WHILE he\u2019s now about to tour the country, one Melbourne-based comedian has already been on one hell of a journey.<\/p>\n
Turns out Jarryd Goundry \u201caccidentally\u201d joined the military while waiting for his mum to go out for lunch in Perth as a teenager, and later became a fine-dining chef.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey make it look great,\u201d he said. \u201cI signed up, I had lunch with my mum, and said \u2018mum, I\u2019m joining the army\u2019, and she was like \u2018what the f&#k, we were going out for focaccia\u2019,\u201d said Goundry.<\/p>\n
Now heading out on the road, his tour Farewell Vanilla Slice<\/em> is partly an effort to raise awareness and support for veterans, but also a chance to try as many versions as possible of the classic Australian treat.<\/p>\n A portion of the profits from the tour are going to the Australian National Veterans Arts Museum, said Goundry, who was told by his doctor recently that he needed to stop eating dairy.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s been a really nice way to connect with a community that\u2019s given me so much,\u201d he said. \u201cAll of the rockstars do farewell tours right, John Farnham, the Rolling Stones.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is the best chance I\u2019m ever going to have to eat every good vanilla slice in Australia, and if I can go out on a high or a low, then that\u2019s what we\u2019re going to do, that\u2019s my side quest.\u201d<\/p>\n Goundry said he did his first comedy gig while in the army when he successfully imitated a platoon officer in front of 50 people.<\/p>\n \u201cI thought it was always funny what was going on when in the military. I said \u2018this is ridiculous, we\u2019ve been up for two days, you\u2019ve got mud on your face\u2019,\u201d Goundry said.<\/p>\n The internet can be a wonderful thing, and Goundry has amassed over 1.6 million likes on his TikTok. He said the platform has allowed people to find out about him and his cause.<\/p>\n \u201cThe internet\u2019s so powerful right, I mean for 17 million people to watch a video of someone 30 years ago meant you had to be on the TV, but you can do that all yourself now with your phone,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cThe greatest thing that\u2019s ever happened from that is people will message me and they\u2019re like hey my dad served, and I showed him these and he thinks it\u2019s hilarious.\u201d<\/p>\n