Neil wrote on ABBAMAIL's Internet Mailing List about the "Meet Neil Hopwood Day"... I'd been in Australia a week and now the day Graeme had been planning for quite a while had finally come to fruition. Here I was, this little boy from Johannesburg about to meet all these ABBAMAILers in Sydney. Quite a daunting experience I was letting myself in for I thought to myself that morning, but I gathered myself towards myself and off I went into the Lion's Den! How drastic could it be spending an afternoon with people I'd never met before? I was pleasantly surprised and I guess I'm not that little after all! All these ABBA fans in Australia are actually downright nice people and I 'survived' the afternoon, which in fact turned out to be so grand and I believe it carried on well into the evening. Unfortunately, I had to be whisked away early on into the evening, so I have no idea who ended going home with whom! Our dear Graeme, ever loving Graeme, who likes to be the organiser of everything, literally went overboard. There were posters of meeting me all over the place as well as pictures of the covers of the Voulez Vous and ABBA albums on the walls. The CDs he bitched about making last week were genuine, all with my face on them! I always knew I'd be a famous star with a hit CD out one day, thanks mate! I've always said this trip was about meeting people, and indeed it has been. Last Saturday was just that, and even with a common interest, the afternoon did not necessarily revolve around ABBA, there were even a few non-ABBAMAILERS there, it was about the people. And the day was about listening to ABBA too! There was not one song played that was not ABBA or an ABBA member solo release, nothing else, a pleasure actually. I have to thank everyone who was there on Saturday afternoon. It was an amazing experience for me to meet so many fascinating individuals in one place on one afternoon. And, yes, March 1977 may have been high on the topic of conversation list, Frida's 'truck-driving lesbianism days', Agnetha's fat 1981 days, and the two fat old men, but it went a lot deeper than that. There were laughs, jokes, smiles and frowns, and I have to believe a jolly good time was had by all! There's something special about ABBAMAILers, they're not only human beings, they're genuine people! It's taken me a long trip and a lot of money to realise and appreciate that. Thank you everyone who was there for Saturday afternoon, it was an amazing afternoon! I'm not surprised Graeme collapsed when he got home and had to take Sunday off, he runs the Lewisham Hotel better than the staff do, and as the Queen of Staff, I've no doubt he was tired! Neil Hopwood, Sydney, Australia | 
