Drunker in the evening: Famous Five on Famous Stairs.
Photo courtesy Sandra Piggie Renowden.

RONNIE TO THE RESCUE
If the title sounds like a chapter in a Famous Five book, then it manages to capture the two key features of our friendship with Ronnie. Along with probably every person coming to the wedding, we have long been blessed with many occasions when Ronnie has come to our rescue. From helping Suzanne to move apartments (complete with hefting sofas over balconies even though he had a back injury) to storing our furniture for an extended stay in his garage, Ronnie is the friend you turn to in your darkest hour and neediest moments.

Perhaps the highlight of his rescuing for the Skyvaras came at our own wedding. Despite the fact that he didn't have an official invitation (blush, stammer, profuse apologies), he traveled halfway around the world to come celebrate with us. We immediately thanked him by making him Usher, forcing him into close contact with the Parker uncles without any preparation. After the near heart failure of the American priest stating that the ushers should be front and center altar in the rehearsal, Ronnie managed to secure the role he loves best: behind-the-scenes work.

By the end of the rehearsal, he was in cahoots with Uncle Chris, organizing things that the bride (no mean cruise director herself) had somehow forgotten to plan. His shining moment in the wedding came just before the service started. Zdenek came running up at the last minute with French cuffs flapping. His cufflinks had somehow gone missing. Without missing a beat, Ronnie slipped off his cufflinks and handed them over. He spent the rest of the wedding with his cuffs held together with a couple of paperclips (which he would like to blame for his dancing, but we know better!). This moment was almost eclipsed by the fact that he ended up offering his room that night to Baggy and Munsie as they were too tired to make it back to their hotel. I think he ended up on the uncomfortable pull-out bed while they lounged in the real bed where they kept plaintively asking "Are you sure this is OK?" before snuggling back down into their pillows.

Ronnie is also one of the founding members of the Famous Five. Houston, Hoggy, Munsie, Suzanne and Ronnie were together as the Famous Five in the same country for a ridiculously short time, but it was memorable (to us at least!). The official launch of the Famous Five came one May when we realized that it was Houston's birthday, Munsie's end of exams and Hoggy was about to have a birthday so of course we needed to have a party and who better to host than Ronnie? We called him up and informed him of this decision, which he took amazingly calmly, and the Famous Five was born with the invitation (which was designed by Ronnie). Actually, the Famous Five was probably born on Ronnie's staircase, which was our favorite place towards the end of both Famous Five parties, and baptised in tequila shots. The Famous Five friendship was based on a love of Decadent Lunches, long weekends away with our favorite people and the ability to maintain a conversation about the sounds that would happen if someone cut off your boobs!

Towards the end of 1998, Ronnie announced that he was dating someone special. Immediately, the collective antenna of the Famous Five went up. Ronnie had never publicly shared a girlfriend with us before. This one must be special! And she was, and is. To our regret, Zdenek and I were heading out of the country as the romance was just starting so have never had the chance to get to know Sally really well (although we managed to grab one quick photo on Australia Day 1999). My favourite story about their relationship is the Christmas when Sally went to New York and Ronnie when to Whistler. He came to stay with us in Sausalito on the way back home and we had a long talk. There was the story of the interrupted message on the answer machine. Ronnie wondered if it was a sign that things weren't supposed to work out. We told him it was a very simple message for him: don't use technology to tell Sally how much you love her, do it face-to-face. And at some point, he obviously did!

Zeeski and the Weeski send lots of love and best wishes to both of you on your wedding day. Hugs will be freely available from Suzanne, the solo Skyvara representative, on the big day itself. We hope you have as much happiness as we have had and continue to have in married life. It's highly recommended!

Suzanne, Zdenek and Tom Skyvara