I lost, and ended up with a tattoo of a glorified (yet endangered) budgie
What on earth does this have to do with 4WDing? Well, stick with me folks, there is a link. Let me set the scene … Scott Mason, Editor of Pat Callinan’s 4X4 Adventures magazine and co-presenter of Pat’s TV show is a passionate wildlife photographer. He was about to head off to the NT on a 4WDing adventure (see, there’s the link) and wanted desperately to capture an image of an endangered Gouldian finch in the wild. Being the caring and supporting friend I am (and certifiably bonkers), I made him a bet. “Take a mint shot of a Gouldian finch, and I’ll get it tattooed”. Apparently I also called him a bird nerd, but let’s not get bogged down with semantics.
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It honestly skipped my mind, thinking this was nothing more than banter; there was no way he’ll have time to get the shot while on a busy filming trip or even remember we made the bet. Well, while the team were out shooting an episode, they found themselves in an area considered ground zero for the Gouldian finch, what a handy coincidence. Scott went out of his way, put in the hard yards and managed to capture a magnificent image he should be proud of. He then had the crew swear to secrecy, so I was completely in the dark. Ahh, sweet blissful ignorance.
“How was your trip mate?”
“Yeah, all good.”
That sort of deal was all I got, and in this game no news is good news; it means nothing broke. While making a cup of tea one morning, I was called into the boardroom for an urgent meeting. Why is the entire team sitting here? Why are they all smiling? Why is there a wrapped parcel on the desk? And why was Scotty Bloody Mason laughing through a phone on loudspeaker? “This is for you bud,” he managed to gasp out through tears. It was a t-shirt, with a lovely picture of a very pretty bird with two bold words written underneath it: Gouldian Finch. F&*k me … he did it, and everyone was in on the gag.
Now, I’m not going to lie, I let this simmer for a bit (over a year) until it no longer haunted my dreams of an evening. But a bet is a bet, and true to my word I went up to my local tattoo studio to make a booking armed with a framed copy of Scott’s image. “Cool Gouldian finch,” the tattooist mumbled, “my dad used to breed them … sit down, let’s do it now”. HAS THE WORLD GONE FINCHING CRAZY! So while I had waited over a year to make the booking, in the space of a lunch break I now had a colourful new friend on my arm and a story to tell.
What is the moral of all this? Well, I’m an idiot. But on a deeper level, it’s amazing what people can achieve when you push them. Mateship, especially with the people I head bush with, is something I cherish dearly. It looks like Scotty and I are mates for life now. Also, never challenge a photographer; they have the tools to record memories … some of which you may wish you could forget.
Congrats Scotty – I’ll wear the finch with pride.
Note from Scotty: Mate, I am laughing so hard reading this, I always knew you would hold up your end of the bet! Also, I seem to have some interesting shots we should discuss, of somebody running through the High Country wearing some Husqvarna overalls … and not much else.
