Smacka Fitzgibbon

Graham Francis ("Smacka") Fitzgibbon was an Australian entertainer.

He was born at Mordialloc on 12 February 1930, the son of Francis (Frank) Fitzgibbon, clerk and Minnie née Mitchell (d 1989) and younger brother to actress-singer Maggie Fitzgibbon. Educated at St Bede's College (Mentone), ‘Smacka’ as he was popularly known began first playing the ukulele at an early age before switching to the banjo; his earliest influences were Bing Crosby and Louis Armstrong.

In 1951 he began playing with “Frank Johnson’s Fabulous Dixielanders”, and later with the father of Australian jazz, Graeme Bell, before forming his own band with “The Steamboat Stompers”; his first album was “Frisco Joe’s Good Time Boys” 1953.

In 1967 he opened Melbourne’s first jazz restaurant “La Brochette” (Studley Park Road, Kew, Victoria) and later in May 1971 “Smacka’s Place” (Chetwynd Street, North Melbourne) which became a Melbourne institution; his recipe for an enjoyable night out was an ample supply of “good food, good liquor, and good entertainment”. Described as “Plump and smiling with a warm and friendly, genial personality ” Smacka was a much loved entertainer, a rare breed who left a smile on everyone’s face was a regular performer on Melbourne television shows, notably “Sunnyside Up”, “In Melbourne Tonight”and “The Penthouse Club”.

In 1972, the jovial Australian jazzman recorded the title song of the movie The Adventures of Barry McKenzie which was released as a single that same year, reaching #22 on the Australian Singles Chart (Go-Set) in December 1972. He was a mate of Australian satirist Barry Humphries.

Having had a malignant tumour removed in 1955, on 1 September 1977 Smacka collapsed during a radio broadcast on 3LO; in July 1979 he was told the end was nigh and died from a cerebral haemorrhage on 15 December aged 49 survived by his wife Faye née Hommelhoff whom he married on 31 October 1959 and four children;

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