ABC radio presenter and RockWiz co-host Brian Nankervis lived in the inner-city suburb of Kew in the 1980s, purchasing his first home with two female friends in 1983, at the age of 27.
The home became a thoroughfare for the many creatives who hung out after performing at Melbourne comedy club The Last Laugh where Nankervis also worked as a waiter at the time.
Brian Nankervis co-hosting RockWiz Live. Picture: Supplied
Buying his first home in Kew was a spontaneous decision – and happened while looking for a rental. Nankervis and his two housemates were house hunting in Collingwood and Fitzroy to no avail one Saturday afternoon.
“We ended up in a back street of Kew to inspect a home and ran into an auctioneer friend of my dad’s who encouraged me to purchase a home and not rent one,” Nankervis says.
“He showed us a place that had just passed in at auction that day. We ended up buying it.”
The property Nankervis bought in Kew in 1983. Picture: property.com.au
Though it wasn't the plan to live in Kew – let alone buy a house there – Nankervis was familiar with the suburb, having spent many nights watching his favourite bands at nearby The Prospect Hill Hotel.
The hotel on the corner of High Street and Little Derby Street (now Cobden Street) was built in 1858; the fourth of nine hotels to appear in Kew in the 19th century. In the '70s and '80s and acts including Paul Kelly, The Sports and The Cure performed at the pub. You’ll find Dan Murphy's liquor outlet there nowadays.
Nankervis and his mates held onto the Kew property until 1992 when they sold it to friends.
“It was an old Californian bungalow, had a huge loft at the top and a big backyard and shed," he says.
The property Nankervis bought in Kew in 1983. Picture: property.com.au
Nankervis recalls paying $140,000 for the property at 111 Brougham Street, however, property.com.au records show it was sold for $65,500 in 1983.
"We had it for nine years, and a whole procession of people moved through; some would stay for six months or a year, and we still get together with the owners at Christmas. We sold it to friends in 1992.” Nankervis says.
A career first
“Kew is also where I discovered my poet character Raymond J Bartholomeuz,” Nankervis, a former school teacher, says.
“I remember sitting at the kitchen table in Brougham Street and writing my poem Days By The Ocean in 1986 which I performed on 'Hey, Hey It’s Saturday'. The poem was a tongue in cheek send-up of beat poets like Allen Ginsberg and Lawrence Ferlinghetti who I read a lot at the time – it borrowed from that style. I wrote the poem on a Thursday and performed it on Saturday."
Nankervis in the Kew home in the '80s. Picture: Supplied
“Kew was a bit of a funny suburb, it’s conservative and quiet, but we lived near the Junction which had its own cliquey feel. Kew is where I discovered the joys of backyard cricket too. My girlfriend who lived with me was fascinated by how grown men could play a complicated game of backyard cricket and made her first documentary Boys and Balls which was inspired by our obsession.”
That documentary made by award-winning filmmaker Sue Thomson in 1994.
Nankervis and Julia Zemiro are set to bring a live version of Rockwiz to Melbourne's Royal Botanic Gardens in November.
"There’s a nostalgia for the show," he says. "To do these shows is a dream. It gets people out of their homes and ready for a night of music and entertainment.
Brian Nankervis and Julia Zemiro. Picture: Supplied
"When I came up with the idea for Rockwiz, it was always about asking what was your first concert and record you bought. We twigged that people could look back on these things through rose coloured glasses because it took them back to a time. It was like falling in love with music – you never forget the time you saw The Rolling Stones at Kooyong or The Sports at Prospect Hill."
Brian Nankervis' Kew memories and favourites
Iconic shops
High Street Kew led down to the Junction and our house was 500 metres up the road. There was supermarket between our house and the high street and we’d go there all the time.
There was also a bookshop called Tim’s Bookshop 129 High Street Kew. In 1987, independent publishing firm McPhee Gribble invited me to write a book of poetry and Tim, the owner of the store, was very generous and let me do a window display.
Tim's Bookshop in Kew. Picture: realcommercial.com.au
The Kew Swimming Pool was a kilometre away from our house. In that first year of me working at the Last Laugh, as well as playing endless games of backyard cricket, we’d spend our summers at the baths.
Rock Pubs
In the mid '70s, I went to the Prospect Hill Hotel a lot. It was where we hung every Monday night; a weekly ritual was to see a band called Orpheus. It was part of Melbourne’s pub rock scene and I spent a lot of time there. But by the time I moved in Kew seven years later, there were less bands playing at this venue.
The old Prospect Hill Hotel in Kew is now a Dan Murphy's. Picture: realcommercial.com.au
Wellness in the '80s
I used to go to a place on High Street Kew where you could get a massage and use the flotation tank in 1984-85. I remember being in Seattle, America in 1981 and having my first float and then the second float happened in Kew. They were ahead of their time!
First job
One of my first jobs out of school was at Willsmere [formerly known as Kew Asylum]. I was an orderly in 1975. It was an eye opener.
Famous writers come to Kew
When I started teaching, I fell into the orbit [friend and fellow school teacher] Lindy and her husband who both took me under their wing.
They taught me about poetry, and were keen on a poet called Roger McGough from Liverpool. He was in a band called The Scaffold who had a hit with the song 'Lily the Pink'.
Kew Junction. Picture: realcommercial.com.au
He was mostly a poet; and he came to Melbourne for a Comedy Festival in 1988. We tracked him down and invited him over for a game of backyard cricket. He had a poem about cricket after all! He accepted the invitation much to our surprise. We made scones, drank cups of tea and recited poetry.
I also became good friends with musician Stephen Cummings. We used to meet once a week and try to put a show together. It never happened, but we had great monthly writing meetings that would be lunches and gossip sessions in Kew.
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