I was once a City Cycle model.

Andy Warhol once said, “In the future, everyone will be world-famous for 15 minutes.” 

I won’t lie. Over the years, I’ve had my little brief brushes with the spotlight, such as being broadcast on the news for inciting a protest inside parliament or being painted up as a glittered Jesus and going head to head with some religious extremists at an Equal Love Rally. 

Love or hate Facebook Memories, they’re good for one thing: reminding you of past times, whether you like it or not. For example, that time nearly a decade ago, when I helped out a mate volunteering to model (if that’s what you call it) for a series of photos he had been commissioned to shoot for Brisbane’s CityCycles.

The experience in itself was hilarious, considering I was rather hungover and it was the first time I had ridden a bike in years, which was made even more complicated by a hot Brisbane day.

Several months passed, and the experience of that day vanished into the back of my mind when I was strolling down the road; I saw this around the corner from my apartment.

It wasn’t long before I found out they had popped up all over Brisbane, from the CityCycle stand near my work to bus shelters in the outer suburbs of Brisbane.

Needless to say, my friends found it hilarious to send me selfies with the signs whenever one would pop up along their journeys. Then, to my surprise, CityCycle was also using some other shots I had forgotten about on their Facebook page to promote the service.

In this instance, my 15 minutes of fame lasted several months. But, like my modelling career, the City Cycle scheme was short-lived, as a few years later, they were decommissioned to make way for electronic bikes.