Newcastle
Upon Tyne, one of the great cities of the North, became the venue for Gary’s
latest gathering after Gary heard about a young boy called Daniel Muers, who
suffers from the very rare Hunter
Syndrome condition. Daniel is the grandson of Elaine Bertram, one of
the members of Gary’s Discussion Group, and Gary decided that he would like to
do a cast of Dan’s hand, thus enabling his family to have something they will
treasure in years to come. From that thought, the plans grew into a weekend of
charity fund-raising and a fan get-together spread over two nights. Gary's
fans travelled from all over the UK and Europe for the weekend.
The fun started
on Friday afternoon when Gary was interviewed on the Julia Hankin show on BBC
Radio Newcastle, accompanied by Elaine Bertram who had magnificently arranged
the whole weekend. This interview is available to listen to on the Audio
page. Gary entertained the listeners with several of his stories and jokes
while Elaine went on to describe the weekend's events. Some of Gary’s
fans also made the journey to the studios armed with banners and posters to
support him there. Julia thoroughly enjoyed Gary's story-telling, and even
presented him with a Drumstick brand lollipop, which Gary found highly amusing.
A brief photo-shoot then took place at the studios before heading back to the
Imperial Hotel to prepare for the evening's entertainment.
The Friday
evening fund-raiser for Daniel consisted of a 60s dinner dance with an auction,
raffle, tombola and games. Many people, both locals and fans alike, made
the effort to dress up in 60s gear, and really looked the part! The
evening got off to a rousing start with a game of Heads or Tails, which was
compered by Gary in his own unique style after the rules had been quickly
explained to him. This was followed by an excellent three-course meal, and
then it was on to the raffle and auction, which were both highly successful
fund-raisers. Amongst many other excellent prizes donated by local
businesses and other well-wishers, Gary donated two items for the auction: a
copy of a sheet of the original artwork for The Walker Brothers’
"Everything Under The Sun" Box Set, and the handwritten lyrics for his
own song "Death Of Romance" from the "Nite Flights" album.
When the lyrics came up for auction, Gary's Discussion Group member, Krystyna
Terleckis, treated everybody to a splendid rendition of the song, much to her own
surprise! For those who were still standing, the evening was rounded off
by a 60s disco. It was a full and fun-packed evening, with Gary being a
very popular guest of honour.
Saturday
was a free day and many took advantage of the excellent weather for sightseeing
and shopping. They all returned with tales of a great city with wonderful
friendly people. Others were busy preparing for the 'Evening With Gary
Walker', which was an informal occasion purely for Gary’s fans. It was
an opportunity for quality time with Gary, during which he spoke to everyone
individually as well as posing for photographs and signing various items of
merchandise. Lewis Williams also came along, and was happy to sign copies
of his book Scott Walker - The
Rhymes Of Goodbye. The music throughout the evening was, not
surprisingly, all Walker songs. Gary entertained everyone later in the
evening with a fantastic repertoire of hilarious stories. His 'mature'
audience were fortunate to escape without several heart-attacks after so many
outbursts of hysterical laughter!! The evening ended all too soon with
Gary presenting bouquets to the organisers, Elaine Bertram and Anne Harrison.
This was followed by a surprise for Gary when he was presented with a gift, not
only from his Discussion Group members who were there, but also from others
around the world.
Somewhat
surprisingly, everybody made it to breakfast on Sunday morning. Then it
was time to just say goodbye............until the next time!
Newcastle
Upon Tyne, one of the great cities of the North, became the venue for Gary’s
latest gathering after Gary heard about a young boy called Daniel Muers, who
suffers from the very rare Hunter
Syndrome condition. Daniel is the grandson of Elaine Bertram, one of
the members of Gary’s Discussion Group, and Gary decided that he would like to
do a cast of Dan’s hand, thus enabling his family to have something they will
treasure in years to come. From that thought, the plans grew into a weekend of
charity fund-raising and a fan get-together spread over two nights. Gary's
fans travelled from all over the UK and Europe for the weekend.
Saturday
was a free day and many took advantage of the excellent weather for sightseeing
and shopping. They all returned with tales of a great city with wonderful
friendly people. Others were busy preparing for the 'Evening With Gary
Walker', which was an informal occasion purely for Gary’s fans. It was
an opportunity for quality time with Gary, during which he spoke to everyone
individually as well as posing for photographs and signing various items of
merchandise. Lewis Williams also came along, and was happy to sign copies
of his book