 
The 1960's - Changing Times

By Jon Peasey

Published by Peasey Publications

at Smashwords

Copyright 2014 Jon Peasey

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Table of Contents

Preamble

Chapter One : Starting Employment

Chapter Two : An Ill Wind

Chapter Three : A Year of Change

Chapter Four : Settling Into The Job

Chapter Five : Tragedy and Loss

Chapter Six : Rumblings of Discontent

Chapter Seven : Changes Afoot

Chapter Eight : Moving On

Chapter Nine : Dancing Days

Chapter Ten : Sun, Sand and Surf

Chapter Eleven : Towards A Better Education

Chapter Twelve : A Girl Named Maria

Chapter Thirteen : A Life Changing Decision

Chapter Fourteen : The Year the World was Awestruck

Chapter Fifteen : The Fluctuations of Life

Epilogue

About the author

Preamble

This ebook follows on from my previous memoirs, 'The 1950's - A Time To Grow'. This ebook The 1960's \- Changing Times showcases urban life in Sydney, Australia during the 1960's decade. Australia in the 1960's became much more cosmopolitan in outlook and growth. The 1960's decade was when Australia began to cast off the shackles of 'Mother England' and became heavily influenced by the prevailing American culture. This was the decade when I journeyed from adolescence into manhood. The 1960's introduced a carefree, idyllic lifestyle in Australia for many of the 'Baby Boomer' generation.

Chapter One - Starting Employment

As the 1950's rolled on to their final conclusion, I found myself repeating 3rd Year at Fairfield Boys High School. My stepfather Collyn put me under a lot of pressure to leave school and get a job. As much as he wanted me to leave school, I could not legally leave school until I turned 16 years of age. This could not take place until 31-Oct-1960.

The years 1959 and 1960 were stressful years for me with pressures at school and emotional pressures and verbal abuse at home. A heavy program of homework from my high school teachers added to the stress; however I really did want to leave high school as my high school years were on the main stressful and unpleasant.

Thankfully, I left school on my birthday on Monday, 31-Oct-1960. I started looking for a job and two days later was hired by a local Jewellery store at Fairfield NSW. Did I regret leaving high school before the end of the school year? No it was a relief. I felt like a concrete slab had been lifted off my head. A new phase of my life was beginning.

Locally in my home town Smithfield, houses were springing up all over the place. Developers were buying up the five acres' market gardens and some of the dairy farms. Many immigrants moved into the area. By now we had a small shopping centre located on the corner of Dublin Street and Brennan Street. A Pharmacy was located in the shopping centre, plus a small Supermarket, a Fruit and Vegetables shop and a Produce and Feed store. A local medical officer, who was a General Practitioner, was located on the opposite corner.

Spot, Jon & Mum in the backyard

The year 1960 started off with heat waves. In January 11 people died in Central Australia and 13 people died in Sydney. There was no relief at night as the houses hardly cooled down from the daytime temperatures. If you had fans they seemed to be circulating hot air. Late in the day we used to hose down the walls and roofs of the houses; so the evaporating water would help to cool down the houses.

On Friday, 10-Jun-1960 a TAA Fokker Friendship aeroplane crashed at Mackay in Queensland killing all 29 people on board. Also in June, compulsory National Military Service for males ended on June 30.

On Monday, 14-Nov-1960 I commenced full time employment as a very junior salesman at Bea's Jewellers in Harris Street, Fairfield (just around the corner from Ware Street). I had one basic prerequisite before I started; I needed to wear a two piece suit, long sleeved shirt and a tie. So Mum took me to a local Menswear store in Fairfield for a fit out.

There was much to learn in those early days on the job. My manager was a chap named Tom Watchorn. His first name was Russell but he always went by his second name Tom. He was a good, fair boss and ever keen to teach me. A female shop assistant named Fay also worked at the store. She was a very experienced Jewellery sales person. Fay was single, however was engaged to a chap and was expecting to get married the following year in 1961. In those times female employees were expected to leave employment as soon as they married.

Retail hours were 9:00 am to 5:00 pm - Monday to Friday and 9:00 am to 12:00 noon on Saturday. Shops were closed on Sunday. In NSW if you worked in the Retail sector you had to wait until you were 23 years old before you were considered an adult sales person. So it was a slow seven year's climb to senior wages. Having to wear a suit all the time was mandatory; except in very hot weather you were allowed to take your suit coat off. Most shops did not have air conditioning; only fans in summer and heaters in winter.

