My journey

Cliff’s journal

Introduction

Sitting here at my computer I look back at my life. It amazes me that while we feel we haven’t achieved very much, suddenly starting from the very beginning brings so many memories, moments, places and experiences to the surface. Time has travelled so fast that we often cannot comprehend just what we have achieved until we place it on paper.

When we are born, we have no idea what challenges life is going to put forward to us. What I have learnt is that making choices creates new roads into manydifferent directions. Through these many roads of life our destiny unfolds.  Where it leads us, we don’t know until we get there. When we do, it’s only thenthat we realise we made the right or wrong choices for ourselves. It is then up to us to be strong, focused and smart enough to make proper changes.

The most precious thing about sharing a journal with you is also allowing me to share the many people I met along the way. It’s those people that have inspired me and taught me many skills throughout my life. I have always believed that through the people we meet, we all take a little bit of each other and that is what makes us the person we are.

Allow me to share my life story with you. Perhaps it will inspire you to think about your life and realise just how many roads you have travelled and the people you have met along the way. Share your knowledge and experience with others as I believe we all have a story, information and knowledge to share.

Early Years 
Born Tuesday 12 November 1968    

in Victoria, Australia.

The moment I took my first breathe in life, my journey began. I have always had two very supportive parents and I think myself very fortunate. I understand there are people who have grown up with only one parent or perhaps with other guardians and their lives have been totally different to mine. However, I believe that your journal would be so very interesting to share and read about.

As a young boy up until the age of 5 years, I was the typical child wanting to experiment and discover life’s mysteries. My hands were always dirty, runny nose and clothes that needed washing every night, followed by a bath, bedtime only to start yet again another brand new day. Yes, there were many tomorrows to look forward to as I adventured through the beginning of life as a young boy.

The Age Deliveries

The first distant memories were when Dad was delivering The Age when I was about 3 in this truck. The photo was taken outside our house in 4 Parker Street Pascoe Vale. I only remember parts of this but we would leave early hours of the morining. All 4 of us Dad Mum Sue and I would pile in the truck and off we would go to deliver The Age. Apparently we would deliver The Age non stop so we could all be in bed earler. But while they on their rounds they would manage time to swap news papers for meat with the butchers and bread with the bakers. This went on on for a year or so. But after a while Dad became busy with his daytime work. Then Dad started working more at APM which was Australian Paper Manufactures in Alphington. 

Then my family moved and then lived at  50 Morack Rd Vermont.  During that time I attended a preschool in Rooks Rd, Vermont which was not far from where we lived. Meeting up with children was great. I always got along with everyone and enjoyed sharing my things with other children.
Later we moved to  2 Glen Iris Rd Glen Iris  to attend Geelong Grammar  formally know as Glamorgan. I was very lucky to have been given the opportunity of attending such a great school and I thoroughly enjoyed attending every single day. at this school for all my primary school days which i did enjoyed  We made the big move to 15 Smeaton Close Lara  as Sue had to Start at Geelong Grammar Cario campus. School wise I started at Geelong Grammer Highton campus. I enjoyed these years as they were normal school hours and we always caught the Benders bus to school and back.   

After about 2 years we moved to a second house at 71 Patullos Rd Lara  as my parents did not want my sister and I to board at Geelong Grammar. We knew it would be a permanent home for a number of years until we finished our education. That home was always full of excitement, new ideas and heaps of friends calling in. At times there were so many friends that mum and dad had nowhere to sit but they were happy that we were home and they got to know our many friends. It was a happy home full of fun, laughter and so many happy memories where made there.

Growing Up 
Growing up 

School 

I did not attend Geelong Grammar Timber Top and stayed at Highton Campus and at Years 7-8 and then year 10 moved to Corio Campus. They were long days as being a day student school started at 8:00 am and depending on the finished at 8:00 – 9:00 pm after home work was completed. We had many activities after schooling hours finished which included Sports, Football, Cricket, Rowing, Woodworking, Modeling, Horse Riding, Dirt Bike Riding plus heaps more. I did Remote Control Aircraft Modeling and Rowing. I stayed there till the end of year 10 then moved to Geelong College for 1 year. 

I do remember these days as Dads truck was stuck in Little River truck stop for a week or two. I do know that Little River had more than 5 trucks in there. When you watch the video it says about 70 trucks which is more like it  

https://youtu.be/t26L6z-6CxI?si=66YKTa7tD_PL-PyO

https://youtu.be/2pyTZPRZoHo?si=KHjri5qQBxVAcGQJ

40 years ago #OnThisDay 4 April 1979, a truck  blockade pictured on the Hume Highway at Razorback Mountain in the Macarthur region.

NATIONWIDE TRUCK BLOCKADES CRIPPLE AUSTRALIA’S ROADS Nationwide truck blockades — First published in The Age on April 6, 1979.
⚠️Trucks tie up nation’s roads
⚠️Cities, towns under siege

More than 3000 truck drivers had major highways under siege at nearly 40 locations in four States last night.

The NSW drivers’ leader, Mr. Ted Stevens, said national highways were about to “close down”.

