By JOLENE OGLE
LOCAL businessman and former Ansett pilot Perry Taylor is used to flying the rich and famous around the world, but a couple of weeks back he had two special passengers on board.
Perry was charged with returning Johnny Depp’s two Yorkshire terriers, Pistol and Boo, home after Federal Agriculture Minister Barnaby Joyce ordered them out of the country.
Perry said he was bound by confidentiality, but could reveal the 15 May flight to Los Angeles was a pleasure and Pistol and Boo were very well behaved.
“The dogs were wonderful,” he said. “They were better than anyone I’ve met on a midnight flight from Bali on Jetstar.”
The exercise is said to have cost $400,000, but Perry said “it didn’t cost the taxpayers a cent” and he spent most of his time apologising to the dogs for the “Australian bureaucratic” mess.
For Perry, who piloted the Rolling Stones during their Australian national tour last year, it’s all in a day’s work.
“It’s all part of the job,” he said. “When I first met Johnny Depp I had no idea who he was. I had to ring my wife and ask her who Johnny Depp was. Now we’re good friends.”
The local link to the Johnny Depp dog debacle was discovered by Noosa Today columnist Benny Pike.
Don’t miss Benny’s column in this week’s Noosa Today, out on Thursday.