My boss Tom taught me about precious metals and the different grades of gold; how to distinguish different gems and how to fit and replace watchbands. We did not do watch repairs or jewellery repairs on site. We contracted this work out to a local watchmaker Jim Vymies and a local manufacturing jeweller Col Jackson. They charged us wholesale rates and we charged our customers retail rates.

Work life was quite busy, especially up to Christmas Eve. There were no Boxing Day Sales back then. Sales in January literally died! Many owners of retail shops took their holidays in January as sales were very quiet. A large contributing factor to this was the almost non- existent use of credit cards. My weekly wage was paid in cash. It was a cash economy - no ATM's or EFTPOS facilities were available; they probably weren't even on the drawing boards. Another huge factor was that Australian industry virtually shut down for the Christmas holidays' period. The workers were on holidays for 3-4 weeks. So no one had spare cash to buy non essential items.

My big boss Mr Brezniak in Sydney had just started to put in a line of Hanimex cameras. As sales were quiet in January he arranged for me to go to the Hanimex Sales Office in Sydney to learn about their camera range. So for one week in January 1961 I caught the electric train to Wynyard station in the city and then went to Hanimex for training.

The hardest thing about work that first year was waiting a full year before I could have holidays. No school holidays for me anymore!

Jon & Neil at home in front of our Holden FB Station wagon

1960 was a good year at home in other ways. Mum along with co-workers and friends won the Opera House Lottery; and each person in the syndicate received £3,000.0.0 prize money. Dad immediately ordered a brand new Holden FB station wagon; which cost around £1,000.0.0; we now had the luxury of our own motor vehicle. The station wagon was two toned green in colour and became Dad's pride and joy. Shopping was so much easier! We no longer had to carry shopping bags on to buses and then lug them home from the local bus stop. The lottery prize money also meant Mum and Dad could pay off their loan from the Rural Bank. They now owned their house outright. Financially life was a bit easier.

By 1960 we had joined the TV brigade. Dad bought a Crossley TV set encased in a beautiful rosewood timber cabinet. There were no remote controls back then; TV pictures were black and white. You changed channels manually via a round channel selector knob. If the picture was fuzzy you then used the fine tuning knob to make the picture clearer. We had an outside TV antenna mounted up high on the chimney. The TV signal was analogue only. Initially in Sydney we could only get three channels; two commercial channels, Channel 9 and Channel 7, plus the ABC Channel 2. Programs went off air by midnight and recommenced at 6:00 am.

The Summer Olympics were held in Rome, Italy between August and September. Australia came away with 22 medals; 8 gold, 8 silver and 6 bronze medals. Our swimming team came home with 5 gold medals, 5 silver medals and 3 bronze medals. We came 5th in the overall medals' tally. It was an excellent result for Australia.

On 16-Nov-1960 the Commonwealth Government, led by Prime Minister Robert Menzies, in response to high inflation and a drop in wool prices imposed a countrywide credit squeeze. Treasurer Harold Holt increased loan interest rates and heavily increased sales tax on motor vehicles. These actions would lead to a recession.

In December 1960 the Test Cricket between Australia and the West Indies created quite a buzz when the Test at the Gabba in Brisbane QLD ended up with a tied score! It is still talked about today in the modern era.

Social and cultural changes were creating a new paradigm. Rock and Roll was taking over the air waves. The advent of battery powered transistor radios helped this along among young people. Car radios became a must have item in new cars. The huge influx of immigrants from Great Britain and Europe during the post war years and well into the 1950's decade began to influence our cuisine and culture. The migrant children whilst assimilating into Australian culture also brought their own individual cultural flavour to Australian society. Australia began to take on a more cosmopolitan air. The 'Old Mother Country' dependence on Great Britain was waning as social and cultural influences from the USA began to permeate Australia. Young people in particular began to throw off the shackles of their parents' conservative lifestyle.

Chapter 2 : An Ill Wind

The Commonwealth Government's application of a credit squeeze to slow down high inflation on 16-Nov-1960 was to have far reaching effects. Sales tax on all new motor vehicles was heavily increased. Falling wool prices and job losses also compounded matters.

