Part (1) Short Storie.
On the outskirts of Perth, in a very quiet and somewhat secluded suburb called Helena Valley, is what I call home at the moment and one that I really enjoy being a part of the community. I’m known as Mags to my friends and workmates, but lately, they have been calling me Pop. All good, they say it in a good gesture.
Now I have spent most of my life working in different positions and career adventures, some that worked and some where the idea was there. I worked as a landscape gardener, FIFO, in hotels, as a photographer, coaching sports, just to name a few, and now I’m doing road sealing, which is okay. For my age, it’s pretty hard on the body, not so much the physical work, but more the mind of doing the shift we do. We get tired and feel it by the eighth and ninth day. Haha, the age thing.
I’ve been divorced and on my own for 26 years, how time flies when you’re on your own, lol. I have two kids: a son who is 35, and a daughter who is 32. Both are great kids. My daughter, her husband, and two kids live with me, which is really good because of how young the house is. It keeps the aura of happiness around 90% of the time (a happy home is a great home). My son has just invested in his own home, and one great buy at that. He got the one of a year or lifetime really for his first house. Great score on life.
The Early Years Of The Journey.
From what I’ve been told, I was always a kid who made his own fun or, if I was in company, the one who didn’t have a problem interacting with the circle of people with me. I remember the early days of school as I socialized with the other kids. I didn’t have a problem mixing and jumping into whatever game that was going on at the time. I loved playing or being involved with sports, which I carried through my teens into adulthood and beyond, and I still love sports in some way.
My teen and early adult years were one of many adventures, whether it was working, getting out and about in the nightlife, or chasing the surf as much as I could.
I remember one particular year in my late teens; I was around nineteen at the time, going from job to job, saving some money, and hitting the surf for as long as the money lasted. I got a position at one of the shires doing road work, i was there for a round a month with a mate of mine we both got put on at the same time. We met a few guys as you do and one of the boys suggested that Alan & I should go surfing and he would clock us on & off for a few days, Lol days turned into weeks which turned into 3 months of surfing every day with pay, Alan & I would jokingly say we’re doing better than pro surfers (getting payed to surf).
For some reason, one day I thought I’d do the right thing and go to work. Anyway, as the day went on, I was standing near a hole when the supervisor came up to me in a curious sort of manner and asked, “Who is this guy?” “I’m Mags,” I replied with a smile. “How long have you been with us?” he asked, and again with a smile, I replied, “Over three months.” Short story: that was my last day of experience with the Shire. It was a shame as Alan an I really enjoyed the work Lol.
It worked out well in some ways as I’d been working in the hotel industry for a few years. I put my age up at 17 to 18 so I could get a start. I progressed from collecting glasses to barman, which was good as I was working evenings and surfing during the day. Lol. In the seventies, live bands were playing 5 nights a week in the majority of the hotels. Through this, I had most nights working, so the money for a young, single guy was pretty good.
Challenges Createded.
The hotel industry was huge because of the way they operated and created full-on entertainment. I was lucky as I worked for Abe Saffron, who at the time owned four of the biggest hotels in Perth, as well as 50% of North Bridge which was coming to life with hotels, coffee outlets, and nightclubs that operated from 10pm to 3am, four nights a week with live bands. It worked out that most people would go from a hotel late to a nightclub.
Meanwhile, I’ve worked my way up the ladder, from a bouncer, glass collector, and barman to restaurant work, bottleshop, and bar manager. Eventually, I became the manager at a very young age, in my early twenties. I was the youngest hotel manager in Perth, and my first hotel was the Raffles, renowned as the biggest hotel in the city and located right on the riverfront. I grew in maturity very quick as most of my staff of 120 were older than me and patrons of all ages 18 to 80 with different cultures and personalities.
Entertainment was held from Wednesday to Sunday lunchtime for two hours each day. Nude barmaids served, with strippers on stage every 20 minutes, and great DJs hosting the shows. We would get between 1500 to 2000 people in the river bar on any given day, with the restaurant packed, the cocktail bar busy, and the front bar bustling. On Sundays, there were two different sessions: 11am – 1pm featured the barmaids with entertainment of the dancers, and the venue opened again from 4pm to 7.30pm with live bands. When I think about it, the pressure of running this hotel at a professional level was full on, but I thoroughly enjoyed it, especially the party scene, which was at a high level after hours. Lol.
Different Direction’s.
I’d been in the industry for around 7 years. In that time, I got to know and have some fun with a lot of different women. Lol, it was like heaven for a young guy. Then I met Maree, who ended up being my partner and wife for nearly twenty years. The thing that attracted me besides her outgoing personality and great sense of humour with the way she dealt with people was outstanding, was her Boobies. Lol, we had two girls. Maree was 48, and Lee was a great 48. Lol, it was a great way to get a bar going put them both together operating the bar, and that’s the way everyone knew them. Maree became a bar manager with me for a few years. We decided to travel around Australia chasing the surf and working as relief managers in different towns as we travelled.
We ended up staying in Coffs Harbour for around 5 years, working at the Torrimina Hotel as night managers. What a great gig – beach and surfing all day, working in the evenings. It was quieter than what we were used to, but busy enough to build up great hours between the two of us. Gary and Sue were the owners, and they were great fun. They had a young family, so it was very family-oriented for all ages.
Being sports-oriented as I was, I got talked into playing Rugby League for the local club. It was huge in NSW country, taken very seriously, with huge followers and big games. There were 10 teams from Nambucca Heads, Kempsey, and neighbouring towns. The grudge match of the season, which got huge crowds, was Torrimina & Coffs Harbour. I started off in third grade and within five games ended up in the league as the blindside prop and kicker because I could kick with both feet.
The coaches loved it, and I could kick a ball. I was treated like a god and even today, I hold the record for the oldest rookie of 28 years old in NSW country RL. The second season got the best forward, which brought a payment win, lose or draw. The training was so intense and hard with a season of 25 games and finals if you got in. The fittest I’d been in years, the hotel sponsored me, which meant I didn’t work three nights a week or Sunday because of the commitment to Rugby League. I have to say it was the closest to professional playing sports I’d ever been.
#Journey Through Life
mags64@journeythroughlife.blog
Journey Through Life... 