Blockades built up in New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland and South Australia after talks on the truckies’ grievances broke down in Sydney.

Drivers would block rail yards between Sydney and Melbourne to thwart attempts to get cargo through by rail, he said.

Two hundred truckies on Mount Razerback, south of Sydney, last night voted to block off haulage terminals in Sydney. The move would virtually city off all carrier traffic.

Private cars and emergency vehicles were being allowed through most blockades, but heavier transport vehicles were stopped.

Sydney, ringed by about 19 blockages, could suffer some food shortages by tomorrow.

Fruit, vegetables and dairy products were being dumped by drivers stopped at the NSW blockades.

The major protests in Victoria were at Horsham (125 trucks) and Murchison East (100 trucks). Smaller blockades built up at Melton (40), Kalkallo (40) and Little River (5).

Victorian police were watching the blockades all night and their instructions were to avoid confrontations. Reinforcements were being organized at Russell Street in case they were needed.

A muster at the Horsham roadblock decided at 11:30 last night to ban all transport – including essential services – until at least the morning.
The biggest TNT contractor in Australia, Bunker’s, took their entire fleet off the road yesterday evening and Shell Victoria tanker drivers went out in sympathy last night.

The number of blockades across the eastern States snowballed when news spread that a delegation of drivers had walked out of Sydney talks aimed at breaking the deadlock over road tax and other issues.

⚠️Trade throttled
In South Australia, 360 transport vehicles were being held up at three places on the Princes Highway east of Adelaide. Blockades were also set up at Mt Gambier and on the south and north-east approaches of Adelaide.

In Queensland, blockades were mounted on the Bruce, Cunningham and Newell highways.

Horsham drivers were on special lookout for two West Australian rigs – UIS-386 and UIS-387 – which crashed the barrier at Rockbank doing 80 kmh.

Earlier a “rebel” truck received minor damage as it passed through the Kalkallo blockades. A flare was thrown on the back of the truck, setting a load of empty boxes alight.

The biggest blockades in NSW were at Golbourn-Yass (600 trucks), West Wyalong (400), Razorback Mountain (200) and Boggabilla (400).
Cars were not being stopped, but interstate trade was throttled. Only medical supplies, livestock and compassionate cases were being allowed through.

The five NSW truckies’ delegates walked out of their meeting with the NSW Transport Minister, Mr. Cox, after objecting to the presence of two Transport Workers’ Union officials.

On Tuesday, TWU representatives dissociated themselves from the blockade, saying it would only harm their cause.

After the walkout, Mr. Stevens returned to Razorback and told his me: “We’ve done our bit. We’ve fronted up and they’ve shat on us. Now it is up to the Government.”

Mr. Cox will meet the NSW Premier, Mr. Wran, today to discuss the developing crisis.

Mr. Wran has refused to agree to abolish road tax.

On Wednesday, the Queensland Premier, Mr. Bjelke-Petersen, announced he was dropping the tax at a cost of $5 million.

⚠️Cheering as blockade list grows
Horsham – A cheer went up as 125 of the nation’s newest militants heard the latest, longest list of towns under siege.
It was larger than anyone expected: Port Augusta, Port Pirie, Mt. Barker, Keith, Melton, Murchison, Port Kembla, all the satellite towns of Sydney, Hay, West Wyalong, Boggabilla, Toowoomba and the Gold Coast

All towns that these trucking men had rolled through. But yesterday their rigs, worth millions, stood idle beside the Western Highway.

The drivers have united to voice their claims: abolish road tax, lift freight rates, fight fuel costs and save us from Government dictatorship.

Angry and impatient, the men vowed not to move until their demands were met.

Geelong West owner-driver Sandy Vass said: “The Government subsidises decentralised industries. Farmers get drought relief. Unions go on strike. Who does anything for us?”

Freight rates that drivers say are crippling constitute their biggest gripe.

“The State secretary of the Professional Transport Drivers’ Association, Mr. Don Carter, said: “The basic operating rate is 50.6 cent per kilometer to survive.

The operators are paid 37 to 40 cents per kilometer. That’s why overloading is occurring.”

Driver Mike Hardam, from Salisbury, South Australia, said the rates were inequitable.

“We get $28 a tonne from Melbourne to Adelaide; $15 from Adelaide to Melbourne; $50 from Melbourne to Brisbane and – would you believe it – down to $14 from Brisbane to Melbourne!”

Any drivers – there were two yesterday – who did not join the stoppage had their numbers taken.

Every trucker nodded when on said: “We won’t work with scabs that let us down now.”

Most of the men say they work 80 to 100 hours a week, get home from a cross-country haul, have to spend the day servicing their vehicles, several more hours balancing the books and are, in some instances, fined for parking their vehicles in front of their own houses.

[Photo courtesy Fairfax Archives

BMX

Around this time I took up BMX bike riding as I was given a new BMX bike for Christmas. Did I think I was the ultimate amongst my friends? The BMX was so very shiny and new and though I didn’t want to get it dirty I knew I had to test its capabilities on the track and dirt roads. What I eventually realised; it was the strength and speed of my legs and the feet on the pedals that mattered.

