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A man can be seen stuck in a mango tree at Rex Smeal Park yesterday. IMAGE: Serena Garretty.
A man can be seen stuck in a mango tree at Rex Smeal Park yesterday. IMAGE: Serena Garretty.

FORKING out roughly $3 for a mango is something this Port Douglas tourist was having none of yesterday.

A man’s fruit picking expedition took a turn for the worse when ambulance and fire crews were called to Rex Smeal Park on a busy Father’s Day.

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“I noticed a lot of people over by the tree and initially thought my daughter might have climbed it,” said witness Serena Garretty, who has run The Bead Girl stall at the Port Douglas Markets for 12 years.

“But as we got over we noticed it was this dude stuck up the tree, and then everyone started piecing the story together.”

After initially climbing up with the help of a parked van, the man quickly found himself in a ‘pretty embarrassing’ situation.

“He’s dislocated his shoulder reaching for a green, stringy little mango,” Serena said.

“I don’t think you can even get them yet, but obviously this guy couldn’t wait.

“There was about 50 people gathered around taking photos and filming it, it was pretty embarrassing for the guy. He was like a koala up there just hiding his face.”


Ambulance crews were forced to administer ‘a green whistle’ to relieve the man’s pain as emergency services formulated a plan to get him down safely.

It took three ladders and more than an hour’s effort.

“There was a giant raucous cheer from the crowd when they got him down,” Serena said.

Such a big fuss over a little mango.

The man is carried off on a stretcher. IMAGE: Serena Garretty.
The man is carried off on a stretcher. IMAGE: Serena Garretty.

 

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