When Philip enrolled at Tintinhull School in 1964, the student population ranged from 13 to 21, but these days stands at a healthy 51 pupils.

After cycling across the road from his parents' Col and Lee Quast's turkey farm, Philip took great delight in exploring the grounds where he began his education – and got up to more than his fair share of mischief.

One tale recalled from those days involved a "blown-up dunny", which is obviously no longer in existence.

One of the few landmarks that has remained unchanged to this day was the school bell, which he rang enthusiastically to summon students after the lunch break.

When he began his informal chat, he spoke in a soft, friendly, clear voice – it could well have been a sense of deja vu, from his 17-year stint on ABC-TV's Play School.

All the children listened intently, putting up their hands, stating their name and asking questions of the actor who has three times received the Olivier Award – the highest accolade possible in

theatre.

He spoke of the joys and the pitfalls fame brings – and of rubbing shoulders with the rich and famous.

The fact that he knew Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman didn't seem to impress the youngsters who were more keen to discover if he'd met Jackie Chan or the Ninja Turtles.

Somewhat of a rarity in showbusiness, Philip Quast doesn't seem at all affected by his rise to the top of the acting tree.

He's happily married to his schoolteacher wife Carol, and they have three wonderful children. You never know – there could be another Philip Quast, actor supremo, come out of that little country school.

After all, that was where Philip learnt to have fun and to enjoy life, in the tranquil bush setting that's the starting point for another generation of young Australians with, what he told them, "the ability to be anything they want to be".