30 Oct At home with Lehmo
It has been the popular Gold 104.3 breakfast show host’s proud duty to regularly entertain Australian troops overseas, an experience he shares in his forthcoming memoir This Shirt Won’t Iron Itself. But the sweet 100-year-old house he shares with wife Kelly and baby son Laddie is a cheerfully eclectic non-combat zone with a zen walled garden – complete with fish pond.
Since buying the property in 2013, the couple have renovated the kitchen and dramatically opened up the living area.
“The lounge room actually started in the front corner of the house, then migrated into what is now the dining area until it eventually found its true calling,” jokes Lehmo, who is thankfully more practicable about works projects than his Utopia character, Jim Gibson. “We love having people over, so having a really comfortable entertaining area was important to us.”
Elvis cushion
Like a lot of people, we love Elvis. That image of him in his ’68 comeback tour where he is dressed from head to toe in black leather standing on a little white stage – he is just the coolest individual who has ever been in the history of the world.
Photo: Michael Rayner
Utopia hard hat
The feedback I get from Utopia is through the roof. I will be at the dog park and people will just go, ‘oh, my God!’ and say everything from ‘love that show so much’ through to ‘I hate your character so much’. It is such a fun show to make
Photo: Michael Rayner
Table
This fibreglass table was made by Simon Modra Design for a house I had in Adelaide 12 years ago. When they do bespoke furniture, they name the piece after the first person to order it, so this table is The Lehmo. It’s a piece people remember. I mightn’t have seen someone for years and they come in and go, ‘ah, you’ve still got the red table’.
Photo: Michael Rayner
Medals
I have done six trips to the Middle East performing for our troops and received these as a thank-you for my service. You are only ever as unnerved as the people around you, and our troops are so in control and really are masters of their domain, which has meant it has been pretty cool.
Photo: Michael Rayner
Barbecue
Kel (Lehmo’s wife) was in charge of our recent reno because she has far more taste than I do. She said, ‘what do you want?’, and I wanted only two things: a barbecue and a wine rack. I am totally in love with this barbecue. It even has a little fridge underneath for my beer.
Photo: Michael Rayner
Bunny
Bunny is named after Bunny Livingston from Bob Marley’s band. Her mum was given to the animal rescue when she was pregnant so we know she was born on January 26, 2015. She is a Staffy-cross-something and just such a sweet dog.
Photo: Michael Rayner
Hawks print
I have loved Hawthorn since I was a little kid. I grew up in the Murray-Mallee and the local Browns Well Football Club had the same colours. Hawthorn has brought me a lot of joy. Barring my wedding and the birth of my child, I would have to say Hawthorn’s 2008 premiership was probably the greatest day of my life.
Photo: Michael Rayner
This Shirt Won’t Iron Itself published by Echo Publishing RRP $32.99 available in all good book stores.