22nd April 2024 about 4 O'clock
A short story.
As I was driving home today, there a man walking down the road pushing a mower. He was almost in the middle of the road and cars were veering to miss him. I stopped to the side of the road opposite to him and said "Hey mate, you right!", he said back" Yeah mate, no worries".
As I was enquiring in regard to his state and state of mind, I noticed that he's looked like an absolute character. He was wearing loose jeans with braces, no shirt, many tattoos, tinny and durry in one hand and pushing a mower with his right hand. He had a rugged face that was weathered and had stories to tell.
I was concerned for him and needed to do more. I said "Hey mate, I think you should walk on the side of the road, there's lots of cars that go down this road". Just as I said that, two other cars, one after the other had to swerve sharply to miss
him.
The man then said " Yeah, ok, I'll get onto the footpath mate". The footpath was on my side of the road. He then walked to the footpath. I gave a wave and he yelled "thanks mate". I then drove 200m down the road and arrived home.
I love taking photos of Australian characters. True characters are becoming an endangered species as the world goes bizarre. Having a good yarn and seeing if they are ok, need anything or need a lift provides a tremendous opportunity to hear some great stories.
I have met quite a few great characters over the years and had the pleasure of listening, learning and having a laugh. I am drawn to characters as they fascinated me. In contrast, so many people are locked into the system and they have never really developed a character that sets them apart.
When I find real character, regardless of their condition or demographic, their absolute genuine nature is so incredibly honest. A true character portrays the inner self in a very raw way. They can be found in all walks of life and are usually highly eccentric.
I urgently wanted to get a photo of this man and to have a chat. I ran into the house, grabbed my camera and bolted out the door. He had made his way down the path about 100m past my home. I ran as best as I could and called out to him, "hey mate!". He stopped and then I caught up.
I spoke about Australian characters and that I thought he was an Australian classic. Then I talked about taking photos and would he mind if I took photos of him and shared them. "No worries mate" he said.
There was so many aspects to this man. He was very polite, very ocker but spoke very respectfully. I asked his name and introduced myself. He told me his name was Larry. I asked what he was upto, he said he was just walking his mower down to a place where he was a carer for someone.
I asked if I could put the mower in my boot and give him a lift. "Narr mate, she'll be right, it's only down the corner". I asked if he needed any money, "Oh no mate, I'm good".
As I started taking photos, I was drawn to all the detail of his very unique look. He had a gold watch, gold chains and a cross on a chain around his neck.
The air was cool as we are in Autumn, so his chest really stood out. His nipples were standing too maximum attention but he looked completely comfortable.
He had both a cigarette and a tinny in his left hand and was alternating taking a drag from his durry and a swig from the can. I couldn't make out the type of drink but I'm pretty sure it was a spirit mix.
The mower had a Briggs and Stratton motor. I said, "they are a good motor and will last for years but you have to keep up the oil. They end up either burning oil or leaking it". He said "Too right mate, that's the trick".
I continued to take photos, front, back and sides. The tat on his back was a beauty, "AUSTRALIAN MADE". In addition, an Australian cricket cap on his head, thongs on his feet and then the durry and tinny. He was a classic!
I said, "thanks mate, that was very kind of you". Larry said, "no worries mate, it's the first time I've smiled in years!"
