TRANSCRIPT
"Possums. Possums - I didn't want to be the climax... I didn't want to be the climax of the show tonight, but that's what's happened."
That's Dame Edna Everage, the glamorous housewife from Melbourne's Moonee Ponds, introducing Queen Elizabeth at her Golden Jubilee [[50th anniversary of being the monarch]] concert in 2002.
"If you've got any influence with the royals, please use it now. It's Les Patterson, the Australian cultural attache! Look, if I get kicked out of this party it'll be in all the newspapers. And you know whose newspapers..."
And that's Les Patterson, the foul-mouthed member of Australia's diplomatic corps, begging to be let into the party.
Dame Edna and Sir Les are the two most well-known creations of Barry Humphries, whose life and work have been celebrated in a state memorial at the Sydney Opera House.
Humphries died in April, aged 89, from complications following surgery.
The depth of his influence with the royals - and with the media mogul Rupert Murdoch that Sir Les slyly alluded to - was made clear in their heartfelt tributes.
Federal arts minister Tony Burke read a message on behalf of King Charles.
"Those who tried to stand on their dignity soon lost their footing. Those who wondered if Australia's housewife superstar might this time just go too far, were always proved right. No-one was safe. Barry Humphries through his creations poked and prodded us, exposed pretensions, punctured pomposity, surfaced insecurities, but most of all, made us laugh at ourselves."
In a pre-recorded video, Rupert Murdoch called his friend's intellect a "beacon".
"As you say, 'when people laugh at me, they are laughing not laughing at me the way they normally would a comedian. They are laughing with relief, because a truth has been spoken, and political correctness has not strangled this particular gigostar.' Barry, you will never be strangled, you will never be silenced, your voice still echoes, your wisdom still enlightens, and your friendship still resides deeply in my heart."
He said Les Patterson served as a model for expatriate Australians, including himself, on how not to behave.
Barry Humphries, who was also a musician, artist and writer, was based in London from the 1960s, where he poked loving fun at Australia in a career spanning seven decades.
Australian writer Kathy Lette flew in from London for the memorial.
"Barry had the most wicked wit. His wit was so sharp you could shave your legs with it. He was a satirical genius, so inventive, so original, but also a man with a very big warm heart. He was my friend for forty years. Australia's famous for these exotic species that we have - the platypus, the koala, the kangaroo etc. But there's never been a more unusual species than 'the Barry Humphries'. Especially Dame Edna, I mean - if you sat in the front row of one of her concerts, that was more dangerous than being near a red-bellied black snake. But you'd probably just die laughing."
International entertainers paid tribute via video link, including composer Andrew Lloyd Webber, comedians David Walliams and Rob Brydon, and musical icon Elton John.
"I will miss him so much because he was just one of the most... funniest people. His stories - like Robin Williams, like Billy Connolly - he was a raconteur of incredible, incredible importance, and genius."
Australian politicians across the spectrum also joined in, including New South Wales Premier Chris Minns, independent M-P Allegra Spender and former Prime Ministers Malcolm Turnbull and John Howard.
"He was a great Australian figure and this is an appropriate recognition of that. He was entertaining, intelligent, innovative, and all of those things. A great Australian figure."
The Opera House crowd was also treated to a live performance by the Australian Chamber Orchestra, Richard Tognetti and the artist Meow Meow, who resurrected the Weimar Cabaret Humphries co-wrote with them in 2016.
Common to all the tributes was respect for Humphries' creativity and wit, as well as his irreverence.
But in recent years, the so-called 'political incorrectness' that Humphries wore as a badge of honour alienated him from many in the LGBTIQ+ community.
Humphries made repeated offensive comments about transgender people, including that transgender women were "mutilated men".
In 2019, the Melbourne Comedy Festival removed his name from its major prize.
Tributes at the memorial made no mention of this divisive chapter, instead focusing on the impact of Barry Humphries' work - including British comedian David Walliams who saw Dame Edna as a 16-year-old.
"And it was a real light bulb moment for me, and I thought, that's what I want to do - I want to wear a dress. And if I make people laugh that's a bonus."
It's a complicated legacy for a comedian who made a career out of dressing in drag, but called being transgender itself a "fashion".
