The guest celebrity with the twin towns connection is dual Gold Logie-winner Denise Drysdale — TV star, singer, variety entertainer and comedian.
The 72-year-old affectionately known as Ding Dong will be seen on board a paddlesteamer and at the Echuca Historical Society’s museum in Dickson St, learning about her great-grandparents James and Betsy Drysdale.
EHS president Dot Hammond said it was a total surprise when they got a phone call to say the show was in town recording and could the museum help out with a few things.
Dot said EHS knew the show was coming, as Heather Rendle had been in contact with them and had helped out with a lot of local research and information, but initially hadn’t been asked to be part of the show itself.
“Heather had done a lot of good work for them and on the Saturday they were here it was a really windy day and the film crew was getting blown off the wharf,” she said.
“So with the EHS and Heather connection they gave us a call to see if we could provide a calm port in a storm.
“There was just a couple of us working that day, so it was a bit of a mad rush to get things organised and we had Denise and the film crew here for at least four hours — asking for us to be pulling things out of drawers and displays.
“She was a delight to meet and to work with and it was a real buzz to be helping out with the shooting. While we won’t know until Tuesday night how much of our museum will survive the editing process, we do know the show will give Echuca-Moama a real plug on the national stage — and that’s great news for us all.
“So we can all give Heather a big thank you because of the excellent job she did helping them at the research stage, which got us to being part of the whole show.”
Denise was on a journey to discover where her family came from and whether there were any entertainment connections in her past.
She discovers her grandfather John was born in Echuca to Scottish immigrant parents James and Betsy, both colourful characters of the then booming port town.
Denise finds reports from the Riverine Herald in 1890 that describe incidents involving her great-grandparents, police and even a dance by Betsy on the floor of the local court that reveals a cheeky side to her ancestor.
SBS director of television and online content Marshall Heald said “this is one of the station’s most popular and successful series”.
Mr Heald said this was the eighth series and had a diverse and entertaining mix of well-known Australian personalities.
“On the show they embark on what is often a deeply personal journey to explore their family history, discovering tales of love, tragedy and perseverance along the way,” he said.
“The rich and diverse stories which are uncovered by these eminent Australians will provide important reflections for not only themselves, but for all Australians watching at home.”
Denise Drysdale's episode of Who Do You Think Your Are? airs on SBS this Tuesday, June 22, at 7.30pm.
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