By Cam Lucadou-Wells
A certain Netflix doco has sparked a lot of talk about basketball great Michael Jordan being the GOAT (Greatest of All Time).
Well, Greater Dandenong Highway Patrol officers haven’t been immune to the hype.
And they were recently lucky to meet a whole team of ‘GOATs’ – somewhat far away from their home stadium.
Cyclists on the Eastlink Trail called triple-0 early on Sunday 31 May with reports of a free-ranging goat exploring the grassy banks of Police Road exit ramp and Monash Freeway.
As Senior Constable Nathan Mcguire of the highway patrol approached, he spotted one in the freeway’s fields. Then he and his partner turned down Eastlink to get better access.
“It’s a bit unusual but it’s not the first time we’ve got a call for a goat.
“But then we saw one, two, then three and four, maybe six were grazing in a ‘paddock’ by the side of the road.”
Traffic cops then turned shepherds. They marshalled the giant-antlered goats away from the dangers of the emergency lane and a stream of 100 km/h traffic.
“They were pretty friendly goats, which was lucky,” Sen Const McGuire said.
“They were obviously used to people.”
Evidently, the goats had escaped from lawn-tending duties at a business’s grounds north of the freeway and wandered down Eastlink bike trail.
On arrival, the owner calmly called one, and the rest followed in tight formation. The herd – with a walking police escort – hustled back down the trail to home.
After a month of awful roadside tragedies, Sen Const McGuire said it was nice to enjoy a lighter moment on the job.
“Down at the office, we’ve all seen the Michael Jordan documentary The Last Dance, where you’ve got the GOAT and the MVP.
“Here was five of them – a whole basketball team.
“All five were successfully slam dunked – unharmed) – back into the paddock where they are now happily grazing and dribbling away their days.”
