Jarryd Goundrey
Army, Comedian
Jarryd was born in Fremantle, Western Australia and remembers a childhood of looking down the long, narrowing lines of the family-owned vineyards, where sheep grazed and fed among the vines. He and his brother delighted in mustering these animals, at speed, much to the horror of both his parents and the sheep.
Jarryd admits that his later choice of career as a stand-up comic would have been the last thing on his mind. At family gatherings, he was simply seen as a goofball.
As a schoolboy, he recalls, “I was always funny.” But this translated as ‘distracting of other students’ on his report cards. He would perform, ad hoc, at large shopping centres with self-written scripts and improvisations.
“I didn’t make any money from it,” he says, laughing.
In 2006, Jarryd enlisted in the Australian army, within the Royal Australian Infantry Corps. He was posted to Lavarack Barracks in Townsville, Queensland, where he spent over six years. During that time, he served a seven-month deployment to East Timor on Operation Astute. He remembers the graffiti and murals painted throughout this small country, which opened his eyes to the power of art as a way of expressing a strong emotion.
“In this case, it was about injustice. It was a means of expression rather than a work of art to be admired.”
Jarryd’s creativity came to the fore in the military in his ability to plan and to lead others. In ‘mud mapping’, for example, he was given the task of planning how to lead a group of soldiers in a particular terrain. While his peers spent many minutes verbally explaining their ideas in detail, Jarryd was prepared with tiny flags collected from fast-food outlets and a bag of tiny plastic soldiers and other props. By visually showing his plan, he was able to explain it in just a few minutes. This, and his ability to speak clearly and positively to a group of people, inspired confidence in his leadership.
As happened with many of his army cohorts and their post-military careers, the pendulum swung and he transitioned from a military infantry man to a civilian chef.
“It didn’t help too much in a resume that I could clean, arm and disarm a rifle,” Jarryd laughs.
On an evening off from his work as a chef, Jarryd occasionally enjoyed an Open Mic night. This involved a variety of stand-up comedians with a five-minute time slot each. He started to consider trying his own talents and it took him four weeks to summon the courage to sign up. Recalling his first night, he says he took to the stage and ‘bombed.’ To add to his humiliation, the small room was packed with workmates.
“I went from being the funniest person at work to being the least funny person in front of an audience,” he recalls.
“I quickly learned that a good comedy routine takes a lot of preparation.”
Working as a professional comedian, Jarryd now spends his week opening his mind to ideas based on life around him, planning and thinking, before putting pen to paper. He also researches his upcoming audience to learn as much about their demographic as possible. Before he takes to the stage on the night of a performance, Jarryd gauges the reaction of fellow comedians and his planned routine can change - even at the last minute.
“I had a gig in Perth once and went onstage five minutes after the Perth based West Coast Eagles football team lost the grand final playoff to Collingwood. I could see that most of the audience were disengaged and constantly looking at their phones for an update of the score. In that environment, I took to the stage. I began with a rundown of the opposing team, Collingwood, and the common belief that football fans from all over the country disliked this team. The audience was surprised, and immediately they were with me.
“In comedy you can’t lie. If the audience stops believing you, there’s nothing to hide behind. It’s very humbling. You’re only as good as the last ten seconds of your routine.”
The Australian National Veterans Arts Museum (ANVAM) reached out to Jarryd, as a veteran artist, when he was preparing for the Melbourne Comedy Festival. They offered to help promote his work in any way they could.
“Overall, veterans struggle in creating a community and I was blown away by the work that this volunteer organisation does for us. I decided to repay the service by volunteering for them, when Covid-19 cancelled the Festival.
“I soon realised that I was receiving so much more than I was giving. I was becoming involved in the rich tapestry of the lives of veterans, who were being offered creative ways to live their lives post-military.”
@jarrydgoundrey
@Jarryd Goundrey
