Kate Ritchie stuns diners with impromptu Home and Away tribute in Sydney
‘I want you all to join in! Are you ready guys?’
Former Home and Away star Kate Ritchie has stunned a room full of people by breaking into the beloved Seven show’s iconic theme song.
Ritchie, who played Sally Fletcher on the show for 20 years, was attending a fundraising event in Sydney this week when she conducted an impromptu singalong.
The Sony Foundation’s Wharf4Ward event turned into a Home and Away karaoke moment as Ritchie was challenged to perform a live rendition of the classic theme tune.
Ritchie later shared the moment on Instagram, writing: “All in the name of charity … Kate Ritchie belts out an old favourite!”
In the footage, the MC said, “We don’t want to put any pressure on you,” amid laughter.
Holding a mic, Ritchie answered, “All right, but I want you all to join in! Are you ready guys?”
She then stood up and launched into the song, with a room full of guests joining in: “You and I belong together, You and I together forever …”
The more she sang, the more Ritchie got into it, gesticulating and holding the microphone out, so others could sing.
Fans loved the video, flocking to the comments section to praise her enthusiastic rendition.
“This is the best!!!” one fan wrote.
“Nailed it!” said another.
“Let’s organise to do the Kate Ritchie REMIX!”
“Absolutely love this,” added a third.
“It’s my go-to song after a few drinks, much to my friends’ despair.”
“Oh dear Kate, this is gold,” wrote another.
One person described her performance as “iconic”, while another said she was a “good sport” for accepting the challenge.
Wharf4Ward is the Sony Foundation’s signature fundraising event.
On the foundation’s website, it’s described as “an entertainment spectacular that sees over 1000 guests descend onto Sydney’s iconic Woolloomooloo Wharf”.
“Taking over all six restaurants with multiple stages, Sony Music artist performances, celebrity hosts, luxury auction and exciting event activations, all coming together to raise record funds for (youth cancer charity) You Can.
“To date, Wharf4Ward has raised close to $12 million.”
The Home and Away theme tune was written by Mike Perjanik and originally performed by singers Karen Boddington and Mark Williams.
The song was released as a single in Australia and the UK in 1989.
There have been nine different recorded versions of the song used over the years, including two different renditions by sibling trio The Robertson Brothers.
From 2010 until 2017, the sung version was replaced by an instrumental version.
But in 2018, a briefer version of the theme tune including vocals made a return to the show’s opening titles.
