Susie Youssef grew up as one of six sisters in a big Lebanese family – a birthright she regularly mines for very funny life advice. (See: if you don’t have kids, you must never complain to your sisters about being “tired”.)
The Sydney-born comedian and actor is now a fixture on Australian screens. And while it may only be Susie who has made a career of it, a sense of humour runs in the family. Youssef counts a silly and altogether unique object that belonged to her grandfather as her most sacred possession. Here, she tells us about the family heirloom that just makes her laugh, along with the story of two other important personal belongings.
What I’d save from my house in a fire
Growing up, we went to my grandfather’s place every year for Christmas. And every year my grandfather made this incredible nativity scene – but there was one piece that didn’t match the rest of the set. It was a donkey trinket he had bought somewhere on his travels, and it dispensed cigarettes out of its arsehole.
As a kid, I just thought that was the funniest thing in the whole world – that you twisted its tail and a cigarette came out of its butt. And so I always had my eye on it because it was just the most misplaced thing in the nativity scene. Then when my grandfather passed away, the donkey was with all his things at the nursing home and the staff threw it out. My uncle, the hero, went and dived through the dumpsters to find it. It now sits proudly on my bookshelf and is my absolute most prized possession.
It’s kind of falling apart now, held together with a bit of old tape. I’ve tried to find one like it, but it’s one of a kind. It just makes me laugh. I still can’t really believe that this cigarette-wielding donkey found its way into a nativity scene for most of my childhood.
My most useful object
My weighted blanket. I don’t think that insulation was a priority in the building of my current house – it’s definitely warmer outside than in – and I am freezing all the time, so I’ve got it on top of two different doonas on my bed. And as an anxious person, I find it helps me breathe.
Plus I’m in a long-distance relationship, so it’s just nice to feel the weight of something on top of you when you’re by yourself.
The item I most regret losing
Did I lose it or did one of my sisters steal it? It’s hard to know, but it’s my Filofax from 1998.
Now, everyone’s got a phone. But in 1998 not everyone had a Filofax. Mine was a black, padded binder that closed shut with Velcro. It contained all my secrets and the home phone number of everyone I knew. I used to write notes in the calendar about good things that happened every single day, and sometimes the bad things. It even had one of those display sections where I put all my old movie tickets – it was a time capsule! It actually hurts my heart to think about not having it any more. I still remember saving up to buy it.
Now, in terms of sentimental things, I just have a box full of notebooks that I’ll have to burn before I die so that no one can read all the horrific things I’ve ever written.
Susie Youssef appears in the new series of Great Australian Walks, which premieres 22 August on SBS and SBS On Demand
