Spotlight Interview No. 1

Riki McDonnell

Riki McDonnell. Most brass musicians world wide have heard of him and his many successes. But how many of us really know about the man behind the euphonium? Alexandra Kerwin gets up close and personal....

When someone is successful, many people draw sometimes the wrong conclusions about their personalities. In the two years that I've known Riki, he has shown himself to be a musician of the highest standard, a generous and positive person and a very dear friend. On a peaceful night on the North Shore, New Zealand, I visited Riki to conduct 4BRDU's first spotlight interview.

We're in Riki's music room, surveying the serene evening of the Waitemata harbour, looking over to Rangitoto and the Coromandel Peninsula. The music room is a real feature of this amazing house, complete with baby grand piano.

AK: So let's start with the obvious questions! How did you get into music?
RM: I was destined to be involved in music in someway; you can even say that I had music in my veins. I joined my first choir when aged 5 at primary school, I was a boy soprano until nature took over!

AK: A boy soprano, hey? And how did the progression into banding come about?
RM: Basically the progression started when my voice broke. In the years of my transition from singing to banding I was still performing in an SATB choir and then I started on tenor horn. I became more serious when my voice broke. My Dad plays bass and still does he is 85 yrs old and is librarian at North Shore Brass and plays bass at North Shore juniors. At one stage all my family (5 boys, one girl and mum and dad) all involved at Takapuna City Silver Band Brass. My eldest sister is now in the Orpheus Choir in Wellington but was on percussion at Takapuna. My eldest brother Murray was principal cornet at Takapuna and is now into yachting. Willy is in the Airforce band on baritone. Allan (or Phred as he is affectionately known) is drum major and tuba in the Airforce Band. My youngest brother was on cornet but gave up after his first Anzac Day, as it wasn't for him. A bit of a fully monty family thing was the main reason for turning to brass bands.

AK: Who influenced you in your early musical career? Do you have any resounding memories of things that were said or that happened to you during your formative musical years?
RM: The biggest influence was Gilbert Morrison, he conducted the Takapuna Municipal Band, which became Takapuna City Silver and is now known as North Shore Brass. He had the old school teacher/conductor mentality and instilled fear into me every Friday afternoon after school. On the rare occasion that Gilbert couldn't make it, it would make my whole weekend! But on reflection, he could have been harder probably.  I owe a lot to him despite the fact that he was tough on me, he genuinely cared more than anyone else about my musical welfare. I consider myself one of the blessed chosen few who were taught by Gilbert Morrison. Gil has shaped many fine accomplished musicians throughout New Zealand and they continue to spread his word. There is not a day that goes by that I don't deploy some of the warm-up and stamina building exercises that Gil had given me years ago from when he first taught me to push two valves down together. Gilberts formation of my product into a musical product had a big bearing on everything else I did in my life and proved to be very influential years. Many of the things I learnt from Gil I have carried into other aspects of my life and still continue to do so.

Gil Morrison

Another inspirational character of my formative years in banding was a man named Lloyd Thorn, musical director of the 1970 National Band of New Zealand. I spent a lot of time with his children and consequently with him. A sensational musician who came up from the Salvation Army regime. Lloyd had wonderful musicianship and a huge commitment to dynamics. He never did things the same way musically, so it was all edge of your chair stuff! Very, very inspirational.

AK: I have read your biography quite a lot this year (due to writing the Poles Apart programme notes) and was quite astounded to see that after just two years of playing you won the NZ Junior Horn Championship then you followed it the next year by winning the NZ Open Horn Championship. Pretty incredible stuff. What was the reaction to your success from your peers?
RM: The solo championship results that I got in the early stages were extremely satisfying for me. What is not in my bio however, was the year before my NZ Junior Horn Championship win, I came last. I shouldn't really have started but it was brilliant motivation to want to get everyone back! I have rather a strong competitive streak (AK: Really, I hadn't noticed!!!!!) that combined with the musical assets I have been blessed with have certainly helped me with a few good placings. (AK: A few good placings! How modest!) Jumping from Junior Championship to Open Championship was a huge buzz. Everytime you hit a milestone you then have to fight to achieve it again. I was fifteen or sixteen when I won the Junior Horn Championship. I still remember someone from another band coming up to me saying "You should have come second!" I'm used to that now. I'm the most experienced loser as well as an experienced winner! We all must respect adjudicator's opinions even if we don't necessarily agree with it. (AK: You're right about that) Bottom line of that though is that I'm the one holding the shiny medal and no one can take that away, no matter what other people think or say. The reaction of my peers was pretty humbling stuff really, being involved in youth bands hearing some pretty healthy support coming through. That's terrific and that's what this world wide banding scene is all about. It's all about people.