Ford laid off 1,020 workers in its assembly plants. This was a hard blow just before Christmas. General Motors Holden was considering its position also. January traditionally was when industry in general closed its plants for the annual vacation leave period. Retail sales slowed dramatically. The ripple effect was felt throughout Australia as more and more workers were laid off.

On 1-Jan-1961 the Commonwealth Government decreed that all future TV commercials had to be made in Australia; thus opening up huge opportunities for Australian advertising agencies.

In February 1961 General Motors Holden (GMH) laid off 2,600 workers from its plants and Ford retrenched another 980 workers. Car component manufacturers and suppliers also began retrenching workers.

Even Bea's Jewellers had to rationalise as sales took a downward plunge. Luxury items such as jewellery are always first to suffer in economic downturns. I became surplus to requirements. However I was not laid off, instead I was transferred to the city head office to work in the wholesale section. The company paid my weekly train ticket; but in return I had to act as a courier, taking jewellery and other items between the Sydney store and the Fairfield store.

As the Fairfield store was well and truly closed by the time I got to Fairfield at night I would have to leave the items with the landlord of the Fairfield premises; who with his family lived in premises above the shopping block we were located in. Oftentimes I would have items to pick up and take to the city store. I used a large overnight duffle bag for this purpose.

So I became in reality a storeman **/** packer. The wholesale company was called Sondow & Co. The majority of the lines were 'touristy' items. The eastern sea board of Australia was the location of many of our customers; in particular the Northern Beaches area of New South Wales and Surfers Paradise and Coolangatta in Queensland. Other popular items we sold were Venetian glassware, Czechoslovakian lead crystal ware, beautifully lacquered music boxes and a variety of Cuckoo clocks.

Mr Brezniak owned the premises we were situated in; up at the top end of Bathurst Street on the right hand side near Hyde Park. The Jewellery store was on the ground floor. A staircase wound its way up to the top floor, three storeys above ground. It was a strange building as individual rooms seemed to sprout willy nilly off the staircase at different levels. Later I found out it was constructed as a brothel. So the individual rooms had all been bedrooms. This building had many tales to tell!

The Jewellery store was run by Mr Brezniak and Mrs Tauranac a senior sales assistant. Mrs Tauranac's son Ron rose to fame as the Suspension Engineer on Sir Jack Brabham's racing cars; with which Jack Brabham won the world Formula One racing car title and also the Constructor's title.

Our packing room was the first room up the staircase. Along the landing was the boss's secretary's office, She was a very prim and proper single woman. The rest of the rooms were used as storerooms for stock. Downstairs at the rear of the Jewellery showroom was a kitchen and storage area. A back door led to an outside toilet in a tiny courtyard.

My job was to assist Flo, a mature aged woman. Flo packed most of the orders. I usually assembled the items for packing and looked after the storerooms; as moving the items upstairs from the ground floor was a young person's job. Running up and down the stairs, kept me fit. As many of the items were small we mailed the items to our clients. Fortunately a Post Office was located not far away; within easy walking distance.

The watchmaker who did our repairs was located at the entrance to Museum Railway Station, around the corner in Elizabeth Street. The manufacturing jeweller we used was located in the Strand Arcade which was located between Pitt Street and George Street.

Town Hall Railway Station was only two city blocks away on the corner of Bathurst Street and George Street; a nice short walk. I caught a train to Fairfield railway station from Town Hall station; this took about 50 minutes to arrive in Fairfield. I then discharged my stock items for the Fairfield store and caught a bus home. All up, getting to and from work was about two hours each way.

On Saturday mornings I worked at my old job at the Fairfield store. This was always a drag as by the time I arrived home and had lunch most of the day was gone. That was life in retail stores back then; there was no Sunday trading or late night shopping.

Sydney's trams disappeared off the scene in February 1961; when the last tram ran from La Perouse to the Randwick workshops.

I settled into a steady work routine. I was fortunate to have my job as the credit squeeze continued to bite deeper. Credit was hard enough for the average working man to obtain in good times, now it became almost impossible. Life for a sixteen years old lad like me was however OK; let the adults worry about the affairs of the nation.

Lyn, Mum, Jon & Neil at a picnic

Mum and Dad were benefitting from me paying board each week, although Mum took a hefty part of my meagre earnings. I did not begrudge it though. It meant a slightly more comfortable life for our family. So many others were struggling. It was good to have my own money to buy things as I needed them.

