ERROL PARKER | Editor-at-large | Contact
The dust was blown off the four-wheel-drive button inside a local software engineer’s Toyota RAV4 yesterday as he pulled his financed Quintrex fishing boat out of Lake Betoota.
Dennis Rutland, of the French Quarter, had a few goes at reversing down the boat ramp before a stoned 15-year-old called out from the jetty asking if he needed a hand.
A few moments later, the youth backed the trailer into the district’s largest freshwater lake and helped the 34-year-old father put his brand-spanking 410 Dory on the trailer.
Rutland spoke to The Advocate this morning about the many challenges of owning a boat – and the many responsibilities.
“Yeah look it was bad enough I had to get a kid to reverse the trailer down the boat ramp. My sons saw everything, I hope this doesn’t affect them later in life,” he said.
“But I wasn’t about to mess up again so I got the manual out and learned how to engage the four-wheel-drive. Turns out all you have to do is press and button! [laughs]”
“Slowly but surely, I pulled the Quintrex up and out of the lake and took the bungs out. You know, all the boat stuff. I wasn’t much of an outdoorsman before I got the Quintrex. Now, I’d say I’m a bit of an outdoorsman. I caught a flathead once. It was a 3m one, more like 30cm,”
“It’s a good start.”
More to come.