I would ride everywhere around Lara all weekends as I had little time during the week. I recall going on the train to Geelong with my mates. We would take our bikes and ride around along the main roads across the beach. The feeling of freedom and speed with the fresh air cooling our faces was so very invigorating.With the little money we had we would stop, have something to eat over serious conversations about our dreams with our bikes.

Eventually Lara started a BMX Club which was a dream come true right at the appropriate moment for all the keen races. The track really needed to be upgraded to support the speed, safety and not forgetting those thrill seekers to ride on. How, I remember the many weekends when Dad and I were up there helping build the track. It really brought the community together with kids and parents spending so many hours to make it the track for Champions.

Finally, the track was complete and weekend after weekend races were held and the energy of the kids, whether girls or boys were heightened.  It was fantastic I remember after the weekend races, I believe as the years went by the BMX track was demolished and it no longer exists. One thing that remained was the friendship with Kevin. To this day, we are still great mates.

BMX 
This is when I won a race at Lara BMX track and was given a trophy 🏆 

Avalon Raceway

It was fantastic I remember after the Saturday races, Kevin my best mate and I would ride to Avalon Raceway. A ritual every Saturday night. At interval, they would set the track up for the push bike race for children. It was a handy capped race where they would put all the younger kids closer to the finishing line thinking they were make it fare. Unfortunately, many times they didn’t calculate the distance accurately for the young kids and we would win. Were we going to say anything? No way

After racing at Avalon Raceway in the freezing night air we would ride home with our hands in our pockets. We would ride on most of the back streets as the crowd was coming out of the Raceway. No hands just head straight for the Lara Pizza Shop. We got to know the owners well and even though they were closed, and getting ready for the next day, they would give us a pizza or we made our own. Being so active all day certainly did open our appetites at the end of the day. The smell of flour and the pizza cooking in that warm shop will always stay with me.

If we were running late and the pizza shop was closed the bakery would always be open. They enjoyed seeing us as they would allow us to do odd jobs and in return would give us the first batch of fresh bread for the next day. Going home and balancing the fresh bread while riding home was so very rewarding. 

My First Jobs

I was lucky to be offered 2 jobs during school holidays and Christmas Holidays. One was with Uncle Rodney who mowed lawns and gardening and a small amount of handy man work. So I would some times stay with them and help him mow lawns and then fix mowers when required  but this became more of a regular occurrence. I really learned a lot when doing handyman work. Twice a year he would work at P&O Cold Storage in Coode Rd Footscray and we would have to sweep the roof of the building. Due to its location next to an abbotoir the birds would pick up the chicken bones take them to the roof and eat them then leave the bones. So we would sweep the whole roof top then shovel the bones down.  Hard work but good fun. 

The second job I would attempt was given to me by my Uncle Randolph who was the manager of Colyer Watson Limited. The brief history about Colyer Watson Limited they were a New Zealand-based company involved in processing animal hides and tallow, among other things. It was registered in 1938 and later removed from the register in 1996. The company also operated as wool brokers and had a sheep skin store in Auckland. Colyer Fehr Group, which was established in 1976, includes Colyer Watson Ltd as one of its three founding shareholders, along with Wilcox Mofflin Ltd of Australia. Both companies process and export animal hides and skins.

Lowe Corporation is owned by Graeme Lowe Finance & Investments Limited and Graeme Lowe. It had its origins in Lowe Walker Limited, and was formed when that company sold its meat processing interests.
Colyer Mair is owned by Richina Pacific Limited. It was formed from an amalgamation of Colyer Watson Hides Limited and the activities of Mair Pelts Limited.

My job was to lift the cow hides out of a steel container stack on to a pallet and then would have put a handful of salt thrown on each piece and then spay salt water all over them. When the pallet was full I would find out its destination put a label on it then the forklift driver would take it away. So the process would start all over again. I can remember most of the hides were destined for BMW. I enjoyed this work the only downside was the smell. You would go home and have a shower but still smell the same. The clothes you wore could not be used for any other use. All the older workers would always look after me with help or food and drinks. I always looked forward to our lunch breaks. 🤣

Motorbikes 

I decided to save all my Birthday money and work during the school holidays with my Uncles and save up for a motorbike and few more interest I wanted to take up.

I made a decision to work hard during the school holidays with my Uncles and save all my Birthday money. My heart was set on moving forward and my goal was set to buy my first motorbike.  My mind was just buzzing with so many other interests I had, but my goal was to buy my first motorbike.

Finally the day came and I had my money and I became the proud owner of a Honda  SL100. This motor bike was my pride and joy and I just couldn’t believe after all the work it was mine.

Dad would take me down to Avalon Beach or sometimes next to Geelong Go Kart Club for me to ride it around. On occasions I would go up to my Uncle Aluns farm at Lexton and ride around there. To hear the sound of the motor roaring as I took off with such great speed and force at the time just blew my mind. For a young kid the adrenaline was pumping throughout my body and I thought I was going to be the next Evel Knievel riding those ramps and doing stunts.

