I watched Hugh Jackman perform at the Curran Theatre last night in San Francisco. He is a superstar! The 2 hour show featured songs he’d performed in musicals such as Oklahoma, The Music Man, Carousel, The Boy from Oz and some of his other favourites. He told stories and showed pictures about his career.  For Australians in America, it was also special as Hugh celebrated our Aboriginal Australia and the Nomad Two Worlds initiative.

Sitting with my wife and two daughters as Hugh told stories of being in the outback near Uluru (Ayers Rock) whilst he was filming “Australia” and singing the Peter Allen song “Tenterfield Saddler“, Hugh gave a very patriotic insight to the American audience of our wonderful country. I had not heard that song since I was a small boy growing up in Melbourne. He wasn’t the only person missing Australia last night.

My wife and Anneliese waited for Hugh Jackman after the show amidst 150 others in light rain. He walked out and saw Anneliese and bent down and gave her a hug and thanked her for waiting for him. Thank you Hugh. You  connected all of us back to Australia and sung Tenterfield Saddler brilliantly. Hugh showed those 2,000 people last night what a wonderful Australian ambassador he is and gave my daughter, who has lived in America most of her life, a big Australian hug that she’ll cherish for the rest of life.

You can listen to Tenterfield Saddler at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6C70vT-ktUw&NR=1