Kalgoorlie-Boulder legend Kevin Bloody Wilson returned to his home town on Saturday, not only to pay his respects on Anzac Day but also to give the local RSLs a two-up kip made from original Lone Pine wood.
The beloved Aussie comedian and musician, who grew up in Kalgoorlie-Boulder, had the kips made from timber from a Lone Pine tree planted in Melbourne in 1933 from seeds collected in Gallipoli.
He decided to give one each to the Kalgoorlie and Boulder RSLs in appreciation for “everything the town did” for his family.
“They looked after me, so I’m leaving this to the town,” he told the Kalgoorlie Miner at the Boulder RSL’s dawn service on Saturday.
Wilson, born Dennis Bryant, performed a rendition of And The Band Played Waltzing Matilda at the dawn service before being awarded an appreciation plaque from the Boulder RSL.
The guitar he played was made from the same Lone Pine wood as the kips, and features a 1915 penny on the headstock.
Wilson said the father of a friend got hold of some of the timber from the Lone Pine after it got hit by lightning, and asked him if he wanted some of it.
He said while the face of the guitar was made from that special wood, the sides and back “may or may not” have come from country music legend Slim Dusty’s collection.
“The guitar doesn’t have a value — to me it’s invaluable,” he said.
Wilson also performed at the Kalgoorlie RSL commemorative service.
He said it was a pleasure to be back in his home town for Anzac Day, and after paying his respects, he was looking forward to a beer.
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