Motorbikes

Enjoying all the speed, thrills and speed I decided to sell the Honda SL100 to buy something faster so I brought a Honda CR80R. As time passed and I was able to obtain my riders license I decided to buy a Yamaha TT250, which I still have to this day. Adding to my collection I also purchased a Honda CBR1100XX Super Blackbird. The jewel in the crown.

Dune Buggy 

Dad and I were always talking about we would build a Dune Buggie from scratch but I found a VW powered one already built for sale. I do remember the fuel tank was up on top of the motor and would run the fuel into the sump after a few month. So I would need to drain the fuel and oil out of the sump and fill it with oil before I could start it. The front tyres were always filled with water to help it steer better as you would accelerate hard and the boggy would go straight. Dad and I would terrorise the bush all day long together but go near mud or water I would stop and he would get out. Still don’t know why?

Murray River

We had taken it to Echuca to drive along the Murray River. I can remember us loading on to a tandem trailer driving up to Echuca for the Christmas holidays to find out we had left the keys at home. 🤣 Luckily being a VW beetle engine it was easy to hot wire and get it to start by reaching around with a screw driver. It was convenient that the starter was just behind the driver. This was the only way we could use it. 

Go Kart

Me as I am always looking for more machinery to buy. I was looking over the fence of the neighbours house to find this dirt go kart in the long grass. I brought it and realised it had a 650cc 2 cylinder motorbike motor and 5 speed gearbox ( Very Fast ). We got it running and the first day out it caught fire whilst Dad was driving. He was going at speed so he didn’t realise till the engine stopped. The fuel tank was on top and we had nothing to put flames out so it never ran again. 

Trucks

Over the years I had a  friend Trevor that lived in Anakie near Lara he drove a Volvo F12 with a Lusty semi trailer interstate and local for his father’s business W Osborne & Son. Some holidays and weekends I would go on trips mostly interstate trips. We had a lot of fun and learned a lot of NOT what to do. 🤣

Boats

Then I had always wanted my own aluminium boat. As the budget was low I found a fibreglass boat that had some damaged wood on the front.  My Grandfather helped me replace all the timber front of the boat. The first time I used it I couldn’t afford a motor so I had to be rowed any where I needed to go till about 8 months later then I purchased an Outboad motor and a damaged trailer for it. Mum and I would take it in to a Quiet spot in the river and we would fish and put yabbie nets in. We always holidayd at Yarraby Caravan Park at Echuca on the Murray River. We would water ski and knee board on the river most weekends in summer. As a family we would head up Friday and stay till Sunday nearly every second weekend during the summer season. We became friends with a lot of regular families that were regulars up there as well. 

The Lara Floods  

I can remember our house nearly flooded with 2 flood events. One time I can remember waking up in the early hours and Dad had alread gone with his truck to load up sand bags at the Lara CFA. He worked all day delivering loading and unloading of sand bags as they were required the around town. For the first time in my life I used my row boat in our street. 

The Lara township experiences frequent and significant flood events. The relatively flat terrain makes the area susceptible to widespread, shallow stormwater flooding. Being positioned on the banks of Hovells Creek, the township is also at risk of riverine flooding.

Significant flood events impacting parts of the Lara community were recorded in 1933, 1973, 1983, 1988, 1995, 2005 and 2010. Localised flooding has also impacted individual properties during this time.

Pilot’s License

As I was always loved buying different types of machinery I was interested in becoming a Commercial Pilot. Mum and Dad organised to go talk with a current International pilot to find out more information to make sure I would like it. I was interested and he recommended I leave school early and pass my commercial pilots license first then return to finish off school. 
so I left school at the end of the year to start my full time training at Civil Flying School in Morrabbin. We move back to our house in Vermont as it was too far to travel every day.  The first day was not so good so I was unsure if I would continue so Mum said try for a week if you don’t like it find something else. But I started to really enjoy it. Some of the subjects I found to be a bit difficult. The practical and all the flight tasks I found were easy. It was a 49 week course including theory and practical exams. On completion of the course you are about 30 hrs short of your pilot in command hours. So to increase your hours we would do 3KZ beach patrol on weekends and a few trips to Melbourne Airport. As I was still short 2 of us decided to do a trip. We left Moorabbin headed to Gold Coast then up to Maroochydore then across to Longreach, Mt Isa,Tennant Creek, Alice Springs, Cooper Pedy, Mildura, Moorabbin. We had a really great trip to remember. We had a lot of good experiences as it was difficult to navigate in some remote areas. Due to the higher temperature smaller aircraft have trouble reaching higher altitude to make it easier to navigate. The best memories of this trip were running out of money at Alice Springs and a Ipec truck dropped us some cash sent from home. The reason was Civil Flying School had Shell and Mobile fuel cards. They gave us a Shell as they said most airports have Shell fuel in the more remote locations. So would you believe it they were just about all Mobil fueling stations, so that’s why we ran out of cash. On arrival at Cooper Pedy Airport we called a taxi. We waited a short time then a small council tip truck pulled up asking where we were wanted to go. We put our bags in the back tipper body and jumped in. He explained the taxi was really busy so he helps out at times. 
I passed all my exams by end of November the following year. I did go on to do my instructors rating so I could be come an instructor at any flying school. I had a lot of trouble finding work when I finished as this is when the Australian pilots dispute of 1989 was on. 

