Rowena Southgate (aka ‘Ms Alchemy’) is based in Melbourne. While she would love to write as an occupation, she still needs to earn a living. This living so far has seen her work in research related to employment, in policy related to disability services, in HIV prevention in Vietnam, and also in the sexy world of communicable diseases. An acute observer and amateur photographer, Rowena likes to think twice about she sees in the world around her, and what it would take to make it a little bit different – for the better.

A few years ago, my gorgeous younger sister was asked a really interesting question at a job interview. It was interesting enough to be recycled here.

The question was – if you could have anyone at all, who would you have to a dinner party and why?

While I’m not quite sure what relevance this has to a job interview, I think it’s interesting for a number of reasons. Firstly, the question basically asks – who is important to you? Who are you fascinated by, inspired and motivated by? Who is it that you remember, that first comes to your mind?

The second reason is the possibilities that your imagination can run away with! The people who would be there, the conversations you would have, the mix of the people and what would happen – truly the stuff that fantasies are made of.

So, my dinner party…

My first choice would be actress Angelina Jolie. I would like to have here there, because though every second magazine has an opinion, rumour, or story on her, I’d like to hear her side of the story. I would like to ask her about her work, both acting and advocacy. I would like to know how she manages it all, along with her growing family. I would also love to hear if she reads what the tabloids write about her, if she ever regrets any of her tattoos, and to ask if life with Brad Pitt is really as glamorous as it sounds. Speaking of Brad, I’d let him come to the party – but they’d probably have to get a babysitter for their small army of children. 

My second guest, also involved in international aid, would be the Reverend Tim Costello. I would like to ask Tim about his work with World Vision, and his past work here in Australia, particularly his work related to gambling. I would like to ask what is his idea of the perfect world, how do we get there, and what Christmas is like at the Costello’s – does he fight with his brother, Peter at home?

My third guest would be Juan Mann, also known as the ‘free hugs guy’. I don’t know if he still does it, but Juan used to stand in Pitt Street Mall in Sydney, each Thursday, with a sign that says ‘free hugs’. Apparently, Juan started to offer free hugs when he himself was missing his family, and feeling lonely. You may have seen the video of Juan in action – it has been played on the internet, and also as a film clip for a song. The video clip shows Juan, a twenty something guy in a purple velvet jacket holding up his sign, and giving away hugs to anyone and everyone who wants them. At one stage it also shows police and security guards trying to stop him, but that is quickly followed by a petition to have him reinstated. I would love to have Juan to dinner to hear what inspired such an initiative, and to hear the funny and not so funny stories that he would hear. I would also like to tell him how watching his video made me laugh, and almost made me cry at the same time.

Another man who makes me laugh, and who I would love to have to dinner, is comedian and performer, Eddie Perfect. Eddie Perfect is an Australian performer, who writes on issues ranging from politics, globalisation and war, to Ray Martin’s hair and shopping at Ikea. You might have seen Eddie Perfect in the musical Keating!, Shane Warne the Musical, or more recently, the television show, Offspring. I think that it would be great to have someone at dinner who can make us laugh, but more importantly, make us think.
If I could have anyone from throughout history (and I can because this is hypothetical, not to mention, my rules) I would like to invite Dr Marie Stopes, a public figure in the 1920’s. Marie Stopes was an advocate for women’s sexual and reproductive health and developed methods for, and taught birth control to women all around the world. This was particularly amazing given that this was in an era when English women had only just got the vote, very few women went to university, and sexual matters were never discussed. I would love to have Marie Stopes to dinner to find out how she found the courage and inspiration to challenge the world as it was, and change the lives of so many people for the better.

A sixth guest (seventh if Brad ended up coming) would be Allan Atwood, the editor of The Big Issue magazine. I would love to hear about the inspirational work that he does, and how he got into it. I once read the Really Beautiful People edition of The Big Issue (to contrast the Most Beautiful People issue that People Magazine does annually). This issue photographed a lot of people who were not chosen for their appearance, but because in some way, they made a big difference to the lives of others – they were carers, volunteers, foster parents, and advocates. I would love to talk to Allan Attwood about the people he met, and to tell him that I really love the magazine, and the way it makes a big difference to people in need. 

So know I have a room full of people – Angelina Jolie, Tim Costello, Marie Stopes, Juan Mann, Eddie Perfect, Allan Attwood. I’m not sure how all these guys would get along – so the last two people I would have at the dinner would be my sister, Fiona and my housemate and good friend, Travis. I would have these guys because they both have the amazing and priceless ability to be able to talk to anyone, about anything – and that would be a very valuable skill with such a diverse range of guests. Also, I don’t think Travis would forgive me if I had Angelina Jolie over for dinner and he wasn’t invited.

So there is my hypothetical dinner party list. I’m not sure what this response would say about me to a potential employer in an interview. However, having answered the question of who inspires me, it does lead me to a second question – how do I want to be remembered? What reason will people have for inviting me to dinner? That question might take a little longer to answer, and to realise.