Drinking With Movie Stars 26.11.06
I went to the local pub on Sunday arvo – the Parap Hotel, I had to collect some cash from a winning trifecta I’d backed the day before. I figured, since pubs are made for drinkin’ in, I’d best have a beer or three while I was there.
There were only about ten of us in the entire bar but I was kept entertained by one of the other patrons. He was a slim, long-haired black-fella, introduced himself as:
“David Gulpilil – aboriginal actor – Storm Boy, The Tracker, Rabbit Proof Fence, Mad Max, Crocodile Dundee…….”
He then flashed a broad grin. He was talking to a bunch of white fellas who’d bought him a beer, and dropping a whole host of big names. He reckons Barnesy (Jimmy Barnes) is his only white fella mate. He told a story about him and Barnesy and few other people going and staying at Paul Hogan’s place at Byron Bay for the weekend – reckons he might buy that house when it comes up for sale. He chatted about Hoges and Mel Gibson and Sly Stalone and visiting Los Angeles and London – once again said how he has heaps of money.
His missus was there too – Miriam. She’s a slender, ebony skinned young thing, sporting a light cotton dress, loosely draped over bra-less breasts, as is the modern native custom around these parts. She had a softness to her face and a brightness of the eye and proved to be quite articulate. She wasn’t drinking this day.
David tried to flog an old woman his autograph for twenty bucks – she politely declined. Through the conversation, one of his new-found mates mentioned Steve Irwin, and David started crying, genuine tears of sadness – they changed the subject. Every now and then he’d call to his missus for the name of a certain place or person, alternately chatting in english and swapping to one of the native aboriginal dialects, then back to english for the white boys.
Gulpilil went for a wizz at one stage and one of the young blokes says to me, with a chuckle – ‘This bloke reckons he’s some big actor, signed this coaster and gave it to me.’
I said ‘Mate – he is a genuine legend. He’s been in every Aussie movie ever made – you may wanna keep that coaster’
Old mate looked surprised and says ‘Shit. Fair Dink?’, and stuffed the coaster back into his top pocket.
It was quite amusing and entertaining, sitting at the local, listening to this guy who has been in many of the biggest movies Australia has ever produced, spinning all sorts of yarns, some of which, I’m sure strayed from the truth.
In the end he asked his new found mates to drive him home to Malak. They said no, they’re not going that way and told him to get a cab. Turned out he didn’t have enough money for a cab. Couldn’t drive himself because he had once again lost his license for 18 months for drink driving. He was last up before the court in about August, for drunkenly chasing someone down the street with a machete, following an argument about drinking on the premises.
So now, with no lift home, he took his wife and they went out front of the pub and sat in the gutter. One of his new mates called a cab on his mobile and gave him twenty five bucks to see them home to Malak.
In the end it was a bit sad to see somebody who’s been in so many top class movies, was the subject of an Archibald Prize winning portrait and has travelled the world, to end up in the gutter because he didn’t have enough money for another beer…….
UPDATE – Just read this in the Northern Territory News 1.12.06:
VETERAN Aussie actor David Gulpilil has hit rock bottom – homeless, on the dole and back on the booze.
The award-winning Aboriginal star, who has appeared in more than 30 TV and film roles since 1971 including Crocodile Dundee and Walkabout, has been living in Darwin’s “long grass” – a ghetto of homeless Aborigines – for several months, he told The Daily Telegraph.
Gulpilil said he had been living on booze, cannabis and welfare since he left his traditional indigenous life in Arnhem Land.
“It’s (alcohol) killing me slowly, and the ganja’s killing me slowly and the cigarettes are killing me slowly. It’s making my life miserable,” Gulpilil said.
Sources in Darwin said Gulpilil was affected by the recent vicious bashing of his actor son Jamie.
Jamie, 22, star of the award-winning film Ten Canoes, was beaten unconscious in Darwin last month.
“These bloody rednecks, they get jealous and they bash my son. I just want some respect back,” a tearful Gulpilil said.
In September he faced Darwin Magistrates Court charged with carrying an offensive weapon after he was caught on the street with a machete.
He has also had six drink-driving offences and has twice been jailed.
Despite being honoured with the Australia Medal in 1987 for services to the arts – and a portrait which won the 2004 Archibald Prize – his life is anything but that of a celebrity.
UPDATE – 30.3.07
Gulpilil ordered to stay away from wife By Jill Jolliffe 30mar07
A DARWIN magistrate has imposed a 12-month domestic violence order on Aboriginal actor David Gulpilil to protect his wife Miriam Ashley, who he has been accused of bashing. The internationally-known star of films like The Tracker and Crocodile Dundee failed to appear in Darwin Magistrates Court for a hearing on the order today.