The 1989 Australian pilots’ dispute was one of the most expensive and dramatic industrial disputes in Australia’s history. It was co-ordinated by the Australian Federation of Air Pilots (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian_Federation_of_Air_Pilots) (AFAP) after a prolonged period of wage suppression, to support its campaign for a 29.5% pay increase.[1]

The dispute began impacting the public on 18 August 1989 with pilots working “9-5” and was never formally resolved due to the mass resignation of pilots, cancellation of their award and de-recognition of their union.

As part of this campaign, AFAP pilots imposed on their employers (Ansett Australia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ansett_Australia), East-West (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East-West_Airlines_(Australia)), Ipec (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toll_Ipec) and Australian Airlines (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trans_Australia_Airlines)) a limitation on the hours they were prepared to work, arguing that if they were to be treated in exactly the same way as other employee groups (the stance adopted by the government (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Government_of_Australia)), their work conditions should also be the same. This initially took the form of making themselves available for flying duties only within the normal office working hours of 9 am to 5 pm.

The dispute severely disrupted domestic air travel in Australia and had a major detrimental impact on the tourism industry and many other businesses. A few days earlier, Labor (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian_Labor_Party) Prime Minister Bob Hawke (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Hawke) declared a national emergency and allowed Royal Australian Air Force (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Australian_Air_Force) (RAAF) planes and pilots and overseas aircraft and pilots to provide services.[2] The RAAF provided limited domestic air services to ease the impact of the dispute. The employers recruited new pilots from overseas, and for a while, some overseas airlines operated charter Boeing 737 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_737) and 757 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_757) aircraft on east coast routes, and travel between Perth (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perth_Airport) and the East Coast was also possible via Singapore, using international flights. The dispute was superficially resolved after the mass resignation of a significant number of domestic airline pilots to avoid litigation from the employers.

The RAAF ceased ‘public transport operations’ on 15 December 1989, by 31 December 1989 regular leasing of seats on international flights ceased and, by 

12 January 1990, the government ceased its waiver of landing charges. The airlines were able to slowly return to normal schedules as they hired replacement pilots. Thus no specific date can be set for when the dispute stopped impacting flights, tourism and the economy.

Ansett, Australian Airlines, East-West and Ipec no longer exist. East-West was a subsidiary of Ansett in 1989, and was absorbed fully in 1993. Australian Airlines merged with 

Qantas (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qantas)

 in 1992. Ipec was acquired by 

Toll Holdings (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toll_Group)

 in 1998. The dispute crippled the Australian Federation of Air Pilots and cleared the road to airline industry deregulation.

[2]

Simulator 

One of the memorable events my Uncle Rodney secured about an hour in one of Ansett Pilots simulator in Airport West. I don’t know how he how he did it but I did not ask any questions. It an incredible experience where he gave me an engine failure and a flat tyre on take off. https://youtu.be/YGORl9Ip3K4?si=IOIn-ft3QaBgsp3g

Driver’s License

I passed my drivers licence on my birthday after I passed my pilots license. I passed my car licence first go as I had the worlds best driving instructor in the world my Aunty Jocelyn 🤣. She had given up driving instructing and her car still had duel pedals luckily for her safety. Dad brought a damaged 1984 VK Commodore from NSW. We fully repaired it put a Brock kit on it and was fully resprayed. 

First Car

Finally after about 8 months I was on the road in my own car. This was it fully repaired.  

Car

This is me rarely washing my car and my shirt hanging out. 

Boat

I was back saving as I wanted to buy a new ski boat so I ordered a new hull from Hallett Ski Boats in Bayswater. I then fitted the motor and Dad and Peter helped built the trailer. Due to being busy and working so May hours this boat was up for sale in a very short time and the car Was not far behind it to buy a house my first at 13 Clarence Rd Wantirna. 

Car

As I pushed the limits with the house purchase I brought this Falcon as a cheap car to drive around till I could afford something better. I can remember not many things on the car worked but to me it was one of my favourite cars as had so much fun being 4 speed manual.

Working

When I finished my full time course I applied for a job at New Oakliegh Motors which I enjoyed. I started off at Notting Hill Workshop at 243 Ferntree Gully Rd before they moved all together in Lever St Oakliegh. I was a new car cleaner at the start and moved through till at the end was booking in new car trucks fitting gas to cars and accessories fitting and cleaning of all the trucks from Hallam Truck Centre. I gained a lot of experience in this job. I left there after 2 years and started at Glenn Ford at 780 Burwood Hwy Ferntree Gully. I was a new car cleaner and  accessory fitter. As this was such a small dealership I was constantly after something more to do. So they asked me to drive the courtesy bus in the morning and afternoons. So I would pick up and drop off customers in the bus. This company was really good to me but I found myself constantly bored. The best part was our lunch room was a W Class tram.  

