Alan’s catastrophe has comics hooked
ONE OF North Queensland’s most interesting characters has shared a hilarious story to a national audience on the television show True Story with Hamish and Andy.
Former Townsville Bulletin fishing columnist and owner of AZ Fishing Charters Alan Zavodny sat down with Hamish and Andy and shared a wild story about his problem- solving skills on last night’s episode.
His story was chosen from 8000 submissions for the second season of the show, where television personalities act out stories told by everyday Australians, making for hilarious viewing.
In the 1980s, Mr Zavodny ran a fishing charter business, helped a friend run an animal shelter, and had an agreement with the district manager for a regional airline, where he would take VIP clients on boating trips while they were in town.
On True Story, he recounts the fateful day he got a panicked call from the airline manager about the unfortunate passing of a very important cat.
A purebred cat arrived on a flight dead and the owners would be arriving the following day, so Mr Zavodny was asked to find a replacement cat with his connections at the animal shelter, hoping the owners wouldn’t be able to tell the difference.
Mr Zavodny, who now lives in Lucinda after a lifetime of travelling the country and the world working in the fishing industry, said an anonymous friend sent his story to the show.
“Next thing I know, I get a call from Hamish and Andy,” he said.
“I thought it was a joke, but it turned out it wasn’t.”
Melbourne comedian Dave Lawson plays Mr Zavodny in the episode, which also features Wentworth star Katrina Milosevic, stand- up comedian Anne Edmonds and former Bachelorette Georgia Love.
Mr Zavodny said watching the production of his story come together was interesting.
“I have pretty wide experience,” he said.
“( The airline) found out I wasn’t only good at keeping customers happy, I was good at fixing problems. They had a problem, they ring me, and I try and fix the problem, which you’ll see on the show.”
Mr Zavodny said he hoped to use his real- life experiences from his days on the seas to finish a book trilogy.
“The stories I can tell from my experiences at sea, they’re vivid and there’s vast amounts of them,” he said.
“It’s been my ambition since I was a kid to become an author.”
>> Catch up on Mr Zavodny’s episode at 9now.com.au/true-story- with- hamish- and- andy