Who should I brush shoulders with on the way to work this morning but Australian Prime Minister John Howard, on the way in to the Australian Wheat Board / Iraq corrupt kickbacks inquiry. Of course I didn't literally brush shoulders with him. Before I could do that, a man in a black suit and dark glasses politely came up to me and asked me who I was with. When I politely disclosed that I was a journalist but really just on my way to work and hanging around for my own interest and to catch a cameraphone image of the PM, he politely told me to please move back behind the white line, sir.
(Click the picture for the whole photoset, including a blurry shot of a protester being body-slammed by about 20 police at once and being hurled into the back of a paddy wagon.)
And then if seeing John Howard on the way to work wasn't enough excitement, as I was ordering my morning coffee from Nick and Gina at the bottom of Stockland House in Castlereagh St, who should walk past but Richie Benaud.
I almost walked after him and asked if I could get a camera phone pic with him to complete the photographic essay of my amazing walk to work, but then I thought, "don't be a tosser, Dan… Richie probably hasn't had his morning coffee yet either. Give the man a break."