Forklift Driver 

I found out while I was working at New Oakliegh Motors that P&O Cold Storage were really short on staff for the afternoon shift. So i decided to try for a short time to do both   The hours would just work to fit both jobs in together. So I would start at New Oakliegh Motors at 7:30 so I could finish at 4:00 and head straight P&O and would work to about 11:00pm driving a high reach forklift in a freezer.  Working in a freezer at about -22 degrees it was easy to stay awake. The drive home was very difficult tho so did not put the heater on. I can remember they hired a lot of kiwi who would be always eating the ice cream bites. I stayed with them for about 7-8 months. They were big days but managed to save a lot of money. 

The Age Delivery 

Then I was looking again for some after hours work to bring in some extra money as the P&O job had finished. So I was offered a job delivering The Age on Friday Saturday nights / mornings. So back working nights so I would load at The Age Spencer Street Melbourne at about 10:30 Pm. The process to load would be that you back in a loading dock to a conveyor then press on. All of a sudden the the packs of news papers would start pouring down, but you were very reluctant to press stop. If you did press stop the papers would pile up and then you would keep turning the machine on and off and it would take twice as long. So me wanting to being on my way to my first drop I never pressed stop and made sure I kept up. I did 2 loads every night first one was Keillor and Sunbury and second was Sydenham and Melton. That was the only runs they had so then I would drive home to Vermont at about 5-6am. I was lucky to use a truck that Dad spare so didn’t cost me anything but I found I was not earning much money for all the work as they paid per run. So this job was only for about 3-4 months.

Working 

After I resigned from Glenn Ford in Ferntree Gully I started driving trucks for Dad who was working for a few companies when required. These were the 2 trucks that worked out of Titan Wire Products full time. The main customers were Titan Wire Products, Tile Importer, Titan Wire we would do deliveries Melbourne metro and then 2 times a week would take a load of shot for shot blasting down to Ford Geelong engine plant when that was running.  Then Kilsyth Bargain Centre, Chippys Timber and Eastern Bargain Centre were just regular work every day delivering timber Melbourne metro and country. 

Working 

I  began looking and found a full time owners drivers job at AA Swallows working out of their depot in Keysborough. We brought this 2219 Mercedes Benz truck for the job and delivered chipboard and accessories to cabinet makers. I would deliver mostly bulk loads to their bigger customers and then to their smaller branches as they had a few smaller trucks. I really enjoyed this job and about 4 years later we were put off. I worked for many board suppliers Wesfi, Panelveneer, Amerind and Allboard Industries. The neighbouring factory was Armstrong Bus Lines and the owner was always offering me weekend and night work as he new I was interested in driving a bus. The issue we had is he wanted me to start off at the bottom doing the Bucks night and the Hens night runs. Forget that 🤣

Friends 

When we moved from Lara to Melbourne I kept in contact with a few friends Kevin would ride his motorbike to go out some weekends and we would go out. He had met Gloria and was going to get married in about 1992. 

Wedding

I was asked to be best man at Kevin and Gloria’s Wedding. So I decided to take dance lessons at Wendon Dance School in Glen Waverley as I was not confident with my dancing style. Due to guys being limited numbers I found myself doing more nights. I met Marie there who doing different types dancing lessons I was talked into by Marie and others so I did some extra dance classes as they were always short of males. Marie and we would go out just about every night for dinner or just ice cream.  Over I think about 2 years Marie and I would do everything together.  Marie and I were engaged on 10 April 1993 at Pakenham  We were married in 1994 and went to Bali for our honeymoon. We had a few good holidays to Thailand, Singapore and Hong Kong before Sarah and Claire were born. 

Motorbikes 

My love of motorbikes I had to have the wedding car escorted by 2 Harley Davidson. We hired the bikes off the owner of the lunch shop next to Tile Importer he had 2 Harley Davisons so he hired a friend to ride them. Here is Rosa ( Maries Mum ) and Mrs B ( Her Neighbour) 

Holidays

For our honeymoon we went to Bali. We both had a really good time in Bali being driven around looking at the sights. I can remember hiring a motorbike and Marie did not want to hop on so rode around and then ran out of fuel before time was up so had to pushed it back when I worked out where it was. We had a few good holidays to Queensland Thailand, Singapore and Hong Kong before Sarah and Claire were born.t Tavelling to Thailand I can remember we had brought a new video camera and we decided to take it to do some recording when we rode the Elephants. It just so happened is poured the whole day and inside the lens became wet and took ages to clear so we could not use it. Personally I liked Singapore and Hong Kong better. After Sarah and Claire were born we would usually holiday in Queensland. One year Mum and Dad invited us to go on a cruise which we went on reluctantly. I thought I would be bored Marie I think she was keen on the rocking because of sea sickness and Claire and Sarah I think they did know that there was so much to do. We all ended up enjoying ourselves and have been on many more after. 

