ERROL PARKER | Editor-at-large | Contact
A local man who made the trip down to Flemington for the day doesn’t know it yet but he’s going to be one of those pathetic drunks featured in the colour pages of the Herald Sun tomorrow.
Monty Dulhuntley, a professional farmer’s son from our town’s city limits, boarded the 6AM REX service from Betoota Remienko Aerodrome to Melbourne (Essendon) having just skolled the rest of his pint in the airport bar.
He walked past the airport’s Camilla shop, where his sister purchased her ‘fancy shower curtain’ as Dad calls it, and past the Tarocash, where he had to buy the suit he was wearing having forgot to pack his one while he was on the way to said sister’s wedding.
The 24-year-old graduate of Marcus Oldham college knows the Melbourne area well and told The Advocate that the flight down was made better by the fact he was upgraded to ‘Barnaby Class’, which allowed him to smoke one cigarette per 15 minutes and BYO. It’s understood the pilots take the plane down to 2000ft and crack a window periodically to let some fresh air in for the non-smokers.
As the landing gear screeched to life in the nation’s most European city, young Monty had consumed three pints, eight grey-market cigarettes and 6 cans of James Boags.
The same aircraft would be returning to the Diamantina at 9pm and Monty was set to be on it.
At the time of writing, he’d gone mute and was now clinging to consciousness with both hands. But he still purses his lips and nods when the boys ask if he wants another can.
“Can I have a mid?” he said.
His mates laugh.
More to come.
