Written by: Viola Mayne
Parliament House Victoria hosted hundreds of guests who adorned the prestigious front steps as they lined up last Friday 13th of February for the Perfectly Matched book launch.
Dressed in heart-themed cocktail attire, the magnificent Queen’s Hall was startlingly electric as it showcased its regal beauty for this exceptionally unique book launch.
Former Australian of the Year finalist and much-loved author Rachel Jayne Cassidy
launched her latest release Perfectly Matched, a non-fiction title exploring the
significance and power of love, fate and the magic of matchmaking. With her well-
known wit and warmth, she takes the reader on a non-stop adventure, immersing them in a worldwide exploration for answers to finding our perfect match.
As a rare event at Parliament House, dignitaries and guests who travelled from
interstate and overseas wore their hearts on their sleeves as the vibrantly bold colour of red, heart-shaped jewellery, and heart accessories engulfed the majestic Queen’s Hall. With over 30 years in the hospitality business, family-owned Café Oggi excelled in catering for the entire event, masterfully providing an array of scrumptious snack delights with General Manager Peter Baaklah proudly displaying the delicious food customers have come to love.
Talented cake artist Froggy, owner of ‘What Froggy Bakes’, took creating a themed cake to a whole new level by recreating Rachel Jayne’s Perfectly Matched book with phenomenal accuracy, including a musical Cupid on top of the cake, an extravaganza of bright red hearts and a mouthwatering explosion of flavours to tempt any palate.
The event was hosted by leading cardiologist A/Prof Kushwin Rajamani, who featured in Rachel Jayne’s book In a Heartbeat, which has gained a substantial public following. A/Prof Rajamani stated, “It was a beautiful celebration of love in all its elements. It will stay with me for a very long time.”
Former Perfect Match TV show host and radio personality Greg Evans entertained the audience – his first in-person appearance since his quadruple bypass surgery – healthy and happy with his trademark charisma abundantly evident. Evans gushed, “The launch of Perfectly Matched was just fantastic … I thought A/Prof Kushwin Rajamani did a great job of tying it all together … The whole thing was really, really well done.”
The man with a thousand voices, Keith Scott, who voiced the robot character Dexter on Perfect Match, delighted guests with his clever impressions of Arnold Schwarzenegger, Christopher Walken, Fred Flintstone and many other notable characters.
Sponsors who got behind the launch included Rotary Port Phillip. Club President,
Wendy Sterling said, “Reaching out to people is so important for ourselves and it’s so
important for other people. It’s a very healthy way to move forward. In a world of
disconnect, keeping those connections and making new connections all the way along
the line is critical to keep our community healthy and our broader community healthy
and our global community. Reading a book like Perfectly Matched certainly brings into
play the fact that love is central to our humanity and it needs to stay there, so it
highlights what’s important in our lives.”
Book Systems International were very proud to support the launch, Pam Dittmer
commented, “Sponsoring the book launch was a good fit as we are passionate about
supporting the publishing industry.”
To kick off the occasion, a feature film guided the audience through Rachel Jayne’s fascinating journey of writing Perfectly Matched, from travelling the world to places such as Ireland to research Europe’s largest matchmaking festival in Lisdoonvarna, to capturing captivating love stories from reality TV stars to everyday loving couples, alongside well-known celebrities such as the late Judith Durham.
Before an audience spellbound with anticipation, face reading expert Marie Chandler read the faces of curious guests by studying their features and the shape of their face. Her accuracy was astounding and left the audience questioning the power of that very first moment when potential lovers first meet.
French matchmaker Geurda de Haan and Indian matchmaker Heena Kajaria both flew in for the occasion as they delighted guests with their open and honest accounts reciting many intriguing matchmaking tales. It is de Haan’s first trip to Australia.
Towards the end of the event, child dancers Roxie Dobbing, Ruby Godfrey, Grace O’Donnell, and Gabriella Shewan from CPD Dancers performed for guests with a dance routine choreographed by Donna Gabriel before the children finished with a conga line, all songs for their dances written by Rachel Jayne. The conga line grew in numbers as the talented dancers travelled between the chairs, encouraging guests to join in and dance around the Queen’s Hall to a song all about love, their excitement and energetic moves lighting up the room.
Singing legend Mike Brady sent Rachel Jayne a personal message from his hospital bed, giving his praise as he sang “up there Rachel Jayne the crowd is on your side!” Brady sent his best wishes, “[Rachel Jayne] can write about anything with compassion, with sincerity, with great knowledge through her propensity for research.”
Network Nine’s dearly loved personality Pete Smith added, “No one could fail to be impressed at the influential and inventive manner [Rachel Jayne] created today’s special event. It was an honour to be included in the [Perfectly Matched] book and then to be made so welcome today.”
Damian Dittmer from Book Systems International was full of enthusiasm as he stated, “I’m just looking forward to the next Rachel Jayne book to be honest, I really am.”
Guests echoed a common theme one after another as they departed the launch, claiming that this book launch is one they will never forget. Words such as “standout”, “amazing”, “spectacular”, and “brilliant” rolled off their tongues as they left with fond memories that will live on. The Queen’s Hall stood empty as the event officially came to an end, but even then, there was the unmistakable feeling of love lingering in the air.
Perfectly Matched can be found in all good bookstores, online or can be ordered into your local library.
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