BEFORE his current notoriety, the driver who allegedly ripped apart Singleton’s main street, was a primary school celebrity.

Rodney Johnson was plucked from his primary school to play a young Paul “Fatty” Vautin in a Footy Show sketch during the early 1990s.

media_camera Rodney Johnson in his role on the Footy Show in the 90s. media_camera Rodney Johnson.

One of his fellow students at Quirindi Public School at the time, who did not wish to be named, said the appearance made him a celebrity around town.

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“Everyone worshipped the ground he walked on, he was like a kid celebrity,” the former student said. “He was a chubby kid — the splitting image of what Paul Vautin looked like as a kid.”

Two years ago the pair were reunited for a “where are they now segment on the show”.