AK: At what points in your career did you change instruments? And why?
RM: I changed from tenor horn to flugel horn and I think the overriding reason was that it wasn't cool to play a tenor horn! My mates at school didn't know what a tenor horn was and by changing to flugelhorn it allowed me to play trumpet as well, so I got involved in pit work and tour work playing for Danny La Rue and did a few shows like The Student Prince and Desert Song. I enjoyed that aspect immensely as I had done a lot of this as a boy soprano. d I could also go and do beer band gigs, which were a lot cooler than playing the weird looking instrument called the tenor horn which my mates had no idea about. I must say that I struggled with the flugel horn for ten years although I was fortunate enough to win eight NZ Championships in that period. Boy, I struggled coming from a bigger mouthpiece to a smaller one. Clearly the instrument wasn't suited to me. So I had to work harder than I ever had before. I enjoyed the instrument and the sound I made but sometimes it got to the stage that I was afraid to warm-up as I though it might take away my endurance for a performance. My inspiration to change from flugel to euphonium was that the need to appear cool on trumpet and flugel receded once I got married and had children. My main motivation to change to euphonium came from my feeling totally despondent with the band I was with at the time, having a prima donna euphonium player who would not turn up and would not resign. At one stage it was like, "I've had enough of this, I want to take that chair". I can well remember the first few months of sitting in the band playing the euphonium and knowing that a nice lyrical, flowing flugel solo was coming up, it was frustrating because I wanted to play that line myself. But we don't always get everything we want. As part of the transition I won my last Champion of Champions on Flugelhorn then change to Euphonium. So at the following Ern Keller in Australia, as the Champion of Champions who'd won on flugel, I competed on euphonium. There were a few raised eyebrows but everyone got nowhere apart from the winner. (At the Ern Keller the only place awarded is the winner). Since playing euphonium I've also played baritone, to raise the bar just a little higher for the rising stars of banding, to compete against a record of National titles on four different instruments, that will be interesting to see the younger ones aiming for that.

AK: You're the most successful brass competitor in the history of New Zealand brass banding and you added a further title this year, (NZ Open Euphonium Champion). Congratulations! Do you find that the desire to win wains after all your previous successes. i.e. do you not want to sit back and relax. You've got nothing to prove, right? Does your previous success make competing more pressurized?
RM: Every contest that I compete at, I treat as though it is my first. As I said before, I do have an incredible competitive streak (like I've got on the squash court). Every contest I go into I firmly believe I'm capable of winning even if I'm not. As they say, negatives are developed in dark rooms only. (AK: Ah, the first of the Riki gems emerges!). I keep myself as positive as possible, I'm a brass player that things don't come easy to me, I have to work really hard on technique. I work on my sound as well as that is the most important factor but as far as the technical side of things I work intensively on every solo and contest piece I have to play. As far as not having anything to prove, if I was in the UK, I certainly wouldn't be competing in the National Solos but in NZ it's completely different. There's not much else to do: and here, nearly all the ‘big guns' are competing too. It's part of New Zealand tradition and banding culture. It's a different psyche and tradition here. As a result of that, there's not harm in not winning as there a lots of good players who will. There is always pressure on me whether I win or not. I can well remember the famous Dame Susan Devoy the squash player, her first win was fantastic. The ones after that were a relief and if she didn't win, it's like, what happened? To a certain extent is the same in banding and in some cases, the same with me. 

AK: You performed at the first ever brass convention in Moscow in 2002 alongside Roger Bobo. Tell us more about that.
RM: I would have to say that I've got to be one of the luckiest players in brass bands. To get invited to play in Moscow for a start, what an adventure! It would have to be the most disorganized trip I have ever done though, yet one of the most satisfying. To arrive there and guy out of the blue saying, "Hi, I'm Roger Bobo" and the next thing I'm whisked away, he's talking and I'm performing. We're doing what we do, side by side. This guy is I would say, in the world's history, the most successful tuba player. To have an eighteen year old interpreter who was also studying composition take me to the theatre where the musicians were basically kidnapped and so many murdered in 2002 by Chechen rebels to go through all security to see the board of who had died. My interpreter had asked what the people had thought of the child who had performed that night in the lead role, for them to say that he was terrific, well she said that was the replacement for the one that had died. That's getting right amongst it really.
Having an 11 o'clock concert and two hours to get there, then getting picked up at 10.30 ! All these things that are so foreign to us but they all accepted over there. We arrived very late and the audience filed in and enjoyed the concert and at the end of it there were photos galore and no-one wanted to leave, they just have an absolute passion for music, but the country is broke. Every time there were questions and answer sessions, theses questions always came up, "What do you think of our Russian composers?" "How does your music get funded?" Having photos taken of myself and Roger Bobo in front of St Basil's Cathedral, you can't put a price on those. They're legendary in their own lunchtime!