An interesting incident occurred one Saturday. Sometimes watch repairs did not arrive in time on Saturday mornings for our customers to pick up. This particular day my boss Tom being a kind hearted fellow told the customer we would deliver his watch as soon as the shop closed at 12:00 noon. I went along for the ride in Tom's car. We pulled up at the customer's house and I volunteered to give our customer his watch. I opened the gate and began to walk up the concrete path to the front door. Suddenly a blue cattle dog was racing towards me, snarling and growling. It was going to have a piece of me! I didn't have time to make it back through the gate! As it got closer I suddenly yelled at the top of my voice, _"Look dog, move!"_ The dog took a leap backwards about six feet in the air and ran yelping in fright under the house, cowering in fear. By now the owner had appeared, I calmly handed over his watch thanked him for his custom and walked back to Tom's car. We had a good laugh about the dog on the way back.

In July 1961 an Australian tennis player Rod Laver won the Men's single tennis final at Wimbledon in England. This was a remarkable achievement for him and Australia.

On the health front many women were giving birth to deformed babies. The anti nausea drug Thalidomide was thought to be responsible. A Sydney based Obstetrician Dr William McBride confirmed in December 1961 that the drug was linked to birth defects.

Also in December a Sydney woman was fined for wearing a bikini on Bondi Beach. The fine was for being "unsuitably dressed". Fashions were being given a shake up.

American culture was influencing Australian society. The commercial TV stations predominantly used American TV shows and films. The ABC, on the other hand, modelled itself on the English BBC and showed British TV shows. The advent of Drive In Movie Theatres, transistor radios and car radios, meant a constant bombardment of American cultural influences, particularly on young people.

Chapter 3 : A Year of Change

Major bush fires on the northern outskirts of Melbourne, Victoria (VIC) during January 1962 killed eight people and destroyed hundreds of homes. It was a tragic time for the people of Victoria.

In February 1962 Australia's tallest commercial building, the 25 storey AMP building opened in Sydney near Circular Quay. This was the start of a multitude of high rise commercial buildings in Australia. Also in February 1962 US astronaut John Glenn, circling the earth in space, saw the lights of Perth, Western Australia (WA). _"I can see the outline of a town and a very bright light just to the south of it."_ The city's inhabitants had been encouraged to turn on all their lights for this special occasion.

My boss Mr Brezniak sold his premises at 153 Bathurst Street, Sydney and leased space in a refurbished eight storey building at 104 Bathurst Street, Sydney; at the corner of Bathurst and Pitt Streets. The Jewellery store was first to move. As our new premises were situated on one of the lower storeys access was by the front passenger lift. This meant no passing trade or window shoppers.

The wholesale arm was moved in over the next few days. The great advantage to me was everything was now on the same level. The building had a large goods elevator that accessed all floors. All bulky items, either inwards or outwards were made via this lift. Trucks and vans could reverse in from Bathurst Street and load or unload at the goods lift. The front foyer of the building also had a small goods lift, adjacent to the passenger lift, which was handy for smaller payloads. For me life was easier as I no longer had to run up and down stairs to organise my work.

Being a 'hands on' type of person, I used to fiddle with the broken music box mechanisms and usually got them working again. Noticing this, Mr Brezniak made me a proposition; he would send a wooden crate full of damaged music boxes to my home and pay me to fix them. Yes sir! It was a golden opportunity to earn some extra money.

So I packed up a wooden crate with all the damaged music boxes and consigned them to my own address in Smithfield. Thus began a slow, careful repair program. Some music boxes had damaged wooden boxes, but the mechanisms were OK. Some boxes had damaged mechanisms but the boxes were OK. Over several weeks in my own spare time at home I managed to revive about three quarters of the music boxes. These music boxes were now saleable items! The boss was so pleased!

In April 1962 the 'Southern Aurora' express passenger train began service on the new standard gauge railway line linking Sydney in NSW and Melbourne in VIC.

Every Colony in Colonial days had its own railway gauge.

