Markets 
The latest brushes with fame (C8) involve air travel. Here’s Mark Berg of Caringbah South: “While having lunch in 1994 with friends in a Bondi Beach hotel, an elderly American gentleman wearing loafers, accompanied by an aged but glamorous lady, stood at the top of the stairs and called to me in an American accent, ‘Young man, can you please help me down these stairs?’, which I did. They were Hollywood stars Van Johnson and Kathryn Grayson. His feet were swollen after the long flight, and he was struggling to walk. They were deeply grateful for the assistance.”
On a flight from Delhi to Kashmir I sat next to Ben Kingsley not long after Gandhi was released,” claims Joe Veness of Ingleburn. “On arrival our luggage was mislaid so Ben and I searched the terminal together. I carried a camera but was too polite to use it. Nobody believed me when I told them I’d been to India and met Ben Kingsley.”
Recent talk of the Jumbo jet reminds me of when I worked for a government department and my phone extension was 747,” says Natasha Lee of Alexandria. “After a few work trips on 747s one of my work colleagues suggested my nickname should be ‘Jumbo’. I was not impressed.”
“As a young teacher in the 1970s, fresh from city life, not only did I encounter bogong moths (C8) in the wonderful country town of Tumut, but also observed that the high school magazine was called Bogong,″ recalls Lyn Langtry of East Ryde.
Marie and Tim Slack-Smith’s anniversary cruise (C8), reminded Colin Campbell of Coogee of the time “years ago, when my wife and I were planning a European holiday and were trying to decide whether to finish up in Prague or Berlin. That weekend the DS cryptic crossword included ‘Put Berlin off the plan’. Didn’t have to tell us twice!”
“I planted a bunya pine (C8) seed as a bonsai some 15 years ago and have kept it nicely dwarfed,” reports Nedra Orme of North Sydney. “It is now about 30 centimetres tall. I’m wondering how much a nut will weigh when one forms and if I need to take precautions.”
“This may be spreading the group Labelle (C8) a bit thin, but, the song Lady Marmalade would have gone well in an early 1970s jam session!” Warren Finnan of West Ryde is here all week, folks!
Column8@smh.com.au
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