| Biography:
For 20 years I enjoyed the roller coaster ride that pusser's provided.
Some great things happened and secretly I believe we all thought we were
invincible. Same as nearly every one else, went to the Sydney after
Leeuwin to be greeted with the first life challenge. Remember the mess
deck killick taking great pleasure inflicting as much abuse on us as
possible, although looking back, he was the first one to instil teamwork
in us. From there to Lonsdale for a short stint before my first
visit to Cerberus and the infamous 'Dutch berry' and training as a AB WM
(heady days). I remember the 'Old Wets' burning down, Glen Hasler cried
for a week. With the right arm rate firmly attached I was off to Stuart
for 2 years to travel around the exotic ports of the Far East.
From Stuart back to Cerberus as a Leading WM for a short while then off
to the Windy City of Chicago in the USA for 12 months doing 5 in 54
course. I don't remember much about the course but I passed and the yanks
thought we were crazy the way we partied. In 1972, two thirds of the way
through my stay in the US I married Katie, that put a dampener on the
partying. Following Waratah I spent 2 years on Hobart working in
mount 52 and trying to avoid my gangway duties. '74 back to Leeuwin and
gad our first daughter, Kimberley. The start of '75 saw me in another PO's
course and we were blessed with our second daughter, Gennifer. Lost
the sight of my eye but passed the course and in '78 another daughter,
Belinda. Was sent to purgatory in the shape of Melbourne, LS to PO
WM and looking after all the gun maintenance for the 'E' department. Good
job, hated being in the service of the air wing though.
'80 found us in Darwin and a dead set blurrrr, promoted to Chief in
'81, all the boss of the Larrakia wanted to was to have a good time. I
don't know how we managed it but we commissioned the new Navy Building and
Syncro Lift and I trained a Royal Guard for the opening but the 2 1/2 got
all the credit. After Darwin I spent 6 months at Nirimba as a 'Div Chief'
before taking up a "buffer" job on the Parramatta. When
they told me I was Cerberus bound in mid '86 I came to the conclusion that
I would rather be in Brisbane than have to put up with the 4 seasons in
Melbourne.
After rising to such great heights I thought these civvies would be
falling over themselves to employ a one eyed ex CPO QMG RAN retired with
medals, bars and scars. WRONG I had several positions in the next 4 years,
first 6 months at a paper mill, then a deck hand on a dredge barge, picked
clay off a conveyer belt in a brick yard and the tried my hand at painting
relocatable homes for a while. I decided in 1990 that I wanted to do
something with my life so I told the sales manager at Ray White Real
Estate "I could sell ice to Eskimos" he told me I was full of
hsit and hired me anyway. Who said you didn't have to be educated for the
real world? Put up your hands if you thought you wouldn't have to go
back to school to get you to the next level. After 6 years of
learning the art of selling Real Estate and gaining my diploma, my wife
and I decided to start our own business. Good decision, tough
task. During the last 9 years we have developed a family business
with excellent standing in the community. My eldest daughter runs the
Property Management Department, which she has built up during the
period and I mainly concentrate on sales. I guess we are going to have to
make a few more sales and really kick our heels up at the reunion that we
are looking forward to.
During the last two years there has been a welcome addition to our
family in the form of a granddaughter Dayna and our youngest is due to
have a baby boy in November. Grand children are a real leveller and
bring you back to earth with a huge thud.
So that is the sands through my hourglass, which are the days of our
lives. Don't be shy, keep the news coming.
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