Rapid rotations are a sight to make you dizzy.
Pat Heaphy though has transfixed more than a few punters vying for a prize at the St Joseph’s School Gala chocolate wheel with his witty entertainment and, for the past 15 years, whimsical suits.
He’ll take his final spin on 3 November after four decades at the wheel.
Pat says he stepped up to the wheel in 1984 in the first of his eight years as chairman of the catholic school’s committee to transition it to the public system. It was also the year the first of his five children began attending St Joseph’s, and seven grandchildren had also followed suit, the last one graduating in 2023.
He says “a booming voice” and humour pivoted him to the chocolate wheel role.
“You’ve got to pick out a few within the crowd that will always be milling around in front of you as they buy their tickets and you could say ‘hello, Tom. What are you doing here? I thought you told me you were broke?” he says.
“That seems to go down well, there’s got to be a lot of laughter, and the happier the people are, the more tickets they tend to buy.”
Pat says, in the early years the prizes included locally-grown vegetables, hams, whisky and wine.
“That seems to have changed now, I think if you put a bottle of whisky on the wheel, you’ll probably end up close to jail,” he quips.
“The wheel has always been successful because of the prizes, and very generous donors. There are a lot of prizes that come from motel friends, which might be free nights or restaurant meals.
“There’ll be a lot of chocolates, prizes for women which consist of makeup and all the other things that women need, men’s items as well, and we normally look for good-sized chooks.”
Pat says he’s assisted at the wheel by his Knights of the Southern Cross comrades, a society of Catholic men who support the Church and each other through practical works, fraternity and promotion of the Gospel.
Thousands of spins later, the 77-year-old says his cogs are slowing down and the moment has come to leave the stage. “There’s probably quite a few who will be made for the job… Have a few jokes up your sleeve, have a great sense of humour and make the whole deal fun,” he says.
“The school’s got an enviable reputation, it’s a lovely school with great amenities, a great team of teachers and [the gala] gives them a bit of discretionary money.
“I’ll continue attending the gala and I’ll probably buy heaps of tickets for the chocolate wheel.”
