LLOYD Beckingham, a mild-mannered man who managed rock acts, used to be friends with the late Johnny O'Keefe, who was the wild one of Australian rock, and also with another legendary rock star, the late Billy Thorpe.

Mr Beckingam, who is 75 and lives in Leppington, belongs to the Achidas Club, which is for ex-entertainers.

He managed a lot of rock acts, including Adam Lord, and got to know the big stars well.

``Billy Thorpe was a wild boy,'' he said.

``Twenty per cent of what you hear about him is fact and the rest is just fiction.''

Lloyd Beckingham was never going to be a rock star himself, but he played rugby league for Western Suburbs in the lower grades.

He owned race horses and played competition bowls, and used to be president of the Liverpool City Football Club and the Austral Bowling Club, and coached the Liverpool Rangers Soccer Club.

These days, Mr Beckingham, who is a retired bricklayer, spends his time volunteering at Lifeline Macarthur.

``I look after all the distribution records in the book shop down at Narellan,'' Mr Beckingham said. ``We have about 7000 donated books and all the profits go back to Lifeline.

``I was bored of sitting at home, so I decided to volunteer and it's a good way to make new friends and meet different people.''

Mr Beckingham collects old records as a hobby.

He has lived in Leppington for 20 years and loves its peace and serenity.

``I'm a little bit worried, though, about what will happen when the area is developed,'' he said.

``The infrastructure is nowhere near enough to take the amount of traffic.''