ERROL PARKER | Editor-at-large | Contact

A Betoota Heights big unit and tricode football star who needs no introduction is still rolling through the streets of our cosmopolitan desert community while many others in his cohort elected to leave for bigger things in the east.

Denham Pearson has had a Toyota Lolux, a Toyota Hilux and after a near-drowning experience, bought a Nissan Patrol. In two words, his twenties was ‘full on’.

As he saw the old 300 000 roll over in his odometer, the 30-year-old decided he needed to pump the breaks a bit and slow down.

Looking past a smorgasbord of other options, the Dolphins fullback and ruckman settled on a blue-smoke blowing beige Proton Jumbuck with drum breaks on the back the size of shoe polish tins. Under the bonnet is an engine and drivetrain from a Lotus Elise, making the Jumbuck a fucking death trap.

Denham spoke to The Advocate, for what our reporter imagines but not hopes to be the last time, about his life and where he’s going.

And where he’s been.

“Ah, yeah, know,” he started.

“It goes like a shower of shit but you can also cruise in it quite nice. The old owner did the heart and lung transplant on her. He assures me it’s got an engineers certificate but the more I drink the thing, the more I think it was a home job,”

“Anyway mate, I’m just enjoying life. Crusing about town very quickly. Still working at the Bottle-O on Greenbrayer Drive. We just got something called Fat Yak in the other day. Tastes like a flower. The type of drink you’d have with a seafood marinara pizza at Noosa. Would put a gut on you like nothing else,”

“What were you saying, mate? Oh yeah, nah, the Jumbuck’s sweet. You need a lift anywhere?”

Our reporter and Denham were almost back to the office before he got caught driving 94kph over the speed limit.

Pearson was arrested for dangerous and negligent driving as well as an array of other driving offences.

Our reporter received another cannabis caution.

More to come.





