Last year's dramatic rescue from his flooded home with dog, China in tow was the most exciting thing to happen to Maxwelton's Des Smith.
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The 80-year-old lived a relatively uneventful life until his tin hut home flooded in February and Richmond police had to carry him to an awaiting chopper.
The rescue was recorded on police body-warn cameras and shared across the nation among other stories of rescue and recovery from the devastating flooding in North West Queensland.
In the video, Des, who is confined to a wheelchair, sits patiently in his doorway with water swirling around his waist. China waits on the bed, only centimetres from the freezing flood water.
Police help Des to an awaiting chopper while China swims behind.
"I was uncomfortable, put it that way," Des said.
"The most memorable part of my life was getting in that bloody helicopter, I went willingly but I wanted to take my dog with me."
Ten months later and back in his home, complete with telling water marks on the wall and a dry but safe China, Des is unperturbed following the whole ordeal.
"I just had to sit and wait to see how big she is. I didn't know the flood would be that big, in this type of country, you wouldn't credit it," Des said.
"I was only sitting in the water for five hours and I put the dog on the bed, she'd never been up there before.
"I wasn't waiting, I just went out to see what was going on. I wasn't worried because it wouldn't go much deeper. All the cupboards had two shelves under water.
"They wanted to carry me out but I told them they could take me on the wheelie walker down the road, no worries at all."
Des spent two weeks in care in Richmond but he was eager to return home.
"I couldn't wait to get out, the trucks come roaring down the main street and I was too close to the road. You don't get many trucks past here at all," he said.
"A flood like that won't happen again. I just got back to life, when you've been around 80 years, I've seen some funny things.
"I was pleased to come home."
Des is one of five people who call Maxwelton home.
More than three decades ago, Des Smith's ute broke down in Maxwelton - so he moved in.
It was the 1990s and Des was looking for caretaking work on a property but decided to swap his mission for a more secluded life, at the spot his ute stopped.
Des bought some land for $200, built a humble tin hut home and that's where he's been ever since.
"I was out this way many years ago and I was heading for Julia Creek, trying to find a caretaking job but they weren't hiring," he said.
"My old ute only got this far and that was it, my car broke down here and that's where I stayed.
"I built my house myself, I think I did pretty good considering I had never built a chook house before.
No one else could make a mess of it like I have.
"The land cost an arm and a leg, it was $200 for a quarter of an acre."
Des custom designed and built his home; a beer fridge hums in the spare bedroom, louvers let a breeze through and China's bed is in prime position under the kitchen table.
Temperatures can reach up to 45 degrees during the peak of summer but Des is more concerned about the 'freezing' winter lows - of six degrees.
He says he used to have a thermometer but it wore out 'from people looking at it'.
"It's a funny little town this one, there are five people in it. They could offer me a mansion somewhere else and I wouldn't go," he said.
"I like the quiet, no one annoys you and you can have a beer whenever you want. I have about four cartons.
"I've worked in the bush all my life. I think I'll stay here for the rest of my life, another 12 months here.
"This is the place to be."
Not much happened to Des until his dramatic rescue during the flooding in February went viral but the fuss was all a bit much for the 80-year-old.
"The second most memorable part of my life was getting rid of my wife. I don't get lonely," he said.
"I have people call in a see me once a month, that's enough for me.
"This is my home."
Des has some words of advice for others tempted to escape reality like he did.
"Stay away from here."
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