Freelancer Fridee

So I arrived late to my own function and thankfully I was still the first one there. It was only 4:30pm after all. Most people were still working. They’ll come. I’ll order a beer and read Beat Magazine. That’ll kill some time. Oh, and I’ll take in the ambience of the Railway Hotel in South Melbourne. The venue chosen for the inaugural Freelancer Fridee. Why? Well, it’s a central location, it’s kinda grungy and Melbourne-like (whatever that means) and possibly because I think it will add some cred to the whole idea of Freelancer Fridee.

Oh, why Freelancer Fridee? Well, because as freelancers we don’t get to hang out with our fellow office workers and have a beer after work on a friday. Now I know lots of people who couldn’t imagine anything worse than spending more time with colleagues than necessary - but the thing is we don’t spend all week with our colleagues. So it seemed to me that if I was thinking it might be nice to hang out with some fellow freelancers every now and then and shoot the shit then I may not be alone. But alas, it was after five fifteen now and I was. Alone, that is. I know, I’ll read the Emerald Hill Times (the local paper). That took three minutes and was very unrewarding. Hmmm. Another beer.

Oh, you meant why Freelancer Fridee instead of Freelancer Friday? Well, I’d like to pontificate about some sophisticated reference to a witty in-joke between myself and someone very important and well-respected, but the truth is far more shallow. A: It’s fun to say and 2: It made the wet-floor reflection effect in the logo easier without the letter “y” hanging below the line. So now you know. Don’t tell anyone. I’d also decided that Freelancer Fridee wasn’t strictly for freelancers but designed for freelancers, self-employed and small business people as a social and networking opportunity. The name just stuck, so sorry about the confusion.

I’d also ruminated at length about the frequency of Freelancer Fridee and concluded that every week was way too big a committment and once a fortnight was too hard to remember. So once a month it was. In fact, to avoid things like Anzac Day and Christmas stuff I slotted it into the third Friday of every month. Easy. Done. Now, where is everyone?

Well I know Wayne Aistrope is in Queensland so he’s off the hook. Adrian Mulrany called to say he thought the idea of Freelancer Fridee was excellent but unfortunately

I’m doing a show tonight and can’t make it but please keep me posted.

The girls from 2 Divas casting agency had indicated they liked the idea but they too couldn’t make it. Tony from Big Ears Audio had called previously in the week to say he loved the concept and was going to try and make it down.

And then just as I was lamenting that Freelancer Fridee may not have legs - I saw Paul Gildea from Monkeesee pull up out the front. Whoo-hoo! Game on.

Simultaneously, Nina, known only to me as the auto-cue operator, arrived and it seemed we had a party. Nina and Paul already knew each other. This shouldn’t have surprised me because having only met Nina four weeks ago, it was becoming apparent that Nina knew everybody I knew. In fact it was a miracle that Nina and I hadn’t met previously because it turned out Nina knew absolutely everybody that I’d ever met (it was discovered much later and after many beers that Nina and I had actually met about four years ago, once, randomly, and neither of us had remembered until now).

Within half an hour Peter and Rolf had joined us. Musician friends of Paul Gildea’s and fellow freelancers. Nina had invited Myles who was quick to join us along with Chris Bunsworth fresh from rehearsals. Rolf decided we should all migrate to the beer garden and take advantage of the fine weather (and that being outside allowed the smokers to smoke). So we migrated.

Trent Baker arrived shortly after the migration also from rehearsals, head clearly still spinning. As we bumped into each other in the front bar he said

Mate, I love the idea about your freelancer thing, but I’m sorry I can’t make it I’m just flat out with rehearsals. I’m just here to have dinner with Chris.

I had to inform Trent that he actually had made it, that this was Freelancer Fridee and that he was now part of the inauguration. It must be beer o’clock.

Kiera had convinced Jac to venture south of the yarra and joined in the celebrations as did Nina’s friend Margaret. With only four days notice, Freelancer Fridee was well and truly under way.

And then Chris wanted to dance.

So off to PA’s in Port Melbourne for dancing to the eighties DJ. But no! PA’s was full. Or at least that’s what they told us. We suspect they just thought we were a bit drunk and boisterous. So we ventured down the road to some terrible bar with a terrible duo where Kiera and Trent tore up the dance floor.

After a group decision declared the terrible bar too terrible for another round we sent Chris and Margaret on a recon mission to see if we could get in to PA’s. A little while later, communication came back to base that PA’s was a no-go zone but they had discovered an empty dance floor and a bar serving alcohol at The Exchange Hotel, down the west end of Bay Street. Move out troops!

Once Nina had collected yet another comrade walking out of PA’s as we passed (she really does know everybody) we made it to The Exchange for drinking and dancing. It was agreed the DJ had noooooo idea and there was only one thing left to do. Head to the vineyard!

So after many hours of drinking, dancing, card and number swapping and possibly a bit of action (?) it became clear that Freelancer Fridee has legs after all. Stay tuned for the next instalment.