I’ve enjoyed some nice dinners with titillating conversation in my life. But these had nothing on going to dinner last night with Debra Oswald. The Plus Ones were invited as part of a collaboration with The Wheeler Centre and the MGallery Hotels – the Literary Collection 2015.
photo courtesy MGallery Literary Collection
Ruki and I found ourselves sipping on lavender martinis in the lobby of The Como on Chapel Street. After enjoying light canapés we headed upstairs to the Gold Suite, which had been transformed into a beautiful and intimate dinner setting for about forty people – complete with grand piano and pianist.
After enjoying the best cooked steak of my life we settled down in our seats, wine in hand, to listen to Debra. So there I was, front and centre, phone at the ready to write down as many glorious words of wisdom as possible.
John Korkou (The Como Melbourne), Debra Oswald (author and co-creator of TV series Offspring), Jeremy Healy (General Manager, The Como Melbourne) – photo courtesy MGallery Literary Collection
If you Google ‘Debra Oswald’ every result you find says the same thing – a long list of her achievements in TV, radio, stage, and literature. So let me tell you a different bio of Debra Oswald.
Debra is funny, warm and down-to-earth. She’s incredibly talented and loves all of her characters as if they were her own flesh-and-blood children. She’s a New South Welshmen who has a slight obsession with death. She’s been a successful writer since age 17 and has won multiple Premier Awards for her works. Her first-ever employable skill (besides her imagination) is a certificate in asbestos removal she attained as research for a character in Useful.
The Gold Suite – photo courtesy MGallery Literary Collection
And in case you were wondering, yes, she did address the death of Patrick on Offspring. Jokingly telling us that she was wearing a bullet-proof vest and was in witness protection after the reaction the death elicited, Debra maintains that Patrick’s death was essential – not just to add drama but to bring the show back to the relationship between Nina and Billie. Yes, it makes sense, but yes, I am still heartbroken. It was a hard blow to take from a show that was created to counteract the amount of death on TV. Offspring celebrates the creation of life in a warm and sensitive way that evokes Debra’s own self.
No wonder I was starstruck.
-Charli
Charli W. is a creative writer, food lover, and Harry Potter aficionada in her last year of a History degree. She is sure she will find a way to combine these things one day, to great success. If not, she’ll pack up and become a bartender somewhere in the Caribbean with a fabulous year-round tan.
The MGallery Literary Collection dinners offer a limited number of wine and dine experiences with limited dates left. Check the dates so as to not miss out.