AK: In 2001 you were awarded the title of International Euphonium Player of the Year, which is a phenomenal accolade. When did you find out that you'd won? It must have been a wonderful feeling to collect the prize at the Royal Albert Hall. And maybe a sore head the day after?!
RM: I had no idea that is was happening. Robert Mulholland, who was the owner and Editor of Brass Band World Magazine, obviously did know and had me in his private box at the Royal Albert Hall and he said "You and me must stick together today. I've never been this close to the stage for results time and I want you and I to experience this together". So, he was obviously making sure that I was in the building and close so there weren't any delays in trying to find me. There was a big build up, and the announcer said, "This year, the International Euphonium player of the Year, goes a long way away from the UK." I thought, oh my goodness. The next thing I know, is that I'm onstage in front of a now full Royal Albert Hall eagerly anticipating the contest results. I will never forget the feeling and the surprise. I didn't know they were going to announce it that day and suddenly I was onstage in complete bewilderment. It took me a long time to come down from that experience it was again a very humbling experience. The warm and fuzzies lasted a long time and still continue now really. For the entire thing to happen there, at that venue, (The Royal Albert Hall) standing onstage where so many wonderful musicians have performed, be they opera, rock and pop stars, the whole nine yards just made that even more special. I don't know about a sore head the day after, I had a sore arm. That thing (trophy) is bloody heavy! I took the initiative to have photos of it with me and then left it with Besson to put on the honours wall for all to see. I would have never got it through customs!  
 
AK: How long have you played for Marlborough Districts Brass? What qualities does this band have that keep you traveling all the way from the North Shore to the top of the South Island?
RM: It's ironic; when I used to play for Continental (now Dalewool) in heavy traffic it took the best part of ¾'s of an hour to get there. To get to Blenheim, it only takes sixty minutes by plane. That's only fifteen minutes difference! Marlborough is a very special band to me. I joined them ten years ago and I've also resigned to do the etiquette thing to play with Dalewool at the British Open in 2004 and then spent a bit of time with Dalewool before rejoining Marlborough. It's some of the most satisfying banding I've done even though the standard is not the best I have been involved with, especially the UK bands such as BAYV, Leyland and Faireys but there is something special about the Marlborough Band. In most bands you get one or two people who do basically everything however at Marlborough, everyone is keen to get involved. On a weekend camp you can guarantee that someone will come in at 10am with freshly baked scones. That's like turning the clock back thirty years, we used to have that at Takapuna Municipal Band (where we also had uniforms that nobody would recognize!) Banding is all about the journey. We set ourselves little goals and we shoot for them. There is something special about the players and their attitudes. Still keeping a community based band and still aiming for the highest standard possible. Kevin Moseley has trained so many players and like Kevin Jarrett he sees his players leave to go to varsity. To train so many people in an outlying area like Blenheim, it can be frustrating but when you've got people that are still keen on training these kids knowing that one day they'll be off says so much about their and Kevin's commitment. It doesn't get any better than that. Having said that, Marlborough District Brass have proved this year that they have very special qualities. The last concert I did with them was a variety concert as opposed to a pure brass band concert, it was a production, it was a show even. I just can't think of another band that would have got anywhere close to the enthusiasm, commitment and end result that was produced by our band. I've always told Kevin Moseley, that one day, I will probably end up back in the place I started, Takapuna City Silver Band now North Shore. I think I need to do everything I can for the welfare of that band although we lost our mum a few years ago, it gives me the warm and fuzzies everytime I walk into the bandroom and I see the Jack and Jean McDonnell kitchen. The area is dedicated to them. I started there and will probably finish there.

