Australian of the Year Dylan Alcott set eyes rolling just seconds after accepting his award when he bragged about skolling beers in a ceremony that also honoured an alcohol education advocate.
Daily Mail Australia has been told the disabled tennis champion further ruffled the feathers of other participants when he bragged about flying into Canberra on a swank private jet.
In accepting the award, Alcott praised last year’s winner Grace Tame with a whimsical tale involving a very Australian antic.
Dylan Alcott enjoys a beer while flying into Canberra on a private jet to accept his award on Tuesday
Alcott pictured with outgoing Australian of the Year Grace Tame told a story about skolling a beer
Dylan Alcott (pictured playing at the Australian Open on Sunday) has been named the 2022 Australian of the Year for his inspiring work with disabled Aussies
‘I remember when I won the US Open trophy I skolled a beer out of my trophy and you put it up on Twitter saying “If I got to pass the mantle over to this guy I’d be honoured, but the only thing is we have to skol a beer together”,’ he told the audience.
‘Gimme a couple of days and then we can do it. Just not yet.’
While Tame appeared to shout from the crowd ‘I deny that’, she did indeed post a video of Alcott downing the beer after his win last September.
‘There’s no better way to celebrate a Golden Slam than slammin’ some liquid gold!’ she tweeted at the time.
The awards ceremony, a near boozeless event held in Canberra on Tuesday evening, had kicked off with the harrowing story of the effects of alcohol on regional Australia.
Alcohol education advocate Shanna Whan had been awarded Australia’s Local Hero for 2022 for her charity work changing the conversation around alcohol consumption in rural Australia.
The audience heard the 47-year-old almost lost her life to alcohol addiction in 2015 when she began her work spreading the message that it is ‘always OK to say no’ to a beer.
Included in the video accompanying video package was the tale of an ordinary Aussie farmer who had fallen to the perils of the demon alcohol.
‘Alcohol use is the silent pandemic we are not discussing, and it’s a pandemic that is exploding exponentially with COVID-19 no matter your postcode,’ Ms Whan said.
Last year’s award winner parises Alcott for his drinking efforts after his US Open win
Chantelle Otten and Dylan Alcott arrive at the 61st Annual TV WEEK Logie Awards at The Star Gold Coast in 2019
While Alcott has been widely applauded for his his heart-wrenching story about how he became the person he is today, Daily Mail Australia has been told his skol comment went down like a ‘lead balloon’.
‘His speech was totally tone deaf,’ one former award winner told Daily Mail Australia.
‘Going on about having beers when the local hero who just won was an alcoholic who is trying to change the culture of regional Australians drinking too much beer,’ the insider said.
The decision to fly Alcott into Canberra on a private jet from Melbourne has also thrown a cat among the pigeons.
Alcott has been Australian Open champion seven years running and by Thursday could have an eighth title.
The champion athlete hit Instagram to show-off his fancy flight in what appears to be a top-shelf private jet.
Seated with a stubby of beer, Alcott made the return flight to Melbourne immediately after accepting his award.
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A government source told Daily Mail Australia the private jet was organised when no commercial flights were available.
It was further claimed Alcott would have been unable to board a domestic flight due to a Covid-imposed bubble surrounding the Australian Open, despite his appearance at the awards dinner alongside 150 other people.
It is understood the $20,000 price tag of the private jet came directly out of the award’s private sector sponsors rather than Australian taxpayers, the source said.
The Australian of the Year Awards cost taxpayers more than $4million each year and have for years been lauded, and criticised, for their political correctness.
Australian of the year Dylan Alcott poses with the award after being given the nation’s top honour
Paralympian Dylan Alcott and his sex expert girlfriend Chantelle Otten
Daily Mail Australia has contacted the awards organisers for comment on the Alcott controversy.
‘They show moving videos of homelessness and broke, suicidal farmers during the awards ceremony yet they pay big coin to fly Alcott back and forth on a private jet,’ an awards participant said.
Daily Mail Australia readers have expressed a mixed reaction to Alcott’s victory.
‘Why is it generally a sports player Yeah I’m sure there’s ordinary people out there who work full time , earn less and devote a large chunk of their time to charity work but they will never get the top award,’ one reader commented.
‘It’s actually been the “Annoying Australian Of The Year” award for many years now,’ another wrote.
Alcott, who has soldiered through far tougher challenges in his life, is unlikely to be rattled either way.
Tomorrow he’ll take centre court in Melbourne in the hunt for his 8th Australian Open trophy against The Netherlands Sam Schröder.
It will sadly be the Alcott’s last tournament with the Aussie set to focus his attention on his widely successful commentary career.
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