I was taken in by Mathew Prichard when he took to the stage to talk about his grandmother.
Grandmother was Dame Agatha Christie, the world's best selling author and Queen of Crime. The occasion was the unveiling of a bronze statue in her honour in front of hundreds of people on Torquay harbourside.
Mr Prichard's few words were witty yet touching and moving and for the first time - at least for me - explained just how much his grandmother really loved Torquay.
She was born at Ashfield in Barton Road, Torquay, in 1890. "It was a home and town which would stay close to her heart for the rest of her life," said Mr Prichard.
It was a place where she had been fortunate enough to have such a happy childhood
He added that she described her life here as 'idyllic'. "Even though she had lived and travelled the world her heart was always here," said her grandson.
He told how he remembered vividly Agatha telling him in her later days that of all the homes she had lived around the world Ashfield was 'the one she always dreamt about'.
"It is where she found the 'inspiration that fostered her joy for life, her devotion to family and friends, her wonderful sense of humour and gave her free range to her extraordinary imagination' said Mr Prichard.
He added: "Torquay, you and your forebears have inspired one of the greatest imaginations of the century." He said her legacy poured out of her from the ages of 20 to 30 and onwards and 'life was a mass of books, plays, films, radio plays pouring from the pen wherever she lived.'
"She was always the same modest and happy person, " said Mr Prichard. "From this vantage point we are surrounded by some of her favourite places - swimming at Beacon Cove, roller skating on the pier and listening to live music at the Pavilion."
He added: "I do not know what she would think of the statue but I hope she feels at home among so many old friends."
He was delighted Brixham artist Elisabeth Hadley had been chosen to create the statue. "It has been an immense undertaking and I thank her. A major public artwork that will celebrate my grandmother's huge affection for her hometown."
He also wanted to thank everybody behind the scenes for bringing this 'significant project' to fruition.
Mr Prichard said: "I can only imagine how challenging it must have been with all the traffic whizzing by. The whole development of this area has been a magnificent achievement. We are standing in one of our country's finest views. It is a great honour for my family that my grandmother is about to take her seat. I hope it will enhance this very special place for many years to come."
That four or five minutes really struck home to me how much Dame Agatha's family thought of Torquay, Torbay and South Devon and the huge impact the place and its people had had on her especially in her younger years.
It also made me realise just how much we were missing out on celebrating and recognising the Bay's most world- famous daughter because that is what she is.
I am not pointing the finger here. The tourism industry and local authority have tried to do their best to market one of the English Riviera's most precious assets and visitors come from all over the country and around the world, from America to Japan.
But have we really done her justice and taken full advantage of a 'USP for which many other areas can only dream of? Yep, we have a Christie trail and we had a Christie 'bust' on the harbourside and the English Riviera BID Company have led the way in promoting Dame Agatha.
But what did we do with her beloved Ashfield for instance? We knocked it down and built flats in its place and now only a Torbay Civic Society 'Dame Agatha Christie was born here' blue plaque remains. Can you imagine the uproar doing that with Shakespeare in Stratford-upon-Avon or the Beatles and the Cavern Club in Liverpool?
Now we are finally doing the great Dame justice and taking full advantage of her links with and love for the Bay.
It has been revealed that very preliminary talks have been held between the Prichard family, council leaders and potential funders like the Arts Council and National Lottery Heritage Fund to bring the long-lamented Pavilion back to life with a world-class Dame Agatha Christie Research and Visitor Centre. Chris Lewis attended the 'early days' talks and has his own ideas for the Pavilion transformation.
The councillor in charge of regeneration projects says: "The Christie Centre will not take all of the building. It's my personal view but I would like to see something from the 20s and 30s, some kind of Art Deco cocktail bar. We do not want it to be just a museum. We want it to be an entertainment venue based on Agatha and the 20s and 30s."
He added: "We would be privileged to put Agatha Christie archives in that building. It will attract people from all over the world. We have heard from Mathew Prichard talk about how Agatha loved being here. We want to respect what the family wants for her legacy. We want to build on that legacy."
It really is a massive opportunity for a Christie project to blow your mind - a visitor and research centre with some of her most treasured archives with a trail taking in the favourite places her grandson mentioned at the statue unveiling and, perhaps, even an inclusion of the very spot she sat under a big oak tree and scored cricket games just down the road from Ashfield at Cricketfield, now the home of my beloved Barton Cricket Club!
As I watched the unveiling on Saturday I couldn't help but think how history and modern-day life was coming together to mark just the start of what promises to be a great new era for the Bay. There was Dame Agatha in the middle of a transformed Plaza-style harbourside and walkway. Old and new working beautifully together.
As Cllr Lewis said: "Dame Agatha stretches generations. You have the generation from her era when she wrote the books. Now you have people reading books who are teenagers because they are seeing Miss Marple on the TV. They are as much a part of everyday life now as they were back then."
Here's to Dame Agatha and that bright new chapter.
