TRACEY BENDINGER | Culture | Contact

Damien (Damo) Molloy took a deep and considered breath through his nose this morning as he walked past the ventilation shutters of the pokie den at the Betoota Imperial Hotel.

This goes against the grain of every other passer-by, who are usually seen holding their breath.

Damo quit smoking two months ago as he embarked on his self-imposed ‘glow-up’ journey.

Sitting down with The Advocate, Damo reflected on the overwhelming wave of nostalgia that washed over him as he sniffed the toxic air.

“It just made me miss it, you know?”

“Sitting out there, feeding pineapples into those reverse ATMs.”

“Breathing in whatever that air deodorizer is”

“You know, the one they pump into the pokie room to mask the smell of smoke and desperation,” Damo said, gazing longingly into his memories of a sweeter time.

When asked whether it made him miss it enough to drop out of his rags to rigness story, Damo made it very clear that he was not going to quit, not even for one more dart and slap in the VIP room.

“No way, I’ve already made a Facebook event,”

“I’m going to hire a projector and project my before pictures on a sheet hanging on the clothes line, then run through them to reveal my new self to all my friends”

“It’ll be sick, hopefully everyone can see the difference otherwise this will all be for nothing.”

A quick survey of Damo’s friends revealed that just two months in they can already notice a huge difference in Damo’s appearance, they’re eager for his glow up party at the end of this month.

More to come.