Breath Away From Heaven (Was George's Last Public Performance Near To Heaven?)
By Patti Murawski
The Harrison Alliance Issue #105
March-April 2002
Ex-patriate Collin McKenny lives and works in Lomalagi, a resort she owns on Vanua Levu in Figi. A refugee from corporate America, Collin acted on a dream in 1996, and after finding just the right site in Fiji, built a beautiful resort which so aptly reflects its name which means "heaven" in Fijian. Just a few short years after the resort opened, her life crossed with George's and Olivia's in a way she couldn't have imagined.
For quite some time, the Harrison had been visiting Fiji as a stopping point between their homes in Maui and Australia. The local media was bursting with stories that the Harrisons were visiting various spots on this island nation, talking to developers, and looking to buy property in Fiji.
Collin shared her experiences with me [The Harrison Alliance], a story of George's generosity and, remarkably, a story about a gathering in a small village that just may have been George's last public performance.
George and Olivia went for a stay in Fiji at Lomalagi (lo-muh-LONG-ee), a small resort situated on a working coconut plantation overlooking Natewa Bay on Vanua Levu. Lomalagi has spectacular views and is quite secluded, the latter being a quality that wasn't wasted on the Harrisons.
"It was April or May 1999, for five nights. They visited Fiji at least once a year and were considering buying property here, " said Collin. But up until that point, the Harrisons hadn't invested in land. "They had been disappointed a couple of times, feeling that the settings weren't tropical and green enough. This was their first trip to Vanua Levu, which is much more lush than most other parts of Fiji.
"George and Olivia were looking at real estate in Fiji because they liked the idea of having property halfway between their homes in Hawaii and Australia.
"They found us through our website! Goerge's secretary made the booking through a travel agent," she recalled.
"I got a call at 6:30AM on the morning they were due in on the domestic airline they were scheduled on. They had decided to charter a plane from them because they didn't want to wait around for the scheduled flight at 8:00AM. By the time they scurried around fueling the plane and locating a pilot, they got to Savusavu airport about 20 minutes before they would have arrived on the scheduled flight.
"Everybody in Savusavu knew they were going to be at Lomalagi," she said. "But privacy is very much respected here. Celebrities who come here are never bothered in any way."
Collin said the Harrisons were the only visitors to the resort for part of their stay, and although they were enjoying their quiet time, they often joined her for lunch and dinner. "For several meals, it was just the three of us. We had many nice conversations at lunch and dinner."
"They took a lot of walks on the beach. All beaches in Fiji are public, and at low tide, you can walk for miles. Our beach is a mix of coral sand, shale, and lava, fun for beachcombing."
The Harrisons had friends staying in Fiji at the same time they were there. Actor Tom Hanks and his wife, Rita Wilson, as well as Gavin DeBecker, were in the area.
"Hanks was in Fiji filming the first part of Cast Away. George and Olivia made plans to have lunch with Tom and his wife on their last day here. I tried to subtly suggest that they all have lunch here at Lomalagi, but there was a guy here from LA, Gavin DeBecker, who does security work for celebrities, so they had lunch at his house instead. George and Tom were good friends. I don't know how far the friendship goes back, but I do know it was a strong one."
Collis also recalls Dhani phoning and asking to speak to his parents. "Their son was at college at the time, somewhere on the east coast. One afternoon, he called for them (the villas don't have phones), but they weren't close by, so his message was, "Just tell my mom and dad that I called and that I love them very much." I thought that was so special. "
After a few days at Lomalagi, George and Olivia asked if they could visit the local village of Nasinu, about 3 km from the resort by beach and 15 km by car. "The chief asked if he could tell the people in the village who he was. Everybody knows the Beatles, even in a remote Fijian village! George graciously said yes, but asked that there be no photos taken.
"When we arrived, they had a big area set up, with mats and cushions for all of us. Tea was served. The Fijian men performed a meke, a beautiful choreographed Fijian war dance, complete with warrior costumes and war paint. They looked very fierce! The meke lasted for about 30 minutes.
"George didn't stick around for tea! As soon as the Lomalagi Band Boys (a group of local musicians that regularly entertain at the resort) sat down with their guitars and ukelele, Geroge immediately jumped up from where we were sitting and joined the boys on the mat-covered ground.
"The first thing he did was to take the ukulele and start playing a Beatles song! The villagers went crazy! He then played chords with them while they played and sang Fijian songs. A bit later, he borrowed one of the guitars and again played some Beatles music. George played with the boys for more than an hour.
"The rugby coach went running off and when he came back, he was waving a Beatles cassette. Apparently, he had seen the Beatles perform in New Zealand many years ago.
"The musicians' guitars and ukelele were very old and pretty beat up. About six weeks after George's visit, a huge box arrived containing three guitars, a ukelele, small percussion instruments for the band and for the school children, and lots of extra guitar and ukelele strings.
"Later, two more packages arrived a couple of weeks after the guitars and ukelele. In one of them were a dozen Beatles cassettes for me; that was a fun surprise! George also sent a package of cassettes to the rugby coach!"
I asked Collin if she recalled any of the songs that George did at the village. She couldn't remember but asked the Lomalagi Band Boys if they did. "Two songs they remember are 'Cry For a Shadow' and 'In Spite of All the Danger.'" I told her those were pretty unique choices and probably were never performed publicly before. "Our lead guy found the two song names on some of the cassettes Geroge sent me! George sang some other songs as well, but those two, for sure, are remembered by Leraki!"
During our discussion, it occurred to me that this impromptu concert was probably George's last known live public performance. Later, I researched it carefully and discovered that with the exception of some private parties for the birthdays of a couple of friends, I had been correct in my assessment. Collin was stunned. "Wow, that gives me the goose bumps! Last public performance. What a legacy we'd have here."
Collin ran into George again at the airport in Savusavu about six months later. In the fall of 1999, the Harrisons were still looking to invest in property in Fiji. Accompanying George was Gavin DeBecker.
"I was at the airport waiting for a flight, and he came in on a helicopter. He'd been looking at an island that was for sale," she recalled. They had made an offer on a 25-acre island between here and Savusavu town just before George was attacked in his home in England. After that, they withdrew the offer.
"He spotted me, walked over, and gave me a hug and a kiss! He was a lovely man."
Collin had one last story to relate about George.
"Right after George died, the Lomalagi Band Boys had performed for our guests and were sitting on a platform down below the dining room. They frequently do this -- play and sing while we are at dinner. The ukulele George sent was on the deck, in front of one of the boys. All of a sudden, a coconut dropped from a tree high above and crunched down on the ukulele. We now have it hanging on the wall in the dinning room."
lovely story - miss you George
ReplyDeleteInteresting. Paul mentioned in Adelaide last year that on the way to Australia he’d stopped over in Fiji, maybe just to refuel. I’m pretty sure Ringo has visited there as well.
ReplyDeleteCast Away, one of my favorites. Hanks loved The Beatles. Great seeing him dance his arse off and lip synching during 'Boys' on the Sullivan 50th show.
ReplyDelete