ERROL PARKER | Editor-at-large | Contact
Two Army Reservists have found themselves separated from their boys this afternoon so they’ve ducked into the Chirping Dolphin Hotel in Port Betoota to regroup.
After spending the afternoon getting done by tubby, vest-wearing civvies in Two Up, local chocos Gavin Glark and his mate John ‘JD’ Davidson met up with a group of mates up the road at the Gelded Seahorse Hotel but shortly after 3pm, one of them got denied service by a male bartender with a ponytail and dirty fingernails so all ten of them left, or so they thought.
As they were leaving the Gelded Seahorse in protest, one of the boys saw a mate they hadn’t seen for a while and they peeled off. Others in the group saw this and thought that’s where they were going, so they followed. The other half of the group thanked the Sikh security guard on the way out before turning around to realise the group had split.
With a bit of difficulty, they managed to get a hold of one of the boys still in the pub with the bloke who ducked over to see his old mate. They just got pulled into a shout. This bloke’s mate came back from the bar with a tray of drinks. They boys outside said they’d find another bar and they’d regroup later in the day.
Gavin, JD and a few others made their way down the steep incline to the Chirping Dolphin, down beside the seawall in Port Betoota.
“We thought, ‘Fuck it, this place looks all right’, and we popped in,” said JD.
The place looked quite lively from the front but one they got inside, it was wall to wall. The level of intoxication was high.
Gavin put his hand up for the first round and JD took the boys back out onto the street so they’d be able to drink and smoke in the sun like free men, he said.
Back came Gavin from the bar with eight plastic schooners of Hahn Super Dry. He was carrying them like you would carry two bowling balls.
“Sorry about the fingers, lads,” he said as he sucked the beer off them.
At a table near the door, an older bloke sat with his mates and they were carrying on. He had a pet lizard on his shoulder. JD nudded Gavin.
“This must be a Navy pub,” he said.
“Look at that bloke, he’s got a pet lizard.”
Over the loud conversations, the older bloke overhead.
“He’s a bearded dragon, champ,” said the older bloke.
After a pause, the older bloke laughed.
More to come.
