I remember it was Margaret River Show day on 5 November 1977. I was driving down the corrugated gravel road to Moses Rock mid-morning in my white Holden HK Ute. I had closed the surf shop in the city and I was finally free and looking forward to going for a surf. The wind was offshore and there was a small swell.
Boodge Guthrie owned the land on the left and his brother the land on the right of Moses Rock Road. On the crest of the hill before the beach I saw Boodge Guthrie with his aeroplane on an airstrip in a paddock.
As I turned off the gravel road onto the dirt track to Moses surf break I saw a black snake on the track. I ran over it then hopped out of the Ute with my rifle with telescopic sight to look for what I thought was a dugite. It had slithered into the bush and I could see its tail I reached down to grab the snake’s tail Harry Butler style, but the snake swung around and bit me on the hand. Damn!
I got out my First Aid kit and looked up ‘S’ for snake bite and it told me to go back to ‘B’ for bite. I tried to catch the snake to identify it but couldn’t find it! I drove further down the track and turned around. I remembered seeing Boodge Guthrie and his plane and headed off to see him. I told Boodge what happened, and he said, “If I see them I leave them alone”. I was hoping he would fly me to Busselton but instead Boodge drove me to Margaret Hospital. On the way Boodge told me “I have every chance of not dying” …. if it was meant to cheer me up, it didn’t work!
At Margaret River Hospital I was met by Rex Dwyer the Ambulance Officer and told him I was a snake bite victim. He tried to contact the Doctor, but he was out playing golf and couldn’t be located (it was MR Show Day). So, after an hour Rex got out the ambulance and took me to Busselton Hospital with the lights on. It was now 3 hours since the snake bite and I was getting woozy and starting to see sky rockets and bright lights. Kevin Cullen the duty doctor gave me anti snake venom and I stayed in the hospital overnight with the worst headache ever.
The next morning my wife and son came and collected me. I was snake bite victim number 11 for the year.
This all happened because I tried to pick up the snake and be Harry Butler!
These days I leave snakes well alone!
1975 Gary Greirson at Greirson Surfboards shop in Osborne Park. Gary Greirson pic.Circa 1970 Boodge Guthrie’s landing strip on his Caves Road farm. Guthrie family pic.2013 Dugite snake in the south west. Bruce King pic.1978 Gary preparing for board paddle race at Margaret River Rowing Regatta. Ric Chan pic.
Thanks for sharing your snake tale Gary.
Refer to Surfing Down South book for more stories on SW identity Boodge Guthrie.
These are Gary’s recollections: –
I remember it was Margaret River Show day on 5 November 1977. I was driving down the corrugated gravel road to Moses Rock mid-morning in my white Holden HK Ute. I had closed the surf shop in the city and I was finally free and looking forward to going for a surf. The wind was offshore and there was a small swell.
Boodge Guthrie owned the land on the left and his brother the land on the right of Moses Rock Road. On the crest of the hill before the beach I saw Boodge Guthrie with his aeroplane on an airstrip in a paddock.
As I turned off the gravel road onto the dirt track to Moses surf break I saw a black snake on the track. I ran over it then hopped out of the Ute with my rifle with telescopic sight to look for what I thought was a dugite. It had slithered into the bush and I could see its tail I reached down to grab the snake’s tail Harry Butler style, but the snake swung around and bit me on the hand. Damn!
I got out my First Aid kit and looked up ‘S’ for snake bite and it told me to go back to ‘B’ for bite. I tried to catch the snake to identify it but couldn’t find it! I drove further down the track and turned around. I remembered seeing Boodge Guthrie and his plane and headed off to see him. I told Boodge what happened, and he said, “If I see them I leave them alone”. I was hoping he would fly me to Busselton but instead Boodge drove me to Margaret Hospital. On the way Boodge told me “I have every chance of not dying” …. if it was meant to cheer me up, it didn’t work!
At Margaret River Hospital I was met by Rex Dwyer the Ambulance Officer and told him I was a snake bite victim. He tried to contact the Doctor, but he was out playing golf and couldn’t be located (it was MR Show Day). So, after an hour Rex got out the ambulance and took me to Busselton Hospital with the lights on. It was now 3 hours since the snake bite and I was getting woozy and starting to see sky rockets and bright lights. Kevin Cullen the duty doctor gave me anti snake venom and I stayed in the hospital overnight with the worst headache ever.
The next morning my wife and son came and collected me. I was snake bite victim number 11 for the year.
This all happened because I tried to pick up the snake and be Harry Butler!
These days I leave snakes well alone!
Thanks for sharing your snake tale Gary.
Refer to Surfing Down South book for more stories on SW identity Boodge Guthrie.
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