in the entertainment industry.
Primarily, Yolette and I started off. I developed an act with her where we did stage illusions … then … we diversified, and I started writing and producing shows that we played in our several theatre restaurants. They were based all over the place, Mount Eliza, Spencer Street in Melbourne and also Kryal Castle in Ballarat. I managed it and I also started a theatre restaurant there called Castle Cabaret.
I started off as a kid being interested in magic and I worked as a … young man at Bernard’s Magic Shop in the city … as a consequence when I met my second wife, Yolette, [we] decided we should have a go at doing some stage illusions, so I built a few of them and having a bit of a background in it … we embarked on performing in that vein, and then it diversified – I found that I could make people laugh, so stand up comedy was one of the elements, and then I started writing some sketches and some funny stuff that we incorporated into variety cabaret shows … this involved touring and all sorts of other things.
What did you enjoy most about that time?
I think it’s an easy answer – if you can make people laugh and entertain them – it gives you great satisfaction, and it also gives you an immediate reaction, people will applaud and laugh. As they say, laughter is the best medicine. It’s a two-way street … getting back as much as you’re giving.
What do you like most about where you live?
It’s quiet where we are, we live in a little cul-de-sac that doesn’t have any through traffic … and I guess I like the fact that I’ve established myself at the Men’s Shed and have developed quite a few friends in the area as a result. [I visit the Men’s Shed] twice a week, Tuesdays and Fridays, but I do get asked by the council to jump into other areas like Taylors Hill Men’s Shed celebrated its 10th birthday last week, and I was asked to emcee the event, and various other things associated with men’s shed activities. I take the boys out in one of the council buses once a month where we might visit the museum or other places of interest.
What, if anything, would you change about Kurunjang?
I wouldn’t change a thing! I’m happy enough with it. It’s a satisfying lifestyle … I’m quite content in my retirement. I appreciate the facilities that are available here in Melton, and … once you establish friends and associations, you tend to call it home, don’t you?
