Ticket machine a tall order for Kiwi 'Giant'

It had the hallmarks of a classic David-and-Goliath struggle, that of a Kiwi dwarf fined after being unable to reach a ticket-machine coin slot on a Melbourne tram.

Except that the victorious little battler in this case, Bruce Chaplin, is known affectionately to his friends as "Giant".

Despite his nickname, which they say describes the size of his heart, Mr Chaplin is unused to the limelight and is wondering what to do about an offer from a casting agency to list him for advertising acting roles.

Mr Chaplin, aged 45 and from the King Country, moved to Melbourne about 15 years ago and relies on trams to get to his job as a race-day controller for Australian betting organisation Tabcorp.

But he stands at just 128cm (4ft 2 1/2in), meaning ticket-machine coin slots are out of his reach, forcing him to rely on the kindness of strangers to feed in his money.

Although most are ready to oblige, he once gave his fare to youngsters who made off with the cash.

And one morning in March, he was unable to find anybody to help, so he completed the 10-minute trip on the Yarra tram without a ticket and was caught by an inspector at the other end.

The official refused an offer by Mr Chaplin to pay the fare at that late stage, and filed a report instead which led to a fine of A$150 ($161) from Victoria's Department of Infrastructure.

"I showed him the correct money but he was not very considerate," said Mr Chaplin, who initially appealed against the fine without success.

It was only after his plight reached public attention this week, sparking an outcry, that the Victorian Minister of Transport, Peter Bachelor, announced the department had reviewed the case and would cancel the fine.

Mr Bachelor said that although people must know they could not ride on public transport for free, inspectors had an obligation to help people with special needs to buy tickets.

The man of the moment is now being feted by friends and strangers with offers of free tram tickets and drinks at his local pub, the Rising Sun, above which he lives in a flat in the suburb of Richmond.

A friend and fellow New Zealander, who made the case public but wants to be known only as Phil, said Mr Chaplin was a humble and self-effacing man who would not normally want a big fuss.

"But he's pretty determined, even though life's a struggle for him," the friend said.

Asked about Mr Chaplin's nickname, he said he was a little man with "a giant heart."

The friend also disclosed that a casting agency had approached him, wanting to put Mr Chaplin on its books for acting roles in advertisements.

Mr Chaplin, a son of a farming family from Owhango near Taumarunui, said he did not know what to make of that but he accepted a suggestion by the Weekend Herald that his moustache may lend him a passing resemblance to American actor Tom Selleck.

Although his victory has been hailed by the Short-Statured People of Australia, which is annoyed at the difficulties its members face trying to use a range of machines including cash dispensers, he denies setting out to make a political point.

"I got off, that's the main thing," he said. "I just like to get around and do my own thing - I just do my own thing as if I was a normal person."

That includes watching sports, particularly rugby and league, which means his victory celebrations will continue tonight at a barbecue at Phil's house for the Lions versus NZ Maori tussle in Hamilton.