AK: You've recorded five CD's now, any plans for more (maybe Poles Apart 2, The Revenge?!!!!)?
RM: You know Alex that I would always be on for another CD together! It was about 25,000 times more fun than the others I have done. But that was the way we engineered it. The good entrepreneurial skill is to have good people around you and we both know we had that in abundance. I know that if we decided to do another Poles Apart CD, everyone would stick their hand and there would be a waiting list for every chair. There was that much positive energy from everyone involved that it forced it to be the success it is. Another CD I would be keen to do one day, which is a pipe dream (but it is amazing how many pipe dreams of mine have come to fruition) is to do a CD with the International Staff Band, with Derrick Kane and David Daws and call it, Spiritual Euphonium. Maybe I could get some divine help to make this happen?!

AK: What does your practice routine consist of and how often?
RM: As they say practice makes permanent and that means all the boring stuff. You can go to any tutorial and they're all going to say the same thing but not many tend to act on this advice, its about long notes, really boring stuff! Whilst driving my car I buzz long notes on my mouthpiece. For a number of years I used to buzz to a CD in my car that Eric Clay (bass trombone with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra) had put together. But after a few years I thought, yes it's keeping me buzzing but why don't I put my own CD together? So I made a compilation of a whole bunch of exercises (not one of them my own) and stuck them on a CD. I vary between buzzing with a bass trombone player and myself. On a North Island sales trip, which takes me on a loop of the whole island, I visit 25 music stores; I'll be in my car for 20 hours without my instrument. But I come back as fit as ever because I've been buzzing the whole time. My rehearsal routine varies dependant on what I've got on. I tend to try and have a strengthening day followed by a recovery day not necessarily not playing but just backing off and letting the muscles have time to recover. I have sometimes hit the enthusiasm black spot of doing too much, too loud, too fast, too high, too everything and doing damage to the chops to the extent of not being able to play soft or sometimes not being able to produce a note. On those occasions it's just a matter of backing off completely and having a bit respect for your body and knowing not to go to those limits again. That's why the recovery day is so important.

AK: After so many years as a top class player are you not tempted to take up conducting?
RM: I've never really aspired to want to conduct and secondly my business keeps me that busy it's very seldom that I'm in town long enough to string a few rehearsals together, that's another reason why play for Marlborough Brass. I don't go there every week just for the major concerts and contests. With clever negotiation with a year planner it's just basic organization to get the most important things into place. If I was going to conduct I would, I'm sure needed more basic musical grounding. One of my biggest regrets is not having played piano when I was growing up. As a result all three of my children got every chance and it certainly paid off for them.

AK: Speaking of conductors, you have worked with many over the years. Who stands out in your memory?
RM: There have been a few that have really stuck out in my memory and some who continue to do so, they have brought much to my musical, professional and personal life.

Errol Mason
He was the pioneer of the banding scene thinking at one stage. His band were phenomenally entertaining, playing jazz and big band music and he and the band became a household name before he died suddenly and in the prime of life. His was a workaholic (just like me) and we share the same Piscean birthday, Errol was strongly involved with Auckland brass.

Alan McKenzie
Alan came from an orchestral background. He was a very passionate musician who conducted Wormald Brass (now known as Waitakere Brass). I admired him tremendously. He always conducted without a score. He studied in the UK with Major Arthur Kenny; his classic phrase was that you've either got the score in your head or your head in the score. He too died far too early just as Errol did due to unfortunate health problems.

I once even had a conductor who threw chalk and kicked chairs over! Enough said about that one!

Howard Taylor
Howard is the engineer of the most fun I've had in banding since 1966! He is the only conductor that I've not wanted to miss band for and due to him I've arranged my business around my banding calendar. Since Howard departed from these NZ shores I've followed him with his musical appointments and competed in Australia and UK and also enjoyed tours throughout UK and Hong Kong. These have been just fantastic current years and with many more sure to follow. He will audition me for the 2007 National Band, to be appointed to be conductor of the National Band is a monstrous honour and is thoroughly deserved. Just like the wonderful Garry Cutt and Richard Evans, anyone would be foolish t0 hire anyone else to compére when Howard is around. His flair and natural, witty approach to audiences is so refreshing and professional. I hold Howard in the highest regard both as a musician and as a friend.

Dave Gallagher
Dave Gallaher is Mr Super Prepared! I very much enjoyed the British Open 2000 with Woolston and two National Bands, he left no stone unturned in preparing bands for contests and that shows in this years win at the NZ Championships.

