Oddball by nature | Allan ‘Swampy’ Marsh ready for next chapter of life

When asked about what had been happening, he muttered something about the goings on of the world and ended with: “the truth is stranger than fiction”.

I’m going to go out on a limb and say that most people would agree that the same could be said about Mr Marsh.

The larger than life character, who has never been one to shy away from the spotlight, is best known as the chicken farmer who came up with an ingenious idea to protect penguins on Warrnambool’s Middle Island.

He was reading a story in The Standard about the massacre of at least 360 penguins, who had been killed by foxes.

In Mr Marsh’s usual casual fashion, he turned to Dave Williams, who was working on his farm and said: “I reckon the dogs could do this job”.

From that came his idea to save the “little guys”. 

But the task of convincing “bureaucrats” of the validity of his idea was not exactly in line with Mr Marsh’s “let’s give it a whirl” attitude on life.

His plan was to send his trusty Maremmas to Middle Island to protect the penguins.

There were a few hiccups, including the fact that dogs were banned from the island, but Mr Marsh has never been one to give up a fight.

In 2013, he arrived at Moyne Shire’s Port Fairy office with a bag of 10 dead chickens, claiming council officers had left a hole in the fence of his Mortlake farm.

He said this allowed dogs to enter his property and kill almost 1000 of his chickens. The council disputed the claim, but Mr Marsh had achieved his goal – his voice was heard and he stunned a few onlookers.

“Someone has got to stand up for the chickens,” he said at the time.

“They’re (the onlookers) terrified of a silly old chook farmer with some dead chickens.”

Fast forward to 2015 and Mr Marsh’s idea for a world-first penguin protection program was the inspiration for the film Oddball.

Mr Marsh now has his heart set on a sequel to the film. And he has a lot more time on his hands these days.

He had “threatened” to retire from farming a few times over the years, but never followed through.

However, a health scare late last year was the catalyst for him to finally hang up his work boots and find new homes for his beloved Maremmas. 

Mr Marsh, who recently celebrated his 71^st birthday, said he had finally heeded the advice of his doctor after a heart attack.

“After 60 years of hard work, I’m learning to relax,” he said.

Mr Marsh said he had been feeling extremely stressed as he tried to deal with the fallout of chickens on a piece of land he leased escaping into the neighbouring holiday park.

“I had a pretty bad time in October. I had asthma, I buggered my knee driving, I got food poisoning and then I topped it off with a heart attack,” he said.

“That and the caravan park was all pretty stressful and that’s how I ended up.”

Top on his list of priorities when considering retiring was finding homes for his beloved Maremmas.

His four remaining dogs have been rehomed in the south-west, much to Mr Marsh’s delight.

He said all had been taken in by owners who had plenty of room for the Maremmas to roam. “I’m rapt because I didn’t want my dogs to spend the rest of their lives in pens or backyards,” he said.

Mr Marsh is currently living in Melbourne, but admits he’s not a fan of the “big smoke”. In his spare time, he has been working on ideas for a sequel to Oddball. 

“Ever since the movie was made, I’ve always been adamant we should have a follow-up,” he said.

“The movie only tells a very brief part of the tale.”

Mr Marsh said he has spoken to actor Shane Jacobson, who was onboard.

“I spoke to Shane Jacobson during the week and he agrees it’s a good idea,” he said.

Mr Marsh promised Oddball fans there would be a healthy dose of cheeky behaviour in the film – both from himself and Oddball.

“There will be a car chase,” he said.

“It will include a whole lot of stuff that has happened that we can massage gently and turn into top-class entertainment.”

Mr Marsh said he also planned to include a scene about his dog receiving a fine from council for being “at large”.

He disputed the fine, saying his dog was chasing a fox away from his Dennington farm and “just doing his job”.

“He’s been working on the farm at Dennington and was chasing a fox and then the next thing you know, he’s in jail,” Mr Marsh said.

Late last month marked the passing of Oddball, who Mr Marsh has fond memories of.

“She was a really loving friendly dog who could kill a fox at a moment’s notice,” Mr Marsh said.

“She and her brother Shiloh were probably two of the best dogs we’ve ever had on the farm.”

Mr Marsh said he was delighted by the response to the movie.

“It was one of the top box office grossing Australian movies,” he said.

“It exceeded The Castle, which everyone knows is an icon.”

Mr Marsh is not sure where he will finally settle down, suggesting the city’s pollution would drive him away. He indicated he was not a fan of the traffic and pollution.

What seems clear, based on my conversation with Mr Marsh, is that he is working on another chapter in his colourful – and at times controversial – life.

Stay tuned.