Any Ordinary Day ... Like Today?

Red Symons in Skyhooks (far right)

In a rather bizarre and dark coincidence I had listened to two podcasts featuring Leigh Sales talking about her new book 'Any Ordinary Day'  -
Leigh Sales: the day after the worst possible day

"Leigh had been a reporter for over two decades when a string of bad news stories coincided with a terrifying brush with her own mortality.
She began searching for answers about how people cope when indiscriminate tragedy strikes their lives."

When Leigh Sales’ World Turned Upside Down
"The day your life turns upside down usually starts like any other. It’s ordinary, it’s normal. And then, life smacks you in the head and everything changes in an instant.
Leigh Sales has spent many years interviewing people whose lives have changed suddenly and tragically and, she’s had a few of those days herself. In her new book, An Ordinary Day, she speaks candidly with people who’ve faced the unimaginable.
So what happens when everything that could go wrong, does go wrong? And how have these conversations shaped the way she deals with her own personal tragedies?"

"Shirley" Strachan and Red Symons

After listening to these podcasts I decided that I had to write a post about these two interviews, so my readers from outside Australia could listen to two good podcasts.
I had already decided to use 'Skyhooks' song 'Horror Movie' in the post, probably because Leigh is a television news reporter/anchor bringing the news to TV viewers, but also because when I think of the band 'Skyhooks' I always remember seeing the horrific news of the 'Skyhooks' lead singer "Shirley" Strachan being killed when his helicopter (skyhook?) flipped over and crashed into a mountain in my home state of Queensland.

Graeme Ronald Strachan
(2 January 1952 – 29 August 2001)

I probably thought about Shirl's death in the helicopter because of the MamaMia podcast mentioning the day your life turns upside down in the title of the podcast.
But either way 'Skyhooks' 'Horror Movie' song was going into my post.

Then as I'm starting to piece my post together, I see the tragic news of the passing of Red's son from a brain tumour on the news this morning, as if the universe wanted to ram home an ironic dark point.

I couldn't help thinking that one of the first 'Skyhooks' songs I ever owned was the single 'All My Friends are Getting Married', a record I never would have bought and played, but I had won it in a radio phone in competition on a local and now defunct radio station 4IP.
You had to be the 10th caller to win, but ironically, I was also the third caller and the seventh caller, where I was told by the DJ, "sorry mate, we are looking for the 10th caller".
I was just a primary school kid looking to win something on the radio so I could go to school and brag to my mates and show them what I had won.
I used to put that single on the record player and listen to my prize until I got to sort of like the song and ponder about my future and wonder if I'd ever get married and have a son ... or daughter.
Looking back now at the kid playing that record I could tell him some real horror stories of how his life was going to unfold, but I could also tell him that yes, he would get married (I'd probably not mention the divorce) and he would have two sons ... but no daughter.
Of course, I could only tell him what happened to him up until today in his life, but I would hope it wouldn't go too badly for the rest of his remaining life from this day on, and I would hope that he never has to bury a son.
Some days are diamonds, and some days are stones, but some days can really hit you hard.  

At least today hasn't brought any bad personal news into my life ... so far.

UPDATE: November 19th, 2023

Someone who I don't know brought in a box of old books last Friday to donate to the Op shop I volunteer at part time, and in that box was a battered and stained copy of 'Any Ordinary Day'.

It would have been normally binned in the cardboard recycling bin being in that condition, so I asked the manager of the shop if I could buy it for a dollar.

Some days are diamonds it seems:-)