Emily Menkes visits a Castle St flat upset that the 'actions of one group' ruined their efforts to try and win themselves some free beer.
Openly embracing true scarfie style, undeterred by the flipping of the car just a few houses down, the tenants of 583 Castle Street politely welcomed me into their home where they had decorated with a theme of all things Speight's in the hope they will not have to buy another bottle of the Dunedin icon beer all year.
The advertising for this competition was in the OUSA magazine, dropped into mail boxes and under car windshields all across studentville.
It stated that on two dates ten days apart the 'Speight's perfect girls' would be conducting flat inspections.
The flat best kitted out on the second inspection with Speight's gear would be rewarded with a year's supply (one dozen a week.
The flatmates at 583 castle St did all their decorating with three people the evening before.
"It was a long night," they said.
However, the efforts look to have been in vain after a storm of bad publicity which blew up over the tipping over of a car painted in Speight's colours.
The lads said many in Castle St were left feeling "... a little disappointed."
"There were so many people who took the competition in good fun, and the actions of one group of people have ruined it," Sam Irwin (20), of Dunedin, said.
This was felt to be unfair as "there are not many places where this sense of community [on Castle Street] is achieved."
Due to the high number of entries the Speight's perfect girls did not inspect every house that had participated, including all of Castle Street.
Which meant these boys missed out. Was this down to the riot? Nobody's quiet sure.
By avoiding the entire area of Castle Street, rather than disqualifying the ones who caused the trouble, the name 'Speight's' has becoming oddly unpopular on this turbulent street.
Despite all this, the boys profess to being proud Dunedinites.
"I love the term scarfie. and for the most part I am proud to be labelled one. The term 'scarfie' has a lot of history behind it," one told me.
And from my photographs I'm sure you can tell they put in a pretty solid effort.