THE secret is out. Goulburn’s very own James Bond, and Australia’s only (to date) 007 actor, George Lazenby, will be in town for September’s Spyfest.
The On Her Majesty’s Secret Service star, who is currently filming a musical in Budapest, will be the central attraction of the inaugural Spyfest, which runs on September 25- 26.
Goulburnians will have the chance to get up close with the 007 at the event’s street parade, and at its official opening in Belmore Park.
It’s believed Spyfest will be the only festival in the world to celebrate the spy genre, with organisers hoping the festival will take the lead role in launching Goulburn’s annual spring festival calendar.
Spyfest committee members Wendy Antony and Julie Judd are “excited, and over the moon” about the Bond actor’s attendance.
While organisers were confident he was coming, George was filming in Budapest, and his director had to give him clearance to come over.
“It’s really important that George is here, because he’s the person we’re honouring,” Mrs Judd said.
“George coming is everything for our inaugural year, and I think the fact that the person this event is all about is saying ‘Yes, I want to be there’. It certainly now gives our event credibility.
“When we first started this process, it was Chris Gordon who tracked George down and contacted him, which was a big step to us moving forward and setting the date.
“We approached Goulburn Mulwaree Council with the idea of Spyfest as a spring festival, and Mayor Geoff Kettle sent George a letter telling him the city would love to have him here.”
It’s planned for George to lead the street parade in a soft-top Aston Martin, and he will be at the official opening in Belmore Park’s rotunda following the parade.
One of the major events for the weekend is the Spyfest gala dinner, where George will be the special guest. The gala dinner will also feature renowned Dame Shirley Bassey tribute artist Jenifer Green, who will boom out Bond classics such as Goldfinger, Diamonds Are Forever and Moonraker with Chris De Havilland, a noted Sir Sean Connery performer, to emcee.
“You don’t often to get to sit in the room with James Bond, and as Australians, we may never get the opportunity again with an Australian Bond,” Mrs Judd said.
For those who can’t make the Gala Dinner, there will be a Shagadelic Disco at the Goulburn Workers Club, with tunes from the 1960s, 70s and 80s.
On the Friday night an open mic night at the Goulburn Club, called Music to Spy By, and on the Saturday four Australian spy crime writers will be at a Q&A, including Goulburnborn Greg Baron, Chris Allen, Scott Blake and Rachel Amphlett.
Another author attending will be Lynette Silver, a historian who has written a book about Denis Emerson- Elliott, a former MI6 agent who lived in Australia for 42 years. Ms Silver’s book In the Mouth of the Tiger, coauthored by Mr Emerson-Elliott’s son
Derek, details how the former British spy may have been the real-life inspiration behind Ian Fleming’s most famous character.
George Lazenby attended Goulburn Public School and Goulburn High, moving away from to Queanbeyan in 1954.
He later flew to London, selling cars until he was spotted by a photographer and began his career as a male model.
Lazenby found celluloid immortality in the 1969 instalment On Her Majesty’s Secret Service.
The Bond movie franchise has grossed more than $6 billion worldwide since the first installment, Dr No, hit screens in 1964.
Former Goulburn resident Mr Lazenby arrives at the 9th Annual BritWeek launch party at the British Consul General’s Residence on April 21, 2015 in Los Angeles.
