Close friend John Kerr shares some memories.
Darrel simply was one of those people who had immediate presence – you always knew when Darrell entered a room and if you didn’t know who he was, you wanted to.
His radio and television career has been well documented –
- Started at 2UW (now KIIS106.5) covering sport
- Moving to The Gold Coast for 4GG (now 92.5 GOLD)
- Hired by Bob Scott to do Sport/Sales at 2GO (now on 101.7 FM) on the Central Coast.
- Hired by NBN Television, Newcastle for sport and eventually picked up by Channel 9.
He not only reported on sport but was an active participant especially with surf lifesaving. It nearly brought him undone one year when during a Surf Carnival at a Central Coast beach – acting as ‘Sweep’ on the surf boat in very large seas he came out of the boat as it upturned causing Darrell to be badly injured. I don’t recall exactly but I know he did break some bones and was not in a good way for a long time.
Such was the friendship forged between most of the 2GO staffers that many years later when I was doing overnights at 2UE and Darrell was at Channel 9, that without me even asking Darrell would ring me up on air on his way home to The Central Coast to talk about that night’s coverage of Formula One which he had hosted. That relationship continued for many years and I was always indebted to him for his time and expertise.
I could write a few stories in which we were involved but I’m afraid they literally would not be printable – he was an immensely loveable rogue.
There’s this one story, though…
Bob Scott instituted the GO Room (an open bar) which was open to staff immediately following a day’s work. It was testament to the family atmosphere which existed at 2GO that most staff would stay on for an hour or two each night and it was always Darrell who told the best stories.
This is one of those radio stories that sounds like it’s been made up but I know it to be true because of the ending.
Many 2GO staff had attended The Wyong Leagues Club for a function for the opening of the Central Coast Rugby League season on which Darrell was naturally commentator.
During the evening, for some silly reason, he took my name badge from my 2GO jacket and replaced it with his name badge – at the same time attaching mine to his jacket.
First of all an elderly lady approached Darrell and seeing the name “John Kerr” proceeded to abuse him (me) for some things she didn’t like on the breakfast programme. Darrell’s reply was not courteous and suffice to say it’s one listener that I never had in the following years.
Shortly afterwards he left to drive home in the pouring rain still wearing the 2GO jacket with the incorrect name badge on the lapel. Driving through The Entrance he noticed a female hitchhiker and Darrell being Darrell picked her up. Being single at the time, he never missed an opportunity for a chat with someone of the opposite sex.
The next morning as I came off air on breakfast I received a phone call from the same young woman telling me what a delightful evening she’d had and could we do it again. Naturally I was non plussed at the invitation until it dawned on me she had laid eyes on the name badge by this time on the discarded jacket.
Darrell and I laughed about that whenever we’d see each other and as I recall he’d often say “ that was the most romantic evening John Kerr had given any woman on The Central Coast”.
John Kerr, well known for his long association with 2UE, worked with Darrell Eastlake at 2GO through much of the 1970s and forged a lifetime friendship.