Amalgamation is certainly a hot topic – who wants in, who will be mayor and the jostling for limited positions on the council.

The divisional representative race should be a bottler and I am tipping the fight might get somewhat dirty.

The race for mayor should be quite interesting as well. Will it be Big Bob, Joe or someone from left field – I can’t wait to watch the upcoming circus.

Now everyone has an opinion about whether we should be amalgamating, and I for one am all for it.

Sure Noosa residents have a point about wanting to go it alone, but they are also being a little bit precious about their “special” circumstances.

But as I said, I am happy, and it was highlighted to me why last weekend.

I am involved in a pantomime at the Eumundi Independent Theatre, making it my third year trying to learn how to act, with no real success.

Previously I have been a Fryer Tuck with dud hamburgers and a Fairy G with bad legs and a limp wand.

This year I am a fat door mouse that falls to sleep all the time in Alice in Wonderland.

Why you may ask? Well it is because the good people of the “Indee” and their supporters make a generous donation to the Nambour and Currimundi Special Schools, which is something close to my heart.

Now I have always been worried that the beautiful little town of Eumundi would break away from the Maroochy Shire to hook up with their northern, unique neighbour.

But now the amalgamation is in play it looks like they are stuck with the great unwashed from the south, which is why I am happy.

Because if we want to talk unique or special or preserved from development, Eumundi is it.

They don’t and didn’t need to be teaming up with Noosa to prove that.

Whether it be markets or preserved history, the little rail town has both, along with some great people who have shown their generosity to me over the last few years.

Take last weekend, when I was up there rehearsing for the panto and decided to revisit a wonderful store called Berkelouw Books.

I had previously been there on the Sunday before Christmas and found a couple of unique second-hand books for my wife.

You know, the sort of present that is more thoughtful than expensive, something I actually stumbled over but for a change worked out beautifully.

It also helped that it was wrapped up with army precision by the lady in the store, which also impressed old mate.

So it was back I went with the hope of another success.

And I was impressed that the same lady was there and remembered me, which I guess is not that rare, seeing as I have a head that people rarely forget.

But it was nice and I did find another treasure.

However, between talking to the young lady about how good my last present went, I missed something that would turn out to be another treasure of Eumundi – the guy in front of me.

As I left, a chap was walking out at the same time and he turned around and said hello, as if he knew me. It was then that I looked at him and said: “Hey, you look just like Eric Idle, out of Monty Python, Life of Brian Fame, blah blah blah.”

The reply came in a nice English accent, “I do, don’t I?”

As I stared at him like some stalker, he then said, “Do you think he is clever? He is clever isn’t he?” Of course I agreed, but my slow-turning brain couldn’t engage my mouth before we got to his car and he drove off with a pleasant good-bye.

I was left in a somewhat comatose state wondering whether I had just met one of my “idols” and, if so, wondered why I hadn’t tried to coerce him up to the hall to give me a few tips.

I eventually convinced myself it wasn’t him and went about my day.

That was until Monday morning when I found out that it was actually him, and he was visiting for a few days.

So, as Eric always looks on the bright side, it highlighted to me that Eumundi is something that I always want to be attached to, even if it is only because I live in the same shire.

If you want to have a chance of running into someone famous – Idle, Cleese, or the fat Dormouse – give the theatre a ring (5472 8200) for a ticket to Alice in Wonderland in unique Eumundi.