As you will be aware on the 25th February 1999 Cold Chisel played a benefit show, "Helping Hands" at Selinas in Sydney for one of our oldest mates Steve Hands.

Steve had been fighting a serious illness for quite a while and a number of his friends in the music industry got together to try and raise some money for him. The night was a huge success and a packed Selinas saw Chisel and other artists get together for a great night of fun and music.

Unfortunately on Thursday 27th May 1999 Steve passed away.

The band have asked me to write a few words about Steve Hands and what he meant to us.

You have to go right back to the late 70ís when S.H. first entered our life. He was the Victorian Promotions Manager for Warner Music and was based in Melbourne. S.H. was the guy who promoted our records, got them played on radio and TV, and basically had the town wired. Steve knew where it all was??... you name it he had the connections, the best parties, the best of everything?? He was always the first there, and the last to leave. He had his ear to the ground and was instrumental in guiding this unruly bunch, me included , through the Melbourne scene.

When he eventually moved into the National role at Warners and moved to Sydney he took to it "like a duck to water", he even barracked for Manly. He ran his national promotion team with the same passion and love of the music just like he had done in Melbourne.... "No corporate wanker here". He believed in his artists, he fought for them, nothing was to too hard.

As Chisel grew, Steve went with us. He was always part of the "Chisel family" and always will be. If I wanted to know what was really going on within the Warners, all I had do was to ask S.H. He never bullshitted me, always told it like it was.

I know he was he was immensely proud of what Chisel had achieved and rightly so, because without him we may not have achieved those heights.

S.H. was without doubt the best promo man that there has ever been in this country.

He was a wild man, a legend in the music industry, a man that was honest, kind, loyal and loving, a man that we all feel very proud to have called a mate.

Even when he got sick and times were tough he still had a smile on his face. He helped Michael Lawrence immeasurably with the research for his book on Chisel.

When he visited us during the shows at the Sydney Entertainment Centre we were all so very glad to see him, even though it was very hard to look at his frail appearance without being emotionally affected. He stayed for most of the show even though he was very weak. Selinas was a tough call, we knew it was going to be that way. Steve came into the dressing room and thanked and hugged us all. He had a huge smile on his face, it said everything.

S.H. is now gone, but never to be forgotten. He made a difference in our lives, he will always be in our hearts. To Von, Josie and Marney, all our love, S.H. we miss you...

Rod Willis
May 1999

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