Legendary Blue Heeler to be immortalised on silver screen
Film crews are coming to Mackay to recreate a miraculous and heartwarming survival story that promises to be a tear-jerker rivalling Red Dog.
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A producer with credentials including Thor and Pirates of the Caribbean will recreate an epic Mackay tale adored by dog-lovers worldwide.
The South Cumberland Islands will provide the picturesque backdrop for the true story of Sophie, the Griffith family’s blue heeler that accidentally fell overboard near Keswick Island in October, 2008.
Writer and producer Glenn Turner, of Leader Entertainment, was in Mackay recently to oversee the transport of the original cruiser Honey May — found boarded-up in Seaforth Boating Club’s yard.
He said the boat, now at Cremorne for repairs, would be used in the full-length, live-action feature film, tracing the then two-year-old dog’s miraculous story of survival.
“(The family) was going to Scawfell and as they were rounding the bottom of Heskit Rocks near St Bees Island, it just got a bit rough,” Mr Turner said.
“Somehow, we don’t know how, (Sophie’s) obviously trying to climb the ladder or reach up to the gunnels, and she’s slipped overboard.
“All hell’s broken loose and (the family) had to go home basically thinking they’d lost her at sea.”
Mr Turner said Sophie spent months at Keswick Island surviving on wild goats before making her away across the “treacherous passage” to St Bee’s Island, where she was reported as a feral dog to the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service.
Two days later, Sophie was reunited with her owners, Jan and David Griffith in Mackay where they were relieved to discover their dog unchanged despite her perilous time at sea.
“(Sophie) just cried with happiness and so did everybody else on board the boat,” Mrs Griffith said.
Former journalist Emma Pearse documented the Aussie battler’s story in Sophie, Dog Overboard, which Mrs Griffith said had touched hearts worldwide.
She said tourists would often get in touch to ask if they could meet the famous canine.
“As a family we had to make the decision whether we would allow this to happen,” Mrs Griffith said.
“They’re all dog people — they might be crazy, but there’s nothing ever wrong with dog people.”
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Mrs Griffith said she had full confidence the filmmaking team would capture Sophie’s spirit, the cattle dog passing away last year.
Mr Turner said he expected filming to start by May next year, promising the movie would have a happier ending than Red Dog’s.
“This is an adventure, it is not a tragedy,” he said.
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Originally published as Legendary Blue Heeler to be immortalised on silver screen
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