Bouncer Tosses Him 9.1 Feet in Contest : Dwarf Has a Fling in Australian Nightclub

An angry crowd tried to disrupt a contest at a local nightclub in which five hefty bouncers took turns seeing how far they could hurl a dwarf wearing a crash helmet.

Four-foot-tall Robbie Randell, who also wore a special harness that allowed the contestants to get a good hold on him, was tossed repeatedly onto mattresses. He said afterward that he had landed safely each time and could see nothing wrong with the contest.

“I’ll be back again next week and any time they want me,” Randell said. “That was fun and it didn’t hurt a bit.”

Robin Oxland, who promoted the event at the Penthouse nightclub, said the contest was a great success and the audience was delighted. “Wee Robbie Randell was fantastic,” Oxland said. “He found people were laughing with him, not at him.”

Randell, a computer operator, also is a part-time entertainer who has played the roles of Grumpy, Bashful and Dopey in stage productions of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.

Paul Keller was declared the winner Tuesday in what was described as an initial round, throwing Randell 9.1 feet.

The crowd outside, which included other dwarfs, yelled abuse and slogans demanding that the contest be stopped. But the protesters were easily outnumbered by the crowd inside, which numbered about 500.

Protesters said they would ask the Queensland state government to ban the throwing of dwarfs.