ERROL PARKER | Editor-at-large | Contact

In a futile attempt to win some brownie points, a local diesel fitter opted to leave his Baxters at the hotel today and don the Nike Air Maxes as he and his life partner head out on a walking tour of Canberra.

Betoota Heights couple Nathan Decanter and his significantly more popular girlfriend Lucy Aldridge, decided to visit Canberra this week for their fourth anniversary.

“We’re going to the War Memorial tomorrow so today we’re doing the galleries,” said Nathan this afternoon via telephone.

The 27-year-old said he’d found time to speak to The Advocate after finding a husband chair at the Civic David Jones.

“So anyway, we’re clip-clopping around the National Art Gallery like a pair of lost brumbies when Luce turns to me and says, ‘Oi, that’s the most valuable painting in Australia,’ So I turned my big old melon to look and I was not blown away at all,”

“It looks like a fucking kid’s done it. I could’ve done it. It looks like some bloke’s just chucked a bit of canvas down on the garage floor and thrown paint on it. I’ve seen painter’s radios look better. Art is a silly business that I don’t understand.”

The emotionally-stunted Gemini then went on to say that Lucy wasn’t convinced – and that saying you can do just as good of a job as the artist is considered crass by some.

But, he says, he doesn’t care.

“What?” he said.

“Tell me I’m wrong.”

More to come.