Internet sensation Gary the Goat, the most well-known goat in Australia, if not the world, died suddenly last night aged six.

 

Gary the Goat didn't give a fuck to the end

Gary’s best mate and comedy routine human partner, James Dezarnaulds a.k.a ‘Jimbo’ Bazoobi, shared the sad news with over 1.75 million fans on Gary the Goat’s Facebook page late on Thursday evening.

Bazoobi said Gary was euthanised after vets discovered a severe and unmanageable bleed stemming from a heart tumour. Jimbo said the pair had travelled over 1,500km in the past few days seeking vet treatments for Gary from three different vets.

I really feel for Jimbo. If you've ever lost a much loved pet and companion, you will know the pain that brings and I am sure you will join me in sending him condolences on his loss.

“The vets drained it once but when it came back 24hrs later we decided that Gary needed to go out peacefully and pain free instead of being conscious while he couldn’t breathe,” a heartbroken Bazoobi posted.

In obvious distress, Gary the Goat, famous as a giver of absolutely zero fucks stayed true to the end.

“We thought it was just bloat at first – but it’s very hard to diagnose a goat who doesn’t give a fuck,” Bazoobi said.

 

What do Australian divorcees have in common with the late Gary the Goat?

Many Australians have fallen foul of a law act that is very often not applied in a predictable and fair manner, and a court system which is not fit for purpose.

Many people trying to resolve the matters around a relationship breakdown have been on the receiving end of a vindictive attack by an individual seeking revenge for their dented pride.

So too have Jimbo and Gary. On August 22, 2013, Jimbo was issued a $440 fine after Gary, was busted eating the grass outside the Museum of Contemporary Art in Sydney.

The fine, once the policeman eventually managed to come up with a law that was being contravened, was given for damaging vegetation without authority.

Jimbo appealed the fine and the matter was allocated a court date.

Gary had a good hat to wear to court but still, Jimbo wrote to the Commander of the Rocks police station asking for the fine to be dropped instead of dragging the horny mammal through the system

In the letter he appealed the fine because;

a) “it wasn’t me, it was my goat” and;

b) “my goat wasn’t damaging vegetation. He was simply taking the top off some grass plus some leaves off some bushes (next to some council workers with a lawnmower and clippers who were doing the same thing.)”

Jimbo relayed a story of being detained for over an hour while the policeman tried to find a law to apply in order to uphold his accusations of wrongdoing, rather than back down and risk wounding his pride.

Does this sound familiar to anyone who’s had a case dragged through the family court, or at least right up to the steps?

 “He couldn’t get me for an out of control animal because my goat wasn’t out of control. He couldn’t get me for not having it on a leash because it wasn’t a dog,” wrote Bazoobi

“In the end he let me go saying he was going to continue to find a law that I had broken and send the fine in the mail to me.”

The letter was disregarded, the case proceeded to court and the Magistrate ruled in favour of Gary the Goat and Jimbo.

Sydney newspapers reported at the time, “The goat, who was met by a throng of reporters outside court, was not required to give evidence and made no comment on the verdict.”

 

Gary was ahead of his time

In 2015, several years after Gary had it nailed, Mark Manson, author, thinker and life enthusiast penned a blog post titled  “The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck".

It went viral and Manson then expanded the concept and published a book of the same title in 2016.

Where Gary wasn’t truly able to articulate the sentiment, Manson filled the gaps.

 

“Chances are’” writes Manson, “you know somebody in your life who, at one time or another, did not give a fuck and went on to accomplish amazing feats. Perhaps there was a time in your life where you simply did not give a fuck and excelled to some extraordinary heights.”

We often refer to the strongest, most admirable people we know (or goats, rest his soul) in terms of their lack of fucks given.

Manson continues:

“The point is, most of us struggle throughout our lives by giving too many fucks in situations where fucks do not deserve to be given.

We give a fuck about the rude gas station attendant who gave us too many nickels.

We give a fuck when a show we liked was cancelled on TV.

We give a fuck when our co-workers don’t bother asking us about our awesome weekend.

We give a fuck when it’s raining and we were supposed to go jogging in the morning.

Fucks given everywhere. Strewn about like seeds in springtime. And for what purpose? For what reason? Convenience? Easy comforts? A pat on the fucking back maybe?

This is the problem, my friend.

Because when we give too many fucks, when we choose to give a fuck about everything, then we feel as though we are perpetually entitled to feel comfortable and happy at all times, that’s when life fucks us.

No one wants to be fucked by life. Sometimes, when you’re going through a separation, it feels like that is seriously what is happening every single hour of the day. If that's you, perhaps now is the time to seriously question whether what you are pursuing is worth it. Are you throwing your money at lawyers, or your own time an energy at something that you should just suck up and compromise on? Seriously, should you actually just pack in the animosity, accept a compromise and not give a fuck about that negativity another day longer?

I’m not suggesting that like Gary the Goat you eat all your tax receipts, travel the country with a potty-mouthed, C grade comedian, or have a rainbow coloured strip shaved into your hair but perhaps we could all benefit from going into this weekend of mourning the great goat that was, by giving a little less of a fuck!

 

Published by, Christine Weston
Founding Director and Creator of Divorce Resource

The information in this article is general in nature and should not be considered as professional advice. You should channel the advice of professional giver of zero fucks, Gary the Goat whose legacy will live on in Australian folk culture.

 

PS. Sorry, Mum, for the bad language.

Actually, not I’m not, I don’t give a fuck, it’s all part of my new weekend philosophy.