Half-a-million dollar question, Launceston answer

For a student of theatre, it's a question unlikely to require the phoning of a friend.

Now another: OK Computer was an album by which British band?

For somebody with even a passing musical interest in recent decades, it’s a question many would likely hear the answer to before it's finished, though not one whose answer would often land you half-a-million dollars.

Unless you're Gerard Lane.

“People of my generation would think that was the easiest question to ever be read out," he laughed down the phone, "but the guy behind me – he was in his 50s – he’d never heard of OK Computer or Radiohead.”

At the time, Mr Lane's win of just over $500,000 was the highest ever awarded on Who Wants to be a Millionaire?. His time at the top has since been eclipsed by actually millionaires, but that doesn't fuss him.

"I've been forgotten about, which is fine," he laughed.

"Now my name's been deleted off Wikipedia."

Living now in Launceston with a young family and a strong connection to the local theatre scene – along with an inclusive arts training company called Studio Space – Mr Lane's Who Wants to be a Millionaire? win wasn't the catalyst for a move to Tasmania, but it sure helped.

Born in Victoria on the Mornington Peninsula, Mr Lane graduated from the Victorian College of the Arts Drama School in 2007 and has also studied performing arts at Monash.

(“Some say that’s a double-degree in uselessness," he joked, " but it's a double-degree in performing").

It was there in Melbourne that Gerard met Alana, from Beaconsfield, and later married. Before answering that half-million dollar question they had spoken about moving back down to be closer to that side of the family.

"We thought we would probably move in with Alana's parents and try to save some money to try and buy a house here." he said. They bought a house, though a little sooner than they expected.

The two crossed the Strait on the Spirit of Tasmania in June of 2015.

"When we got here they said it was the coldest winter in 30 years," Mr Lane said. "We thought if we could survive that we could survive anything."

"We don't miss the traffic in Melbourne, which has been really nice. The pace of life here is really good.”

Both performers, Gerard and Alana have had roles in local productions of Wicked and One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest – they’re even hosting trivia. 

"People here are very friendly and they've been very welcoming to us. We've really hit the ground running.”

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