Local Chick… Eliane Morel from Bondi

By James Hutton on October 13, 2018 in People

Actor, singer and cabaret writer Eliane Morel has lived in the Waverley Municipality for 25 years and calls Bondi home. She shares her local favourites with The Beast…

How long have you lived here? I’ve been in Waverley for 25 years, 22 of them in Bondi.

Why do you live here? I’m from Canberra and my husband is from Melbourne. We’d both been living in every inner city suburb in Sydney, it seemed, so when we decided to move in together, both being from cities not known for their surf, our first choice was the sea. We took a bus down to Bronte, found a flat in a block called Corona where we could hear the ocean, and never looked back.

What’s your favourite beach? I’ve really grown fond of Bondi. Our kids both did Nippers there and are now doing patrol, and it’s got such a variety of things going for it.

What’s your favourite eatery? Sefa Kitchen on Bondi Road – outstanding Middle Eastern style food with a twist, and not too expensive. I also love Bondi Trattoria and the Bondi Dairy.

Where do you like to have a drink? If there’s a show on at Bondi Pavil- ion, the best place to have a drink is at dusk on the balcony there. The view is priceless, there is no loud music pumping and it’s free!

Best thing about the Eastern Suburbs? One thing I learned through the Save the Bondi Pavilion campaign, with which I was closely involved, is that there is a community of great people here.

Worst thing about the Eastern Suburbs? I wish we had more, and bet- ter connected, cycle paths. Making it easier to cycle, away from cars and pedestrians, would make it more popular and our roads and public transport less congested.

Do you have a favourite sporting team? One of my besties and my husband are both Hawks supporters, so I am now too. Growingup in Canberra and being a total nerd with no interest in any sport whatsoever, it has surprised me how much I now love AFL.

What music are you into at the moment? I sing for a living, so at the moment I’m busy learning Rosina’s role in The Barber of Seville by Rossini for this wonderful company I sing with, Opera Bites. I’m also writing my own cabaret, Disenchanted, which is on at the Pavilion on September 27 and 28.

Who is your favourite person? My husband, my son, my daughter, my own parents, my brothers, my husband’s family and my dear friends. Everyone has something about them that makes them unique, and everyone is my favourite for that thing that makes them unique.

What do you get up to on the weekends? A walk to a cafe with my husband to do the Herald crossword; visit Malabar Head- land; shopping for fruit and veg at Paddy’s Markets; a footy match on TV at a friend’s house; a show at Bondi Pavilion. And on Sunday we make time to see Insiders.

What do you do for work? I’m an actor and a singer, and now a cabaret writer, it seems!

What’s your favourite thing about work? Making people happy. Whether I’m singing in a nursing home, acting in a school show, performing for Opera Bites or singing in my own cabaret, it fills my heart with joy when I make people happy.

Do you have a favourite quote? “The audience is just as important as the performer.”

Any other words of wisdom for readers of The Beast? Support local Arts – watch a show at a local theatre, check out a band in a local bar, visit a gallery or come and see my Sydney Fringe Festival show Disenchanted: A Cabaret of Twisted Fairy Tales at Bondi Pavilion Theatre on September 27 and 28. You can book at www.sydneyfringe.com.