Celeb spotting: Cathy Freeman with My Dad’s Honey owner Lee-Anne Jackson and her son Oscar during a visit to Echuca. Photo: Supplied
Cathy Freeman, two-time Olympian and 1998 Australian of the Year, paid Echuca a visit in March.
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My Dad’s Honey welcomed Ms Freeman as an unexpected special guest to their cafe at the River Boat Kiosk.
“(Cafe manager) Dee called me and said something like ‘I need some ice’, and I said, ‘okay, I’ll bring it down,’ and then she said, ‘Oh and by the way, Cathy Freeman is here’,” Mrs Jackson said.
“I was like ‘what do you mean? Why wouldn’t you start with that first?’.
“She didn’t want much fuss made out of her, even though everyone does want to. She’s very humble.”
“She just wanted to have her coffee and be left alone.”
Mrs Jackson said Ms Freeman was very private and wanted to wait until she was out of town to share the news on social media.
It was Mrs Jackson’s son, Oscar, who sparked Ms Freeman’s interest.
“She didn’t want anyone to take any photos or anything,” Mrs Jackson said.
“My son started talking to her, and she asked, ‘Do you want to take a photo?’.
“He was talking to her ... he did a Year 6 project on her, and she was really taken aback.
“She’s very interested in the kids and their sport and everything like that, especially Indigenous kids.
“Oscar is Indigenous, and when he was talking, she was really open.”
My Dad’s Honey at The River Boat Kiosk hosted Olympic legend Cathy Freeman. Photo: Supplied
Manager Dee Makeham said it was a lovely surprise to see Ms Freeman visiting the cafe, which opened in January.
“She was just soaking up the afternoon, having an iced coffee with her friend,” she said.
“It was very surprising to see her when she came in. It was unmistakably Cathy.
“She was just beautiful, and very humble.
“I grew up with the vivid memories of Cathy Freeman’s Olympic race, and never in a million years did I think I would be making her an iced coffee!”
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