Matthew Walker considers himself to be one of the biggest fans of New Zealand entertainers the Topp Twins.
And now he's trying to fulfil his dream of meeting them by getting them to perform in Wanganui.
But first he'll have to pick up their $10,000 booking fee, plus a bit extra for
travel, accommodation and production.
Matthew has been collecting everything he can find on Jools and Lynda Topp since he saw them on television as a seven-year-old.
Now 14, he finally considers himself ready to meet the twins, having collected boxes of T-shirts, magazine and newspaper clippings, CDs and DVDs featuring the pair, buying the items with pocket money earned in after-school jobs.
Matthew is not only a fan of their music and their particular brand of humour - characters "Camp Mother" and "Camp Leader" are particular favourites - but also of their activism and stance against nuclear energy.
"They've done a lot for New Zealand."
The Topp Twins have visited Wanganui before, in 2007, but Matthew was unable to attend as he was working that night on a farm with his father.
"I was too young then, anyway, and I wanted to collect more stuff and do more research. Now I feel it's time for me to meet them and for them to do a show here," he said.
He has looked into travelling to see the twins perform in another city, but has a transport issue - the family car has no motor. Besides, he thinks it would be good for Wanganui and great experience in reaching his goal of becoming an events manager.
His first step towards getting the twins to Wanganui has been to contact their production company Diva Productions, where he found out how much it would cost to bring the twins to town.
He next contacted the Wanganui District Council and Mayor Michael Laws advised him to look into the community grants scheme.
Mr Laws passed Matthew's letter on to the council's youth committee. He is waiting to hear back from the councillors.
Matthew is also keen to hear from anyone who has fundraising ideas, or could help him fundraise.
He's already designed a poster for the twins, just in case they need one when they get here.
And he's willing to work, and wait, to achieve his dream.
"As long as it takes," he said.
- If you have any ideas on how Matthew can help achieve his dream, email him at matt72@hotmail.com
