Gibb family renuites with old friends
Photos of the meeting of Beryl Longuet with Barbara and Barry Gibb after many years.
2013, copyright David Longuet.
GSI already mentioned earlier that in the weeks before Barry came to Australia with the Mythology Tour, to the area the Gibbs once lived, we received quite some mails from old friends of the family who’d love to get a chance to say hello and reunite again. In several cases we indeed succeeded in bringing old friends together during Barry’s stay in Australia. We already reported about Samantha Sang who saw Barry again after she’d worked with him so many years ago. Mythology Tour
We were also able to connect mother Barbara Gibb again with a friend of her from the times she and her family had just arrived in Australia from Britain. The Longuet Family lived in Redcliffe and were neighbours of the Gibbs and mother Longuet was a friend of Barbara Gibb.
Dave Longuet mailed me and asked if I could help:
We are still residents of Redcliffe and we are going to the ceremony tomorrow. I was hoping that I could reunite two old friends Barbara and my mum Beryl, probably for the last time. My mother is 80 and we all know Barbara is 94. I was hoping that you could get a message to Barbara that Beryl Longuet will be there tomorrow and she’d be delighted to say hello to her old friend. Of course mum knows nothing of my or my sisters efforts to reunite them to avoid disappointment if this does not occur. I hope you can help me reunite these old friends at such short notice.
Marion/ GSI: I was so happy that this reunion succeeded at such short notice!
Dave Longuet tells his story:
My mother Beryl Longuet and Barbara were good friends and neighbours when the Gibbs lived in Redcliffe. They lived in Tramore St Margate and we lived next door. My dad used to drive them around to the gigs at the speedways and local venues with their dad Hugh. I think my mother has photos of the boys playing on Margate beach circa 1958 or so. We used to take Barry’s grandmother and Aunty shopping on Saturday mornings long after the Gibbs left Redcliffe on their journey to fame.
Mum and Barbara did meet up a couple of times and we had lunch with Barbara and Nancy one day. Barry couldn’t make the lunch, he was busy working but left a big bunch of flowers for mum. Mum actually got to go to the pre-concert function with Barry, Barbara and Nancy. So it was good all round. The downside of the night was that mum had a fall down some steps and busted herself up a bit and she is still getting over it today. Mum got a nice photo of Barry giving her a big hug. My sister Susan recently found a hand written card from Barry and Linda congratulating her on her engagement/wedding way back in the 1970’s so she is pretty pleased with that too.
PS. I live in Redcliffe the home of Bee Gees Way. Every time I go down the main street I check out the walkway and there is ALWAYS people there checking it out. They come from far and wide to see it.
These are 2 photos Dave sent us of the Longuet and Gibb family together.
left: Dave Longuet and Andy Gibb as babies on Margate Beach in 1958.
Also showing Beryl Longuet en Alice Peddle.
right: Maurice Gibb dragging Andy Gibb along on a towel.
© both photos: The Longuet Family.
