Superfan

I am sure that as I write this, there are many parents lining up for hours with their eleven year old daughters (even after a particularly late and indulgent night out), waiting to catch a glimpse of Justin Beiber or Harry Stiles, or some other teen sensation, giving up their time and sanity so their super-fan child can hold onto the memory of a fleeting encounter with their idol. And maybe even get an autograph or a picture to solidify the experience…
I did this on Saturday morning with my eleven year old daughter. But it was not The Beebs who inspired our three hour wait, although he is, in fact, in the country touring at the moment. Nor was it those cute little Simon Cowell prodigies, One Direction. Nope. Who did we stand in line for, jostling and sometimes perhaps even shoving a tiny bit to get a good view of the microphone so we’d be able to see him? And after the “performance”, frantically try to determine which of the queues to join for the best chance of an autograph?
David Attenborough. Yes, the 86 year old, slightly disheveled, silver-haired face and voice of natural history. The man who has been bringing exotic places like Africa, Antartica, and The Galapagos into our living rooms for the past 25 years.
And she did get to see him, and listen to him speak for five whole minutes. And we did pick the right line-up, so she was one of the last of the few that were able to say a quick hello and get an autograph and photo. She had written to Sir David a few months ago telling him of her love of animals, her concerns about the environment and how it might affect them, and about how she makes little mini documentaries on her iPod, inspired by the hours spent watching documentaries like Planet Earth, and The Blue Planet. She did receive a lovely response from his daughter as he was overseas filming, but now she has her letter signed personally by the man himself.
The wait was so worth it.