STUNNED: Helmut Fischer, unique as the only person ever presented with a Mo Award because he made it.
HE doesn't professionally sing, dance or play a musical instrument and he doesn't act or entertain on stage.
Yet Helmut Fischer of Cooranbong recently became the only person in the 36 year history of the variety profession's Mo Awards to be presented with one of the highly coveted Australian variety profession trophies because, well, he made it.
No, he didn't make a success of a show business career - he literally created the award itself
"It's only taken 36 years to be presented with my own award," said the master craftsman who has invented and made everything from mechanical fish that swim like real fish to working scale models of roof bolters for underground mining and who even created NBN television's famous Big Dog.
"I was asked to go along to the recent 36th Mo Awards presentation night dinner, I thought purely as a guest. I was absolutely stunned, completely taken by surprise, when I was called to the stage and presented with my own Mo. I had no idea at all what had been planned. I didn't have a speech prepared, or anything," he said
The name of the award came at the suggestion of Don Lane who suggested to the then new chairman of the Variety Star Awards, Johnny O'Keefe, that the name Australian Variety Mo Awards be used in recognition of famous Australian vaudevillian comedian Mo McCackie.
"I was selected by tender in 1976 to design and make the original of the now iconic Mo Award statuette, but I never thought I'd ever actually get one."'
