Letter From Dubai

The Shuttle's Dubai operative disguised as a date palm has sent a report on the Cartier International Polo Challenge held over a few days last week at the luxurious Desert Palm Retreat & Polo Club.

Sheikh Mansour Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum

Hosted by Bernard Fortas of Cartier and under the patronage of HRH Princess Haya Bint Al Hussein, wife of HH Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, four pro-am polo teams competed in the 7th International Challenge

Leading names from the world of polo flew in for the event and some high profile locals attended like Farez Al Yabhouney, Saudi national Amr Zedan, who regularly leads the Gulf Co-Operation team to victory in the UK, leading Swiss player Adriano Agosti and Guards Polo Club's own patrons Kassem Shafi and Gary Shepherd . Joining them was a patron who made his debut at this event, Saad Audeh.  Unfortunately regular Cartier International Day patron, Saeed Bin Drai, was forced to pull out due to injury - he was scheduled to play for the Cartier team - but his place was taken by his younger brother Mohammed Bin Drai.

And our associate reports some good news that will please fashion entrepreneur Simon Lock who flew into Sydney from Dubai last week to attend the Australian Fashion walk of Style launch in Paddington. Dubai is buzzing about Lock's Dubai Mercedes Fashion Week that will premiere later this year.

Mona Abou Hamzeh with Nada Mirza

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And what a shocker of a night Thursday evening was-rain pelting down, howling winds. Whatever happened to summer?

There is only person who could get us out on a night like that-our very own pop royalty Kylie Minogue who hosted an intimate party at the Sheraton On The Park for her Sydney Mardi Gras appearance. Amongst the guests-Mark Trevorrow and Kath & Kim star Magda Zubanski.
                                                                    

Dame Edna stars in The Hobbit

Maybe not Dame Edna Everage but her manager (and many say  the two have never been seen in the same room at the same time) Barry Humphries is to join the cast of The Hobbit.

The Peter Jackson $500M movie starts filming next March in New Zealand and Humphries will play the Goblin King.

It's not Barry's first acting role. He appeared as Rupert Murdoch in the 1980's TV series 'Selling Hitler' about the scandal involving the Sunday Times newspaper and the fake Hitler diaries, the Kath & Kim movie and Barry McKenzie Holds His Own based on the Private Eye magazine comic script.

Humphries contributed some immortal lines to the 2 McKenzie films such as when McKenzie is collared at a London party by a pompous  Hooray Henry who asks him : "tell me Mr McKenzie, is it true Australia is full of homosexuals?" to which McKenzie replies:
"No that's just the publicity we put out to attract the Pommy migrants"

Tomorrow at mid-day Dame Edna Everage will give a twenty minute talk at the Black & White charity committee's Woman of Achievement lunch. The Shuttle bring carry a full report.

In the meantime-here is a slice of Aussie culture from a Barry McKenzie fillum with the wonderful John le Mesurier.
And if you think that's an exaggeration  : In 2007 newly elected PM Kevin Rudd dumped former PM John Howard's 'migrant test' that required prospective migrants to know amongst other things who Don Bradman and Mervyn Richardson were!.( Richardson invented a lawn mower).