Kevin Moseley
Kevin is the conductor at my band in Blenheim. His achievements with a band from a small town are just stunning, the town doesn't have any traffic lights and has only just got its first roundabout! Kevin is passionate about his brass band heartland and has succeeded brilliantly with his musical juggling act!! He has kept senior members and has started countless beginner players even though, he knows that a large percentage will leave to go to varsity and he entices players like me, Mike Ford and you Alex and your husband Simon. When you think of the real characters that pass through your life Kevin is truly one of this. His delivery of yarns (embellished frequently over the years) is legendary. His musical prowess has earnt him the conductorship of the National Youth Brass Band of New Zealand 2007-2009. I met Kevin in 1971 at the National Youth Band. He is an inspiration and a very dear friend.

Kevin Jarrett
For the 30 years that I have been in business I have stayed with Kevin every month on one of my sales trips. I have played under Kevin at contests but alas never at the National Band, which is somewhat of a regret but I was unable to due to bringing up mine and Lynda's young children. Kevin is Mr Musicality and Mr Brass Banding in New Zealand. Another one of life's great characters and you know that the opinions and thoughts that Kevin delivers is from the heart and full of truth. He leaves his impression on all those who pass through his life. A gem of a man.

AK: I can certainly vouch for Howard (or ‘Oward as was affectionately call him) Taylor. His drive and sheer passion for music are astounding. The tour of the UK was one of the most enjoyable tours I have ever done and I can also endorse your comments about Kevin Moseley and Kevin Jarrett. I have been living with the Moseleys for the last month. Kev Moseley has kept me up listening to his stories many times now!

AK: What has been your most memorable band contest performance? Why?
RM: I have two shared highlights, one with Garry Cutt, aka Herr Cutt The piece just had to be Masquerade, with the monstrous euphonium cadenza with no-one else playing. I had a good day that day, that was the same day I was presented with the International Euphonium player of the year award and one of the biggest humbling thrills was when at the end of the performance, the whole band were brought to standing and I was left until the very last and he singled me out, I choked up on that one. It was one of those moments that will never ever leave me. And the other, which was on a similar level, was with Faireys, a young band under the baton of Simon Stonehouse who is just doing wonderful things with that band. On stage at the British Open last year playing Bram Tovey's ‘A Night to Sing' again with a very difficult, high and soft euphonium line. I was satisfied with what I put down that day and with Faireys almost collapsing a year prior to that, the band came 4th, but they took that as a win, as well they should. Those were two warm and fuzzy Riki moments.

AK: You have this year performed with BAYV on solo baritone at the Europeans and last year with Faireys on solo euphonium at the Open and Nationals. You always seem to leave your mark on the bands and perform fantastically well. It must be very daunting to step out onstage with UK's top bands. How do you cope in these situations?
RM: The BAYV band commissioned Kenneth Downie to write ‘The Promised Land' for their assault on the European Championships in Belfast. I was blessed with good fortune again to be asked to play solo baritone at the Europeans, a contest I hadn't done before. There were some important parts to play and even more significant moments in the test-piece. The Promised Land, another clear highlight of my playing career, it has been put on the European Championships DVD 2006, I will just delight in watching and listening to that. The band was virtually faultless. Dr Bob's incredible preparation was inspiring. I can't speak highly enough of this man's dedication, he leaves no stone unturned. The band is the unluckiest bridesmaid going. There's so many contests that many have believed that they should win, but time and again it's 2nd place. We ended up 3rd as it happens, but put that aside, all that Bob has done for BAYV Band, the Welsh have a term ‘haerith' which means feeling, almost like ‘mana' in Maori, these Welsh boys and girls get together and individually and collectively play from the heart. To be a part of that was fantastic, I would drop anything to be to be able to experience that again. They're fun to be with, the whole journey from start to finish is one to savour forever. Just fantastic. About leaving my mark on bands, well everyone has their own personality and differing ways of doing things. I always try and have a packet of positive pills in my back pocket (AK: this is a metaphor, I can assure you!) just in case and even though I'm not in the same class as some of these players, if you can convince someone they're a good player and they're not used to hearing it, it tends to work. I pretty much use the positive approach in everything. If I can change a good player into something better I'm well pleased that I can do that. Music is a giving thing. Before going onstage with Faireys, whether it worked or didn't, everyone had bananas which to me are natural betablockers. If it worked or if it didn't work, who cares? The band thought it did and it spurned them on. Daunting is certainly the word, for a wee chappy from the Antipodes, rubbing shoulders with the best of the best in the UK. I remember walking off the bus to go into the Albert Hall with Leyland; coming the other way was John Lewis who'd drew number one with Brighouse. He said "Well you must be really nervous about the big euphonium solo in Masquerade?" I said, "No, I'm really looking forward to it." The rest of the band at Leyland were trying to be helpful explaining about the expansiveness of the venue, and saying, you're going to get really, really nervous. I blocked my ears and said "Don't tell me that, it's gonna be great!" It's that positiveness in me, like I said earlier, negatives are developed in darkrooms only.    