**NSW** : 4 feet 81/2 inches ( **1,345 mm** ) Standard Gauge

**VIC** : 5 feet 3 inches ( **1,600 mm** ) Broad Gauge

**SA** : 5 feet 3 inches ( **1,600 mm** ) Broad Gauge

also 3 feet 6 inches ( **1,067 mm** ) Narrow Gauge [Cape Gauge]

**WA** : 4 feet 81/2 inches ( **1,345 mm** ) Standard Gauge

**ACT** : 4 feet 81/2 inches ( **1,345 mm** ) Standard Gauge

**QLD** : 3 feet 6 inches ( **1,067 mm** ) Narrow Gauge

**NT** : 4 feet 81/2 inches ( **1,345 mm** ) Standard Gauge

also 3 feet 6 inches ( **1,067 mm** ) Narrow Gauge [Cape Gauge]

**TAS** : 3 feet 6 inches ( **1,067 mm** ) Narrow Gauge [Cape Gauge]

This confusing jumble of railway gauges has cost Australia billions of dollars since the 1850's. It was not a problem for the Colonial Governments prior to Federation in 1901. All freight had to be transhipped at the Colonies' borders; as customs duty was imposed on freight entering a neighbouring Colony. However, with the advent of Federation and a unified Australia free trade between the former Colonies was mandatory. Thus a huge problem became worse.

Freight from VIC on the broad gauge had to be unloaded at the NSW border town of Albury and then loaded on to goods trains on the NSW standard gauge system and vice versa. Freight heading north to QLD had to be unloaded at the QLD border town of Wallangara and then loaded on to goods trains on the narrow gauge QLD system.

For example if you ordered goods from a Melbourne supplier in VIC to be delivered to Townsville in QLD; your goods were unloaded at Albury then transferred to a goods train to Sydney NSW. At Sydney your goods were transferred to a goods train to Wallangara QLD. At Wallangara these same goods were transferred to a goods train to Brisbane's, South Brisbane rail yard. From there they were again transferred to a goods train on the northern side of the Brisbane River. This goods train then headed north to Townsville. What a shemozzle!

So the opening of the uniform standard gauge line into VIC, to Melbourne, was a huge step forward for freight and passenger movements between NSW and VIC.

On my work front the cleaning contractor who cleaned the building we were in at 104 Bathurst Street, Sydney, offered me some work cleaning after hours. The cleaning was in this same building, so it was an easy matter to stay behind when I finished work for the day. He taught me how to polish floors and clean toilet blocks and all the tasks associated with the cleaning contract on this building. Some of the tenants' premises were also under his contract.

Once he had taught me the ropes he hired another fellow to help me out. This chap had been a truck driver and was not very good at cleaning. The cleaning contractor went off to obtain other cleaning contracts and left me with this chap. By the time we finished cleaning at night and I got home it was about 11:00 pm. My courier bag's goods had to be delivered in the morning before I caught the train to the city. This meant an earlier start to my day.

The chap who was helping me with the office cleaning duties was only there to 'case the joint'. He later broke into a safe in one of the tenant's premises and stole money. It turned out he was an ex criminal. He cleared out with the police hot on his trail.

The upshot of this was I was left on my own to clean the building at night. My 11:00 pm arrival at home now became 2:00 am to 3:00 am in the morning. Something had to give and it did. I used to store my belongings and the courier bag in a basement storeroom Mr Brezniak rented. One Friday night I was so tired I fell asleep on a big packing case. I was woken up by Mr Brezniak on Saturday morning with him banging on the door and shouting at me. He was very irate and rightly so!

Some of the items in the courier bag were promised to customers in Fairfield for that morning. I was supposed to be at work at the Fairfield store. Feeling ashamed and unhappy I apologised and resigned on the spot. I handed over my keys and the courier bag and left his presence. I lost one week's pay in lieu because I quit on the spot. I had been with Mr Brezniak from November 1960 to 17-Aug-1962.

I called in to see Tom at the Fairfield store early next week and he was decent enough to give me a written job reference. I was now officially an office cleaner. My work day now began at 5:00 pm and went on after midnight. When I finished work I had to walk to Central Railway Station about 20 minutes away. There were no buses available at that hour. I now paid for my own weekly train ticket. By the time I got to Fairfield Railway Station in the early hours of the morning there was no public transport, neither buses nor taxis. I had to walk home regardless of weather conditions; it usually took about 40 minutes.

My work went along OK until the cleaning contractor stopped paying me. He owed me two week's pay and there was no sign of him paying me. He had the gall to tell his wife that I owed him money! He had a gambling problem and would not admit it to his wife. I quit on the spot and left him to sort out his own mess. I had to write off two week's pay to experience.

