I never thought I’d have such trouble with O. I found it a challenge to find someone with this letter for whom I could actually find something to write. It seems a travesty to refer to her as O’Donnell when she is iconicly known by her first name.

O’Donnell was a journalist when she met up with Tony Knox in the 1970s, I won’t say it was a match made in heaven but it seemed to work despite their many differences. She was quiet and reserved, he was loud and argumentative but somehow they found a niche in the restaurant business and made it their own. You’ll have heard of their restaurant, called Mietta’s, it was the best of the best and my personal story is about how we managed to actually eat there one night.

My OH was the recipient of a prize, $250 voucher which we spent at Mietta’s. It was a wonderful experience and with the prices of the dishes there’s no way we’ll be able to do it again. The wine waiter that night just happened to be an old friend from school, he was very good and I was very silly but whether that was the alcohol or just I’ll leave you to decide.

O’Donnell died in a car accident in Tasmania in 2001. It was a very sad time for many people. One of the initiatives at Mietta’s was for writers to read and talk about their works, a valuable form of networking, not just for the writers but also for readers.