Kevin ‘Pudd’ Edwards proposes to missus but only because she caught a barra
A QUEENSLAND bloke has popped the question to his beginner fisho missus and barra-catching virgin on a fishing trip in the Top End — but told his guide he was only going to do so if she caught a barra. There was no plan b. And they’ve invited the NT News to the wedding
Lifestyle
Don't miss out on the headlines from Lifestyle. Followed categories will be added to My News.
A QUEENSLAND bloke has popped the question to his beginner fisho missus and barra-catching virgin on a fishing trip in the Top End — but told his guide he was only going to do so if she caught a barra. There was no plan b.
In a story that was first told on the ABC Darwin’s hugely popular Tales from the Tinny radio show, Jarrod Godson and Ursula Godson, owners of Reel Screamin’ Barra Fishing Charter, hosted Brisbane couple Kevin “Pudd” Edwards and Harn Newton out barra fishing at Shady Camp last Saturday.
Pudd had a cunning plan and told Jarrod he was going to propose, but only if she landed her first barra. As with all good romantic ideas, Pudd said he go the inspiration while lying on the couch.
“She always wanted a romantic proposal, I’m not real bloody romantic … the only romantic thing for me is to sit in 40 knot wind and bounce up and down and catch a barra,” he said.
He said Harn didn’t like fishing when they met three years ago but he brought her around.
“Living in Brisbane, there’ no fish here so I said to Harn, ‘Screw this! Book us a bloody trip to Darwin. “We’re going to Darwin and we’re going to catch a barramundi.
“I said to Ursula … ‘If your hubby can catch her a fish, I don’t give a sh**t about the million dollar fish, I will be put a ring on her finger.
“If she didn’t get the barra the ring was never going on. It was never going to bloody happen.
“I said, ‘If this charter can’t get me a barra for me missus. We’re going to another charter’. “That’s true dinks, that’s what I said too.
IN OTHER FISHING/CROC/SHARK/JELLYFISH NEWS
VIDEO: NT crocs Brutus and Dominator fight over pig
SHARK plays chicken with croc in Adelaide River
KITE surfer’s crash lands into croc/jellyfish and shark infested waters
A 3M CROC lunges at hooked barra
Jarrod said Pudd told him: “If the barra doesn’t happen for the missus, the ring doesn’t go on mate.
“He tells me, ‘once she catches a barra, I’m going to do it’,” Jarrod said.
“I said, ‘What’s plan b?’. He said, ‘I don’t have a plan b: just fish’.
“(The day before) Ursula was all excited and rang me and said there was going to be a marriage proposal, so get a bottle of champagne and glasses on the way home.
“I’m on the other end of the phone going, ‘Holy sh*t, pressure’.
“I had just been out to Shady Camp so I knew the wind was blowing 40km/hour and I knew it was going to be blowing just as bad (the next day).”
The champers was hidden in an Esky but after a barra-less hour and a half fishing at the top of Shady Camp, they tried the mouth.
“And it (the wind) was blowing its head off. It was sh*t house out there. It was rubbish. We ended up getting six for the day, so that was all right.
“Not much of a challenge. So we were like the Titanic, going up and down in the waves at Shady Camp but low and behold we got the job done,” he said.
Pudd takes over the story.
“Well, you wouldn’t bloody believe it, Harn goes ‘woah, woah, we’ve got a fish’, and we stop the boat.
“And I thought, ‘Well that just cost me $7,000’. That’s as romantic as I can ever be.
“I nearly broke out a tear … I got pretty emotional and she said. ‘What’s going on with you?’
“She did not have a clue. Not one bloody clue.
“I was very emotional. I think was more emotional, because I love the women and for her to do especially when there are three males on the boat and for her to get the first one.
“She’s awesome chick too.
Jarrod said things turned very to-have-and-to-hold-from-this-day-forward-for-better-for-worse-for-richer-for-poorer-in-sickness-and-in-health-to-love-and-to-cherish-till-death-do-us-part-serious after the fish was caught.
“As I was getting the fish out of the net, I look over to Kevin who’s down on one knee with what looked like to be a ring box and spun her seat around,” he said.
“And I thought, ‘There goes the bottle of champagne, he’s fair dinkum this bloke’.
“So at 10.20am we had one marriage proposal, one yes, and one bottle of champagne on the mud flats at Shady Camp.
“We have to enter them in the Top End wedding competition (run by Tourism NT and sponsored by Channel 9).”
Jarrod had also worded up one of the other fishing guests on board, who did not know the couple, to film the entire thing.
“Honey, will you marry me,” Pudd asked.
“WTF,” she said.
“Oh baby … Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes, I will.”
Harn told the Tales from the Tinny host Robert Smith that it was definitely a surprise.
“It knocked me back a bit,” she said.
Jarrod said that on the way back into Darwin, they arranged for the fish to be cook up at
Oka Teppanyaki in Parap.
“They cooked up the catch of the day for the engagement dinner,” he said.
Pudd said he had been thinking of proposing for quite awhile.
“Harn wanted a romantic proposal done for her and what better spot than Darwin?” he said.
“So I thought, ‘Yeah, (so) I went down to the old jewellers and bought the ring the day before we went up.”
Robert joked: “There’s nothing more romantic than barra slime Kevin, I’ve always found.”
“And the fuel from a motor in the boat,” Pudd said.
Robert asked Harn what it was like popping her barra cherry.
“The adrenaline was rushing through my veins. I was so happy. Nek minute,” she said.
“On no, no, no, (I don’t regret it). It’s all sunken in now and I do not regret any part of the whole thing that happened … and just saying yes and the whole proposal was awesome.”
For the record the barra was 65cm, which Harn said was big for her because she was only a beginner fisho.
IN OTHER WATER/CROC
Pudd was also a barra-catching virgin.
“The pressure was I wanted a barramundi. I’ve never caught one and the wife, the future-wife-to-be had never caught a barramundi so we probably turned a bit of pressure on there.
“But no, it was always going to happen but I picked the right spot and this is a beautiful spot up here.”
Robert continued: “It’s a momentous trip, you’ve not only popped the question but we’ve popped a couple of cherries.”
And now there is nothing left but the wedding, and Pudd said the couple would be coming back to Darwin to marry, which the NT News is now invited to.
“I didn’t catch a fish and I still haven’t; I can’t wait to get back up there,” he said.
REVEALED: History made at NTFL’s night of nights
A pair of stars have solidified their place in NTFL history by both becoming the first ever players to win their division’s best and fairest for the third time. Check out all the Nichols medal night winners.
REPLAY: Saints stun Nightcliff to march into another grand final
St Mary’s have gone from fifth to the big dance with a clinical takedown of Nightcliff, booking them a spot to face Southern Districts. Watch the full preliminary final REPLAY here.