Riki's business success is Musicways

AK: In addition to your astounding playing career you run a very successful business, Musicways in Albany are celebrating 30 years in business this year. How was Musicways born? Do you care to reveal the secrets of your business success?
RM: The secret to Musicways success is that there is no secret. It's called running by the seat of your pants! Musicways happened by energy and wasn't planned, when I left school I did an apprenticeship repairing brass and woodwind instruments, I was at night school paying for my fees, so I could use the engineering room so that I could make tools for doing repairs. I met a toolmaker who was also saxophone player. I just happened to mention to him that it was difficult in New Zealand to get music stands. So, he said "I can make music stands but I'd have to make a few to make it worth my while" so I thought, the rest of the country can't get them but I can get them made so that's what I did and that's how Musicways started. Basically, I started with music stands, then I went to Shell Oil, where I got the chemists to create valve oil, bore oil and cork grease and things like that. Then I went through to a golf bag manufacturer in Birkdale and they started making guitar bags for me then I jumped on to some Embassies to get some manufacturers worldwide. So it wasn't planned it all happened by energy and positiveness. 

Riki and Lynda's daughters - Rhian and Laura

AK: Rhys (Riki's son) and Rhian (Riki's daughter) are both musicians and work for the business with Laura (Riki's youngest) planning to join after university, Lynda (Riki's wife) has been a wonderful rock for you, it must make you very proud to have your family round you building on the company's success.
RM: I am very, very lucky to have three focused children and a supportive wife in the company. I know lots of other people in the industry who want their own children to get involved in their businesses and the children just aren't interested. I think that first of all my children are all musical and it's a musical industry so basically our business and our hobby are entwined. And I'm just blessed that they share the enthusiasm and keenness to enjoy the industry that we're in. I'm developing Rhys to become the second best salesman in New Zealand, (taught by the best!). He knows not to leave a music store until he has writer's cramp (from all the orders!).

Rhys McDonnell

Rhian (these are all Welsh names because they are half Welsh) and have Kiwi, her prime role is looking after our rental fleet of which we have about thirty-five music stores onboard with, so they rent their instruments through us. She is also responsible for general office duties. Laura who is entering the seventh form next year has also expressed interest in office duties as well.

My older brother Allan runs our warehouse and it is great to have all our family enjoying the day to day fun we have. I am very proud of the children and all of the things that have happened with Lynda and that the children have grasped a future for themselves to carry on a family tradition.

Riki's brother, Allan McDonnell

AK: What is in store for Riki McDonnell in the near future?
RM: I've always said from being young, that I don't know what the future holds but I look forward to all of it. Again, it's all the positive vibrations that seem to work for me in my life. Next month is busy. I get back from a factory tour with key dealers in Korea, and then I've got a South Island sales trip, whilst Rhys does the North Island. In the middle of the South Island sales trip I will rehearse with Canterbury Foundation Brass and do a concert with them (AK: I'm doing that too!) and the following week I will spend a week with the Fairey Band to peform at Brass in Concert. Then I have one day to do some paper work in the office before I head off to Brisbane for a concert with Brisbane Excelsior then a bit of R&R. The seafood in Brissy is exceptional, the wine is wonderful and the company is fantastic. So, I don't have a lot more to do in the month apart from all that (!). 

AK: How does Riki McDonnell relax? Do you relax? What makes you happy?
RM: That's easy! Cleansing ales after all the things I do, I play a lot of squash then after that sit in a warm spa pool re-hydrating (!) or on a golf course with my son. I've just got the bug for that. As they say a change is as good as a rest. What makes me happy? The sun! It's life giving you, get Vitamin D from the Sun. Everything is great. And... the sun always shines on me!

AK: You're a very positive person Riki, with many sayings that people have latched onto and use themselves. Leave us with one of your McDonnell gems.
RM: You've left the easiest question to the last AK! This is easy, my life's gem rule: This life is not a dress rehearsal !

AK: Thanks for taking the time to talk to us Riki. It's certainly enlightening.
RM: You're welcome Alex and have a happy day.

Alexandra Kerwin
2006