I have a piece in the March edition of The Monthly about my friend Rita Zammit’s appointment to the Supreme Court of Victoria. She’s the fifth solicitor and the first associate justice to make the ascent in 163 years. On her first day of prep, she couldn’t speak English.

I love Rita and I love her story. She’s been a constant in my life since we met as articled clerks at Minter Ellison in 1996. She gifted me the subject for the story that formed my application piece for Race Around the World, about her son Thomas’s crazy under seven’s soccer coach called Paulo. I wouldn’t have been selected for that show without Rita. She (and Paulo) changed my life.

Since then she’s found dozens of other stories for me, especially football stories. She was the central character of Australia United: Adventures at the 2006 World Cup. We’ve been to two World Cups together. My dad and Rita have been to three. We sit together at home games for Melbourne Victory. We travel to World Cup qualifiers together. She’s is truly obsessed by football, more than anyone else I know.

This is my ‘Rita gallery’. Stuff I’ve written that features her, as well as some photos. The Cherry Ripes story, told in abbreviated form in The Monthly article, has it’s own chapter in Australia United.

Australia United – Cherry Ripes for Harry

Australia United can be purchased on Kindle here.

 

When I was auditioning to do the 2010 World Cup spots for Santo, Sam and Ed’s Cup Fever in South Africa, my practice story was about Rita and the Cherry Ripes. It is quite rough, and was never sound mixed, but is cute. It was filmed just after she was appointed associate justice.

Planes, Trains and a Socceroos Cyclone pt1

Planes, Trains and a Socceroos Cyclone Pt2

This is a story I made about Rita’s father Franc Incerti, and her uncles Nino and Tom for The Late Report. All three Incertis arrived in Australia from L’Isola D’Elba, just before the Melbourne Olympics in 1956.

This is the comedy ‘behind the scenes’ version.