Owner Driver 

When we sold the 2219 Benz truck. I attained a new job so I brought a Hino Tautliner truck. I was employed to do pick ups for Glenn Cameron’s Transport working for V/Line country. I brought the truck as a tray truck and made it in to a Tautliner as you can see. I would pick up all day around Campbellfield and Tullamarine then unload at the V/Line depot in the city. This job was quite good the only part I did not like I would start around 9:00 with a phone call and would not finish at the rail yard in the city till about 6-7:00. I did enjoy the work but did not like the hours as I was always used to leaving early morning so this job always seemed to drag on. I did this for about a year or so as Cameron’s would not use stubbies much for extra jobs. So I then found out tha Amerind Forest Products had a full time position Available. So I Worked for Amerind Forest Products in Dandenong delivering timber products as required in the Tautliner truck. They wanted me to buy a larger truck to use so I purchased a FL7 Volvo tray truck. After a short period of time they had a lot of hand unload so they wanted to try using a crane truck for the larger hand unload deliveries. They were looking to save time and money. They found this difficult to manage the runs as the transport coordinator could not deal with the customers asking for a certain truck. So I left and started Powerful Crane Trucks. See seperate Journal Powerful Crane Trucks

Car 

Marie and I drove this Mazda MX5 for awhile it was a great car when it was fixed. It was a stolen and recovered car so all computers where missing. 

Cars 

Dad brought this car from the auction s so Marie and I drove over to Patrick and Liz house to show them and Anthony Micheal and Christopher this was our first day out in it for us. 

Sarah and Claire

The birth of our gorgeous Sarah and Claire at Mitcham Hospital. ❤️❤️ Claire and Sarah grew up in a happy home. They attended St Bernadette Primary School and Matter Christi Secondary Schools. They would do swimming lessons as was recommended. One passion they always loved doing was dancing. They would always take dancing lessons from the age of about 3. When they completed school they continued on doing a full time dance class to be able to teach and take a career in dancing. They have always been happy fun and dedicated when they want to be 🤣. They work at Woolworth and have started a business Powered Entertainment and Power’d Coffee Stop which has eventuated from their dancing. They currently live together in Ferntree Gully. 

Claire and Sarah

This is Claire and Sarah at about 2 growing up quickly. Or should I say just making a mess. 

Claire and Sarah 

Here we are chilling out at night on the couch as we used to do. 🤣

SeaWorld

Most years we would regularly holiday on the Gold Coast around November. We would always stay at SeaWorld Resort as we got to see so many familiar faces. Some years I would think maybe we should go somewhere different but Sarah and Claire would chose to go back. As they became older Marie and or I would be stay at Seaworlds resort and the girls could go into SeaWorld by themselves. 

The Block

This is the view from one of the Block appartments of the long line to get in. Marie and I decided to the girls one years so they could go and look through the appartments the Saturday the week before the auction. We had lined up from about 10 Pm the previous night to be about the 6th in the line. Claire and Sarah always wanted to go so we managed to go in 2013 and 2014 seasons. Luckily the weather was good both nights as we had no cover and not much sleep. 

Skid Steer

I brought this (as I like all different machines) Bobcat to help Mum and Dad with their house driveway and to work weekends cleaning sites in new estates. Then eventually Verity Fencing in Bayswater would hire me with this Bobcat most weekends 

Skidsteer and Crane Truck Driving 

 I got to know Rob Verity really well from Verity Fencing. Rob did mainly the sound proof fencing on all the major Freeways. On some weekends he would hire me and my Bobcat to clean up site that he installed during the week. He found it so useful that he purchased a brand new Thomas 626 skid steer that was the biggest available and it was powered by a 6 cylinder diesel. It had all the attachments from drill, forks, grader blade, crane jib, and 4 in 1 bucket. This machine would lift up his 10ft container. We were working on the Monash Freeway next to Darling Station one morning with his crane truck and he had a bad accident. He pushed the crane remote with his ladder knocking him off the ladder and he landed down the embankment. I called the ambulance and fire brigade came and slowly slid him down to the ambulance. He ended up a paraplegic and could not work and complete the jobs that he had tendered for.  To prevent liquidation damages I worked full time for him to finish Monash Freeway and Greesborgh Bypass fencing for John Hollands.  I ran the installation and operatored the crane truck and skid steer. I didn’t really like this type of work with the  drill as working on hills many times I thought the Skidsteer was going to roll over. The company closed down shortly after that. 

The Beginning

This is the Volvo truck I had at Amerind Forest Producs. With the help a few different companies like Plunkett Crane Trucks and AA Portables I decided to start Powerful Crane Trucks. 
Or for separate journal go to SMK Powerful Crane Trucks 

Crane Trucks

Powerful Crane Trucks grew over the years to have 6 trucks and a lot extra equipment. We found to move ahead with customer service we required different equipment. So we ended up with 2 Moffett Forklifts on a tray truck or a semi trailer. We had a 2.5 ton Terex Telehandler a Palfinger BM forklift which folded down underneath a semi trailer. This was the first Palfinger forklift to be registered in Australia  

Motorsport

I had applied to do the vehicle recovery at The Melbourne Grand Prix as I thought I would like it and it would help out with advertising. So I applied in 1998 and waited till 2000 to be accepted to pick up the damaged Formula 1 cars on the track. This is us. So with the help of the girls through the years I I would clean up the truck for this event. This has the other times at work and helping me.  The truck would be washed polished, tray painted and wheels were taken off and painted. As you can see. 