Ms Ashley’s lawyer Bethany Lohmeyer told Magistrate David Loadman that Gulpilil was “interstate, possibly in Victoria”, and had failed to answer contact numbers given.
Mr Loadman replied: “Could be New York, who knows?”
He forbade Gulpilil to “assault or threaten to assault Miriam Ashley directly or indirectly”, after the actor allegedly bashed her last December.
In January, Gulpilil, 54, refused to accept an order to stay away from his wife while drinking, prompting today’s hearing.
Mr Loadman said any decision on Gulpilil was sensitive “bearing in mind his status with the latte-sipping set of Toorak and elsewhere”.
But he said something had to be done to protect Ms Ashley, noting that the police had not sought today’s ruling.
“They obviously protect her and do nothing else besides. There is nobody to protect her against Gulpilil, so I make that order,” Mr Loadman said.
He also noted that both Gulpilil and Ms Ashley had failed to submit relevant legal documents for today’s hearing, which they had agreed to in January.
UPDATE 5.12.2007
David Gulpilil rushed to hospital
BEN LANGFORD
05Dec07
David Gulpilil
TERRITORY movie star David Gulpilil was rushed to hospital last night after suffering a suspected heart attack on a plane.
Gulpilil, 54, was met by an ambulance on the tarmac at Sydney airport after complaining of chest pains during the flight.
He was taken by the ambulance to Royal Prince Alfred Hospital at Camperdown in Sydney’s inner west.
A Royal Prince Alfred spokesman last night confirmed the former NT Australian of the Year was taken to the hospital.
He said the screen star, who has been named a living National Treasure, was in a stable condition.
“He wanted us to let you know that he was stable,” the spokesman said.
A Qantas spokeswoman would not go into the specifics, only confirming there was a man who was unwell.
“A passenger did fall ill on a flight from Brisbane to Sydney,” she said.
She confirmed an ambulance met Qantas flight QF553 when it touched down at Sydney at 8.45pm (AEDT).
A friend of the star’s said last night Gulpilil was a known nervous flyer.
One of NT’s most famous sons, Gulpilil has starred in many iconic Australian films including the Territory film Ten Canoes.
Born in Arnhem Land, Gulpilil set Australia alight with his screen performances over a career that has so far lasted almost four decades.
Gulpilil made his film debut in 1969’s Walkabout, and soon followed that up with other scene-stealing roles in films such as Storm Boy.
Gulpilil has lately struggled with alcohol and “humbug”, once telling a journalist he had spent or given away all the money he made in films.
He ended up in court this year after brandishing a machete in a Darwin street.
UPDATE – 17 SEPTEMBER 2008 – $100 STUBBIE CHEERS UP GULPILIL
AUSTRALIAN film legend David Gulpilil said he was “happy to be free” after being convicted and fined $100 yesterday for drinking a beer in a dry Aboriginal community.
“I am happy – I did not want to go to Berrimah (jail),” the 56-year-old Crocodile Dundee star said outside the Darwin Magistrates Court yesterday.
“I love Australia. I love its flavour. It’s like ice-cream.”
Gulpilil, who has recently struggled with alcohol, was arrested after his car was searched at a road block near Maranboy, 60km south of Katherine, on his way to the Barunga festival on June 8 this year.
The court heard the star of the upcoming of Baz Luhrmann epic ‘Australia’ had been invited to sing and dance at the indigenous festival by fellow Aboriginal actor Tom E. Lewis.
Gulpilil had a six-pack of VB stubbies he planned to drink with partner Miriam and a friend as they left Katherine for the festival, where he knew alcohol was banned.
But the actor fell asleep in the back seat while holding a half-drunk beer and woke up on the Central Arnhem Highway.
He was trying to finish his beer when the car was pulled over 10km from the Barunga community turn-off.
The father-of-four, and grandfather-of-21, spent some time in custody, but still attended cultural celebrations at Barunga.
The Northern Territory Australian of the Year had originally planned to fight his case but, when two traffic charges were dropped, he pleaded guilty to bringing alcohol into a dry community.
Magistrate Daynor Trigg said drinking one beer and carrying one unopened beer to the community was at the “lower end of the scale”.
Gulpilil said he was “sorry” but pleased he could now attend the funeral, this Friday, of his long-time agent, who died of cancer.
That’s picturesque.