Being Alf Stewart on Home And Away for 35 years has made Ray Meagher an Australian legend and given him the distinction of being the longest-running character on an Australian drama in The Guinness Book of Records. The actor is still causing a stir in Summer Bay at the age of 79.
What is the first recollection you have?
This morning at 4:30, the alarm went off. Beyond that, I can’t recall anything.
What tops your list of goals, and why?
I don’t exactly have a bucket list. I enjoy doing things on a whim and am quite content. You may not know what you want to do until it just hits you, after all.
Which meal has ever stayed with you the most?
Anywhere, at any time: roast lamb, vegetables, and gravy. There is a tonne of ostentatious garbage you can eat in restaurants that charge $4 million and treat you with contempt, but roast lamb, gravy, roast potatoes, and all of that stuff are fair game.
If you hadn’t been an actor, what would you have been?
a lost spirit. I obtained a licence to drive a cab early in my career as an actor, but I only occasionally operated one on the weekends. I had enough money in my small hand to last the week, allowing me to still audition. I kept my taxi driver’s licence for about 10 years because I sort of reasoned that I wouldn’t be able to find any more acting work. I’ll hang on since it’s all going to dry up, so I did. I hung on for a long time, but I also continued to work and complete small tasks. Early on, not much, but just enough to get from one job to the next.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of getting older?
You should probably ask me that question when I’m older, which will probably be in 20 years. On second thought, it is probably best to stop worrying about whether or not people are impressed. Doing your utmost to get things done while moving forwards. The worst part is having to keep track of my PIN numbers, which pills I need to take when, and where I need to be each day to get to work.
Have you ever actually said the phrase “Stone the flamin’ crows”?
only when sharing tales of the man I stole the phrase from with others. Dick Backhouse worked as a stock and station agent in rural Queensland. I remember hearing Dad remark, “Oh, stone the flamin’ crows, mate,” when I was a very young child. Even if your behind was on fire, you wouldn’t buy that flock of sheep. As a child, I’m sure my jaw was hanging wide as he spoke at a thousand miles per hour while sipping rum and coke, wondering, “Isn’t Mr. Backhouse a funny man?” It was there that I first heard it. That was in the early 1950s.
What in life scares you the most?
just before the word “Action” is said. I hope I say the correct thing, and if the first few do, I’ll probably be right, you think. It’s comparable to jumpstarting an old, damaged car. Once it starts, you can leave.
Are there any similarities between you and Alf Stewart?
We sound the same and look the same, but I think I speak a different vernacular than Alf, I had written. He strikes me as being fairly reasonable, up-front, and practical. I hope I don’t lose my cool quite as fast or readily as he does, and if I do, I hope I apologise for being mistaken about that. I’m willing to acknowledge and own up to my mistake.
Where do you find happiness?
observing the Wallabies defeat the All Blacks while seated in the audience. Sadly, I don’t feel joyful too frequently.
The Favourite Storylines of Ray Meagher
The Anzac Day plot, in which Alf experiences post-traumatic stress disorder after going to the Canberra War Memorial with a group of Summer Bay students. I had a lot of fun doing that. going on a field trip to the war memorial in Canberra with the neighbourhood kids, getting a little drunk, and ending up in a veterans hospital with an even older man (played by the 99-year-old Vincent Ball) in the bed next to you. I asked him, “What are you in for, mate? ” at one point, and he rolled over, supporting himself on one elbow and said, “Oh, just about everything.” That really speaks to me.
Young lovers Blake (Les Hill) and Meg (Cathy Godbold)’s heartbreaking tale from 1992. On the beach, she passed away from cancer while in his arms. They were simply relaxing on the beach while watching the sunrise when she slept asleep. It was very gorgeous and had a big impact on us at the time. Even more tragically, Cathy passed away at the age of 43 in 2018 from a brain tumour. She was a beautiful girl.
The third, too… Regardless of the plot you choose, Steve Peacocke will always be Brax. I saw him as outstanding.