Motorsport 

I did the Grand Prix for many years and joined a few more Motorsport rounds during the year. Over the years I attended Calder Park, Winton,Sandown,Phillip Island on regular occasions as an open wheeler recovery truck. This was one of the first year I attended the f1 GP as a car recovery truck. Back then all Marshals were allowed to travel on the back of trucks but not these days. 

Michael Schumacher 

Over the years I attended most Melbourne F1 GP.  Some years Dad and Daryl would do the recoveries as I was always to busy and I would sign up as a backup driver. This is the year Michael Schumacher refused to leave his car. He wanted to go back to the pits in the truck with Daryl. 

Porsche Lifter

During my time doing Motorsport Recovery I had discovered that Porsche had brought out a lifting bar to use with all recoveries. They had specially designed a lifting bar for safety reasons due to a person seriously injured overseas. The recovery bar was designed to enable a crane truck to lift a race car safely and quickly. I decided to search the world with a small amount of help from Porsche and finally found that Porsche had built a specialised lifting bar for the GT3 Series. I also found out that another company was currently designing a specialised lifting bar for the GT4 series. So I ordered the GT3  with the help of Porsche. I also put myself on the waiting list for the GT4 lifting bar when they were released. Dad traveled around Adelaide, Sydney and Queensland as a trial. 

Sale

A customer offered to buy Powerful Crane Trucks so I decided to sell it as I believe it to be a good opportunity to start something new. It was a huge relief when it was sold as it was a lot of work added on to keep it running and doing all RWC for the sale to go through. So we had decided to book 2 holidays which we had not had many though out the years. We went on a cruise for 2 weeks to New Zealand then spent 2 weeks on the GoldCoast in Queensland. 

VL Commodore 

Once I had sold Powerful Cranes Dave the truck mechanic at Melbourne Fleet Maintenance a few factories down the road was selling this VL Commodore as he was moving. So I decided to purchase it and put a Walkinshaw body kit on it. 

Motorbike 

David a friend lost his license and needed to sell this bike quick So I brought it. It was the fastest and one of the best bikes I had ridden. 

The Honda CBR1100XX Super Blackbird is a sports-touring motorcycle produced by Honda from 1996 to 2007. It was designed to be the fastest production motorcycle of its time, capable of reaching speeds up to 177 mph (285 km/h).The Blackbird is known for its powerful 1137cc inline-four engine, comfortable riding position, and smooth, refined performance.    Key Features:

• Engine: 1137cc liquid-cooled inline-four cylinder, producing 164 horsepower and 126 Nm of torque.
• Transmission: Six-speed gearbox.
• Top Speed: 177 mph (285 km/h).
• Braking System: Combined braking system with three-piston calipers.
• Suspension: Conventional front forks and a rear shock with rebound adjustment.
• Riding Position: Comfortable, slightly forward-leaning position suitable for long-distance touring.
• Fuel Capacity: 23-liter fuel tank.   

Strengths:

• Performance: The Blackbird offers a strong and smooth power delivery, especially in the higher RPM range.   
• Comfort: Its comfortable riding position and plush seat make it ideal for long-distance riding.   
• Refinement: The engine is known for its smoothness and the gearbox is known for its slick and positive shifts.   
• Handling: The bike is agile and stable through corners, offering a confident riding experience.   
• Build Quality: The Blackbird is renowned for its high build quality and reliability.   

Weaknesses:

• Fuel Consumption: The 23-liter tank can empty quickly when riding at higher speeds.   
• Combined Braking System: Some riders find the combined braking system demanding, particularly during aggressive braking.   
• Heat: The Blackbird can get hot in stop-and-go traffic.   
• Handling (in some situations): Some riders report that the bike can feel unstable in mid-corner or when leaned over, possibly due to suspension or lowered setups.   

Overall: The Honda CBR1100XX Super Blackbird is a highly capable sports-touring motorcycle that combines thrilling performance with long-distance comfort. It is a classic motorcycle that is still popular among riders today, especially those who appreciate its smooth power delivery, comfortable riding position, and reliable performance. 

JetSki 

I brought a jet ski to go out in summer with a few guys who all owner jet ski that I work with. So Claire, Lachie and I took both ours skis out on a nice Sunday. This is when Claire and I when we spotted Dolphins out in Port Phillip Bay were swimming beside us.

Crawler Cranes

After the sale I decided to buy a Jekko SPX424 Deisel Crawler Crane as I did have a smaller crawler crane at Poweful Crane Trucks and it was very useful. We would lift and install spas and steel in tight areas with our small Toa crane. I decided I would specialise in tight access work. During the purchase I found that as an option you could purchase a 800 Kg glass manipulator. So I decided to buy it as I had never lifted glass before. 

Glass Installation

We have become busier over the last 5 years at Compact Crawler Cranes and are mainly involved in the installation of glass. All our cranes are electric now as we do a lot of work in shopping centres. The customer base has grown over the years. We have brought a lot of specialised equipment and had made different types of equipment to do the more difficult jobs. 

Conclusion 

My favourite saying is 

“Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail”

-Ralph Waldo Emerson 

Through the years I have learned many things. The one that stands out by far comes from the show Field Of Dreams (1989 ). 

“If You Build It, They Will Come ”