Naked City
Sun Herald
Sunday October 14, 2001
Water Rats' Nemesis meets its nemesis
FOR SALE: Police boats, slightly used by actors.
With the axing of Channel 9's Water Rats, Southern Star productions is selling off the ``built-to-survey" (commercial standards) vessels, 10.5m and 7.5m catamarans called the Nemesis and Harpy, that once whizzed Colin Friels and Catherine McClements around Sydney Harbour.
For a time, the vessels outstripped the real Water Police fleet, until it upgraded before the Olympics with $80 million worth of state-of-the-art ocean-going pursuit boats, including a Nemesis.
The Water Rats version has radar, depth sounder, floodlights and full safety gear and is selling for $160,000; the price tag on the Harpy is $50,000.
Buyers will have to remove the ``POLICE" signs from the boats' sides. Meanwhile, the NSW Water Police has lifted its profile on the harbour to the level of vigilance it maintained for the Olympics.
Nifty tribute from a bearpit veteran
AS the MC at the inaugural NSW Press Forum at Parliament House on Thursday, Channel 10 reporter Paul Mullins confessed he was the longest-serving member of the NSW press gallery with 28 years under his belt and had been there since Bob Askin was premier. Mullins raised his glass to a guest in the crowd whom he described as one of his heroes. Neville Wran cracked a smile at the compliment. The former NSW premier was quietly celebrating his 75th birthday.
Ratings flop to go
POLICE TV is such a big flop it is about to be scrapped, according to insiders. The internal NSW Police Service network, championed by Commissioner Peter Ryan, is losing millions. Less than 3 per cent of the service watches it. The commissioner's former press secretary Rob Kinney, who lost an internal power battle with Ryan's hand-picked marketing director Liz Blieschke and has now been replaced by former 2UE reporter Justin Kelly, is the hapless head of internal police communications who was lumbered with the white elephant earlier this year.
Bit of a dampener
EN route to the Phillip Island bike races last Thursday a pack of 50 motorcyclists including dancer Paul Mercurio, bike champ Wayne Gardner, swimmer Kieren Perkins and actor Steve Bisley were headed for the Victorian border when it began to rain. As Victorian police prepared to escort the group to Phillip Island, one rider asked one of the coppers for the loan of a waterproof jacket because he couldn't bear getting wet. Yes, it was 1,500m Olympic gold medallist Perkins.
Young cellist a winner
CELLIST Pie-Jee Ng, 17, last night won the Symphony Australia Young Performer of the Year contest at the Sydney Opera House. The Adelaide musician won $35,000, beating Sydney flautist Emma Sholl, 21, Perth mezzosoprano Caitlin Hulcup, 27, and Melbourne pianist Kristian Chong, 26. Meanwhile, Brisbane rock group Powderfinger, which dominated the ARIA awards on October 3, were named best live act in Australia at the third annual Australian Live Music Awards at Fox Studios.
Gumshoes gather
EVERYTHING you ever wanted to know about insurance and corporate fraud will be discussed at an international conference at Sydney's Carlton Crest Hotel on Wednesday and Thursday. Hosted by the Australian Institute of Professional Investigators and Phil Peart's Investigator magazine, the two-day seminar will hear from top gumshoes from Europe and the US.
Top eats on deck
THE latest addition to the Sydney Harbour fleet is Magistic Two, a $5million, 34m, three-level catamaran belonging to David Baffsky's Accor Group. The eye-catching boat offers lunch and supper dining with renowned chef Paul Merrony supervising in the galleys.
Bob makes a blunder
PREMIER Bob Carr's recent statement to Parliament sought to clarify his position on so-called ethnic crime. ``I condemn anyone who tries to make a racist point out of the crisis over refugees or out of recent crimes," he told MPs. But he inadvertently failed to deliver two sentences of his prepared speech: ``I am proud to have appointed to the post of Governor of NSW, a woman of Lebanese origin in Governor Professor Marie Bashir. I'm proud to have a Cabinet Minister of Lebanese heritage in the Hon Eddie Obeid."
Fatch meets his match
TONY Facciolo, chief concierge at Sydney's Sheraton on the Park after 27 years at the Sheraton Wentworth, held his bucks' party at Paddington's Buon Ricordo Ristorante last night with two former prime ministers, Gough Whitlam and Bob Hawke, in attendance as well as broadcaster John Laws, solicitor Nick Eddy, former senior detective Ken Bowditch and lobbyist Eric Walsh. ``Fatch", a former president of Les Clefs d'Or, the worldwide society of concierges, is marrying Japanese-born Yuko Asami on Saturday with a reception at Lucio's.
© 2001 Sun Herald