In the meantime on the national scene the Commonwealth Government, after bowing to pressure due to the increase in women giving birth to deformed babies; banned the drug Thalidomide on 9-Aug-1962. The drug was quickly taken off the shelves in pharmacies and hospitals.

In September 1962 Rod Laver won the Grand Slam of men's tennis in New York. Margaret Smith became the first Australian woman to win the US Women's Single title. A golden age in Australian tennis was beginning.

I had a bit of a holiday and began looking for work locally in Fairfield. On Friday, 26-Oct-1962, I began work as a junior salesman with Alcon's Pty Limited an Electrical Appliances Retailer at 115 The Crescent, Fairfield. I would catch the bus to Fairfield and five minutes' walk later I was at work. After a training schedule at the Fairfield store I was transferred to the Cabramatta store. My new boss Alan Wulff urged me to get my driver's license as Alcon's Pty Limited did all their own deliveries.

The manager of the Cabramatta store was John Munns, a married fellow in his early 30's. John lived in Fairfield and he used to pick me up from the Fairfield store on his way to work at Cabramatta. We did the reverse trip after work each day. In the meantime I began driving lessons with a local driving school, on a Holden station wagon. The Holden had a three speed manual transmission; with a column mounted gear shift and was fitted with hydraulic drum brakes. It was shod with conventional tyres (no radial ply tyres back then).

In November His Royal Highness, Prince Philip came out from England to open the Commonwealth Games in Perth WA. Australia's medal tally for the games was 38. It was the highest score at that point of time for any member of the British Commonwealth of Nations.

On 7-Dec-1962 in Perth a chap named Philip Magainir became the first Aborigine to vote at an election; under new Commonwealth electoral laws granting voting rights to Aborigines.

On the international front an event took place that set the whole world in a state of fear and trepidation. For the first time in the history of mankind nuclear war was imminent! For 13 days in October 1962 there was a very real threat that the USA would begin nuclear warfare with the Soviet Union; over Soviet nuclear missiles on Cuba.

This situation developed because the USA installed nuclear warhead missiles in Turkey and Italy which were capable of reaching Moscow. The Soviet Union's President Nikita Khrushchev approached the Communist leader in Cuba, Fidel Castro, to install Soviet nuclear warhead missiles on Cuba. These missiles were capable of reaching many American cities.

The American President, John F. Kennedy concerned at the build up of missiles on Cuba warned the Soviets to withdraw their missiles. A very tense standoff occurred between the two countries. Frantic behind the scenes, as well as public, negotiations took place.

The world waited nervously for the outcome.

If the Russians fired their missiles from Cuba millions of Americans would have died. If the Americans fired their missiles in Turkey and Italy millions of Russians would have died. The whole world would have become engulfed in a nuclear conflagration.

Fortunately sanity prevailed! Nikita Khrushchev agreed to remove the missiles from Cuba provided America gave a guarantee that it would not attack Cuba unless Cuba provoked an attack. The Americans also agreed to start dismantling missile bases in Turkey and Italy. As a direct consequence of this frightening episode a telephone hot line was set up between Washington and Moscow so the two leaders could talk if there were ever any similar situations.

Chapter Four : Settling Into The Job

Alcon's Pty Limited had a small fleet of yellow coloured delivery vehicles, with black sign writing. The fleet comprised of: a Vanguard panel van, a Morris Oxford panel van, a Morris Oxford utility (with a canopy) and a small English, Ford flat bed truck. The Morris Oxford van was mainly used by the Service Department. Mr Wulff was keen for me to get my driver's license so I could pick up the Morris Oxford utility and drive it up each day to the Cabramatta store at 77 John Street, Cabramatta.

As soon as I obtained my license this took place each morning. I would pick up the Morris Oxford Ute and drive it to Cabramatta and park it in the car park behind the shops. If we needed to deliver large items such as refrigerators or heavy washing machines I would drive to Fairfield and pick up the Ford flat bed truck for the deliveries. Heavy items required two people and a hand trolley. We used heavily padded, water proof covers to protect items. All our deliveries were securely roped to the truck.

