A Letter to Duncan Renaldo

Dear Duncan

I was like a lot of young kids from my time – we loved cowboys. And you, Duncan, as The Cisco Kid, were the most readily available to me on television.

The Cisco Kid!

Those days of the black and white, the rural luxury of two stations – three if the wind was right – saw The Cisco Kid on ABC television in the early evening. Not that my younger sister and I were able to see it very often. That time clashed with the news on our other main station, then a regional television outlet, so we were either watching the news or eating dinner in the television-less kitchen. But we got to see it now and again, most often on occasional overnight stays with our grandmother or on holidays with our great-aunt and great-uncle.

Leo Carrillo - Pancho

Those visits to our great-aunt and great-uncle were a week in our summer school holidays, travelling eighty miles up from home to the small town of Kerang. Aunt Agnes and Uncle Dunc would indulge us and we all watched The Cisco Kid prior to Auntie and Uncle watching the ABC news. And Uncle Dunc used to particular enjoy it when your partner in crime, Leo Carrillo, appeared on the screen. "Pancho!" Uncle Dunc would cry in delight. And we two kids would giggle like mad.

It was that delight of Uncle Dunc that I remember most of all. We adored him and that his delight would always make me feel that much closer to him. Come the end of the program, it was a chorus from Uncle Dunc, my sister and I, all calling out yours and Leo's catch-phrases. "Oh Ceeesco!" "Oh Pancho!"

In fairness, your program was a product of its time; simplistic, predictable. But you also were the means of some very pleasant memories of my childhood. So thanks for that.

Oh Ceeesco!

Regards

Ross

Ross's disclaimer - don't be afraid to make a comment to the blog or hit me up via Twitter or my website. I don't bite. At least not often.

What? Another bloody blog?

What? Another bloody blog? Just HOW many do you need?

"Well, mate," I replied to myself as politely as I could, "I think this one actually is a good idea."

I decided that I had to agree with that. But what actually makes this new blog such a good idea? Simple - I have borrowed an idea that someone else has done pretty cool things with. You see, the wonderfully mercurial Marieke Hardy and her partner in crime, Michaela McGuire, created a highly successful literary event, Women of Letters. All sorts of people, including a few men, write letters and then share them with an audience. The collected works are now available in a book: Women of Letters. As an important aside, I should point out that all royalties from the book are going to Edgar's Mission animal rescue shelter, so it is worth at least having a look at it.

The blurb for the book notes some examples from women such as Claudia Karvan and Noni Hazlehurst. But my favourite was Tara Moss's letter to Bela Lugosi which, among other things, explained how becoming exposed to Bela's Dracula lead to insertion of a caterpillar up her nostril. And yes, those who know me are well aware that I think Ms Moss is quite wonderful (and not just cos she's gawjus!). But that was a delightful letter. And there were plenty more like it.

Now I thought this was a wonderful idea - write letters to people that you would love to have corresponded with in a particular manner. I am hardly likely to ever be invited to share at a Women of Letters, and I am not aware of Men's Missives or Bloke's Bullshit literary events so another blog seems to be the way to go.

Alrighty then - so who am I going to be writing to and sharing with my hordes of screaming fans (two mad hermits and a pet ferret)? Stay tuned and you'll find out! Real soon now - promise!

Ross's disclaimer - don't be afraid to make a comment to the blog or hit me up via Twitter or my website. I don't bite. At least not often.