Charlie & Boots

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MAN:
Sorry, I just, um...

Um...

Mum, she had this amazing ability to...

..to make people smile...

..to forget their worries,

even if it was just for a few moments.

And Mum was always willing to...

..to sacrifice her own needs

for the needs of others.

She gave up her job as a teacher

to look after us on the farm.

In fact, everything she did was...

was for us, for our family

and for her boys.

Sorry. Um...

Mum taught us many things.

She taught us respect, loyalty...

..and she taught us forgiveness.

To Dad, she was his Gracie.

To Boots and l, she was, um...

..she was...

..she was Mum.

(GIRL GIGGLES)

MAN:
And to my kids,

she was their beautiful nanna.

We love you, Mum.

(TEARFULLY)

And we'll really miss you.

Sympathies, mate.

See you back at the house.

- You finished with this?

- Yes, darling.

I'll take those, love.

(KNOCK AT DOOR)

WOMAN:
I thought you could use these.

MAN:
Thanks.

(PHONE RINGS)

WOMAN:
Hi. (CHUCKLES)

You've called Charlie and Gracie.

We're not here at the moment.

Please leave us a message. Bye.

(ANSWERING MACHINE BEEPS)

MAN:
Hey. Dad. It's. uh...

it's me. it's Boots.

I. um. guess we're going to

have to change that message.

Oh. look. um. Dad. I know we haven't

been getting along very well.

but. I. um... I don 't know.

I think we've got to try.

(PLAYS NOTES ON PIANO)

- Hey.

- Hey.

MAN:
You come to do

some work, have you?

BOOTS:
How's Dad getting on?

He's alright.

Never answers his phone.

Nah, he's alright.

How's the kids?

Yeah, good.

And Mel?

She's alright.

- Has Dad been getting out at all?

- Nah, not really.

Gotta get him out doing something.

He can help me milk the cows

if he wants to do something.

OK. Better go see how he is.

BOOTS:
Dad?

Hey, Dad, it's me.

CHARLIE:
So you remembered

where we live.

BOOTS:
Dad, what are you doing?

It's bloody dark in here.

Should have the telly on.

The game's about to start.

RICHIE BENAUD:
(ON TV) Batted

very sensibly today. used his head.

And then the 100 the other day.

the first one ever in Australia.

I thought he was magnificent.

Don 't forget...

(TV BROADCAST CONTINUES

IN THE BACKGROUND)

MAN:
(ON TV) The loss. what it means...

MAN:
(ON TV) There's been

some gutsy selection.

there's been some fantastic leadership

throughout this game.

I think he needs to take

a hell of a lot of credit.

There were moments throughout

the series where Lydia was...

(TV BROADCAST CONTINUES

INDISTINCTLY)

(CATTLE LOW, BIRDS CHIRP)

.. not just the one here today.

He batted sensibly today. used his head.

I don't know. Get Nigel to cover

for me. He never does anything.

I don't know. Uh, a week?

I don't know. Maybe two.

- CHARLIE:
Hey, I was watching that.

- Come on, Dad.

- No, turn it back on.

- Nah, we're going out.

- I'm not going anywhere.

- Yeah, you are.

We're going fishing.

CHARLIE:
Fishing? Since when

have you liked fishing?

CHARLIE:
I can open

me own bloody door.

BOOTS:
Yeah, I know.

Watch your fingers.

BOOTS:
Oh, for Christ's sake.

Dad, are you coming?

Just jump in the car.

CHARLIE:
I can bloody walk.

BOOTS:
Just get in the car.

CHARLIE:
What are we doing now?

BOOTS:
I'm just gonna grab

a couple of things.

I thought we were going fishing.

We are, Dad.

I'll be back in a sec, OK?

CHARLIE:
Where are you going?

Port Fairy's that way.

BOOTS:
Yeah, we're, uh...we're not

actually going to Port Fairy.

CHARLIE:
Why not? It's the only

good fishing around here.

Yeah, we're, uh...not actually

going fishing around here.

What?

Do you remember when I was little,

you always promised me that one day

we'd go and cast a line off

the northernmost tip of Australia?

No.

Well, we're doing it.

What do you mean?

I mean we're doing it.

We're on our way to Cape York.

Have you lost your mind?

(CHUCKLES) Yep.

(TURNS ON RADIO)

CHARLIE:
Well, that's the dumbest

thing I've ever heard of.

Typical of you

and your half-baked ideas.

You're a d*ckhead. Cape York's,

like, 3,000 miles from here.

BOOTS:
Yep, and it will be even further

if you don't start studying that map.

(UPBEAT ROCK SONG PLAYS

ON RADIO)

CHARLIE:
Alright, then, where are we?

Well, Warrnambool's about there.

I bloody know that. Where are we going?

- Well, we're about here.

- Yeah.

Cape York's all the way up there.

Well, that's...that's just stupid.

Yeah.

It'll be fun. Don't you reckon?

(UPBEAT SONG

CONTINUES PLAYING)

What the hell is that?

Dad. Dad.

Have a look at this little ripper.

It's the Big Koala. (LAUGHS)

Better have a look, eh?

You coming?

Uh, no, I can see it from here, son.

Alright. I'm going to go inside.

(CHUCKLES)

BOOTS:
"There was a young fella

from Horsham

"Who took out his balls to wash 'em

"His wife said, "Jack,

If you don't put them back

"I'll jump on the buggers

and squash 'em."'

Remember telling me that?

BOOTS:
"In the heart of rich farming land

and the Victorian goldfields,

"Maryborough is famous

for its railway station

"and was settled in the 1830s."

CHARLIE:
You gonna be like this

all the way?

- BOOTS:
What do you mean?

- CHARLIE:
Annoying.

BOOTS:
I just thought

you might like me

to, I don't know,

read you some local colour.

CHARLIE:
Really? Why?

BOOTS:
Just because.

Oh, well, don't worry about it, then.

CHARLIE:
OK.

They're on their way to Warrnambool.

Just telling them all the stuff

they should see when they get there.

Pity we won't be home.

Could have shown them around.

Well, maybe we should head back.

(CHUCKLES)

No, I'm serious.

I'm, um, worried about the farm.

Don't be. I spoke to Graeme.

He said everything's fine.

He said to have a good time.

Yeah, well, at least

your brother's responsible.

Jeez, Dad, you got enough salt on those?

I don't want me veins

getting all floppy.

I'm serious, Dad. You've got to

start looking after yourself.

Echuca's probably the go tonight,

Dad, don't you reckon?

You can have a look in the brochures

up here if you want.

Hey, fresh strawberries.

WOMAN:
Small punnets $3,

large, $6, family size, 10 bucks.

BOOTS:
Family size?

I think we might need one of them.

Don't you think so, Dad?

Huh?

Actually, I think we'll get

a couple of those.

No worries.

So which way are you headed?

Uh, headed up north to Cape York, but

we'll probably get to Echuca tonight.

- Do you want anything else, Dad?

- Nah.

Well, enjoy.

Yeah, will do. Thank you very much.

Don't eat them all at once.

BOOTS:
(LAUGHS) We'll try not to.

BOOTS:
Eh? This is the life.

The open road with my dad, fresh fruit.

Does it get any better than this?

What was that?

That looks interesting.

Must be glad you bought

the family-sized punnet, eh?

You could help.

Nah, never fancied strawberries much.

BOOTS:
And she asked!

She knew which way we were headed.

And she said,

"Don't eat them all at once."

(GROANS)

BOOTS:
Paddle Wheel.

That looks alright.

Sing out, Dad, if you see one you like.

The Georgian Motor Lodge.

This looks like us.

(WHISTLES) This is alright, isn't it?

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