The Fairfield store had three Service personnel. Russell the manager of the department was a whiz on anything mechanical; plus he had a wealth of experience on electro-mechanical appliances and devices. Max was the TV technician and had a wealth of experience gained from working on radar equipment in the Royal Australian Navy. Russell and Max had a young apprentice to assist them and he was being trained by both of them. TV sets and radios used valve technology; towards the end of the 1960's the use of transistors and diodes became more prevalent. TV sets used Cathode Ray Tube technology and broadcasts were only in black and white. There were no colour transmissions in the 1960's in Australia.

In the early 1960's Cabramatta was populated mainly by Australians and British and European migrants. Cabramatta at that time had a Commonwealth Migrant Hostel which was used to house migrants until they found jobs and a place of their own to move into. We made a lot of sales to the migrant hostel. As there was always a constant turnover of people, we had a ready source of new customers; many of whom settled in the Cabramatta area.

Cabramatta Migrant Hostel in the 1960's - [Source: Google Images]

Our Cabramatta store serviced the suburbs of Cabramatta, Canley Vale, Canley Heights, Mt Pritchard, Bonnyrigg and Green Valley. Green Valley was an interesting place in those days. It was being built as a great Housing Commission experiment. Some of the roads had no street signs. We had a lot of difficulty finding the right houses in the right streets. To complicate matters further when you inquired about the people you were delivering to, the answer was often, _"I don't know them."_ or _"There's no one home."_ They thought we were debt collectors or plain clothes police! It's no wonder Green Valley's nickname was 'Dodge City'!

Gough Whitlam was the local member of Federal Parliament for the seat of Werriwa. Cabramatta was situated in the Federal seat of Werriwa, as was Smithfield my home town. It was the Whitlams' policy to buy locally, so occasionally I would do a delivery to their home in Cabramatta. They had a large home in good condition. No one at that point of time could foresee that Gough Whitlam would one day be Prime Minister of Australia.

On the national front, during February 1963 a Russian diplomat, Ivan Skripov - First Secretary of the Soviet Embassy was expelled as a spy! After the very frightening threat of nuclear war between the USA and the Soviet bloc countries during 1962; this expulsion was a disturbing international incident. These were still very much the 'Cold War' days and nuclear bomb annihilation was still a menacing possibility.

In April 1963 Comalco began large scale bauxite mining at Weipa on Queensland's Cape York Peninsula. This mining venture paved the way for large scale production of aluminium products for use in industry and housing.

In July 1963 Margaret Smith became the first Australian woman to win the Women's Single Tennis Championship at Wimbledon in the UK. Also in July the first stage of the Ord River Irrigation Scheme in WA was completed with the opening of the dam at Kununurra.

In November 1963 the Prime Minister, Robert Menzies, leader of the Liberal Party and Country Party coalition became the first leader of a Political party to make his policy speech on TV in Australia. He set a trend that has continued to the present day. TV was fast becoming the dominant means of communication to the masses. TV was also becoming the chief means of home entertainment. In the major cities of Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane most of the residents either owned a TV set or had access to watching TV.

As you can well imagine, the sale of TV sets and aerials was a healthy source of income and a major portion of sales at Alcon's. I was enjoying my job as a junior electrical appliances' salesman. I learned a lot about this sector of the retail trade. I became so familiar with the streets around Cabramatta that when given a street name and number I could almost pinpoint the house in my mind before I did the delivery.

1963 was the year I was approached at work to join a young men's community service organisation called APEX. The Fairfield branch of APEX had decided to open a new branch at Cabramatta. The inaugural meetings were commenced with the aid of several members of the Fairfield branch.

The weekly night meetings were held in a room booked for the occasion in a local Cabramatta hotel. Dinner was served, as well as alcoholic beverages or soft drinks. The new members were mainly white collar workers, chiefly salesmen and office workers. A good sense of camaraderie and fun was interspersed with the more serious side of things.

Being a community service organisation our main aim was to do projects that benefitted the local community. For instance I remember us rolling up one weekend to completely repaint the Sea Scouts' hall at Chipping Norton on the Georges River. It took Saturday and Sunday to repaint the hall inside and out. The Sea Scouts were very appreciative of our involvement.

Another interesting aspect of APEX was formal debates between various branches. I was chosen one time to be the second speaker on the Cabramatta team. Being an electrical appliance salesman I was used to speaking to all sorts of people and pointing out the benefits of the various items we stocked. The debate was asking the question whether Malaysia should become an independent, sovereign nation. Gough Whitlam a Labor Party heavyweight was strongly opposed to the idea.

The Cabramatta debating team had to argue the case for the new nation. Our first speaker stood up on stage and began our arguments for the establishment of Malaysia. The opposing team's first speaker then argued their case against the foundation of the new nation.

Then it was my turn; as second speaker for the Cabramatta team. I began well by arguing " _Who was Gough Whitlam and who was he to oppose the establishment of the new nation?"_ And then it happened - a complete mental block! I stood there frozen in time! My mind was blank! I slowly left the stage, completely and utterly embarrassed! We lost! I wasn't asked to take part in any more debates! It took me years to overcome that embarrassing public speaking episode in my life.

One of my fellow Apexians, John Roberts a Medical Sales Representative had a 2nd hand Vanguard sedan up for sale for £50.0.0. The upholstery had recently been refurbished and the car drove well. I mentioned it at work. My big boss Alan Wulff being a kind hearted fellow offered to loan me the money and deduct a weekly amount from my wages until it was paid off.

So I became the proud owner of my first car. It was a 1949 model Vanguard sedan, with the rounded 'snail back' shape. The car was painted grey and the upholstery was a light blue colour. I was used to driving the Vanguard panel van at work, so it was an easy adjustment for me. The major difference on my car was that the three speed gear lever was on the right hand side of the steering wheel. There were no traffic indicators or blinkers, no heater or fan or seat belts. We had to use hand signals to indicate if we were stopping or turning right. The car was equipped with four wheel hydraulic drum brakes, and the interior had bench seats front and rear.

The tyres were in need of replacement. There were no radial ply tyres back then. I had normal conventional tyres fitted on the front wheels and winter-tread tyres fitted on the rear wheels. Many of the roads in outer western Sydney were gravel and the winter treads gave better grip in wet weather.

It was great to be independent of public transport. My weekends became a great social round. Having my own car was just so good! Petrol was very cheap back then and it was good to move about independently.

Doing fun stuff in the car in those early days of ownership was exciting. Near the Bass Hill Drive In Cinema there was a section of road that had a big dip in it. When I discovered it I used to come up to the dip then flatten the accelerator. The car would rush down into the dip and accelerate up the other side. You experienced a sudden feeling of lightness in your stomach as you crested the rise. Boy this was fun! I told my friends about it and soon they were trying it out as well. This road behind the Drive In was a rural road back then and hardly had any traffic on it.

My friend Ken Elliott had a Volkswagen Beetle car and when he tried it his car became airborne on the crest of the rise. It gave him and his passenger a real scare. He didn't try it again. In later years the 'Big Dipper' was filled in and the road was flattened out. It doesn't take much guessing why.

My friend Greg DeHaan also had a Volkswagen Beetle car the same colour and vintage as Ken Elliott's car. The car was two toned blue and white. Greg bought his car from a 2nd Hand Car dealer. The engine gave him trouble just after he bought it. The motor was literally clapped out. 2nd Hand Car dealers at that time did not have to give statutory warranties on the cars they sold. Greg had been sold a 'lemon'. Undeterred, Greg took the car back to the dealer, who basically told him it was Greg's problem not his.

So Greg politely informed him that his father was a press photographer for one of Sydney's afternoon newspapers and that he was based at Sydney's Mascot Airport. If the dealer did not fix the car he would have his father take photos and his father would have the newspaper do a story on the dealer's approach to selling his cars. What a sudden change in the dealer's attitude! Greg's car was fitted out with a reconditioned motor that same week. It's the old adage, _"' It's not what you know, it's who you know!"_

Greg's father was a hard headed, know all Dutchman. He didn't display any affection for Greg as Greg grew up. On the day Greg turned 21 years of age his father ordered him out of home and told him he was not responsible for him anymore. Greg had nowhere to go and we, the Peaseys', took him in for a short time until he found a place to live. Understandably, Greg was very cut up about the incident. His mother always did whatever his father wanted, regardless of whether it was the right thing to do or not.

On the international front a British pop group named 'The Beatles' was making a huge impact on the air waves. Their popularity and also bands such as, the 'Rolling Stones', 'Gerry and the Pacemakers' and 'Cliff Richards and the Shadows' would change the face of Rock' n' Roll and contemporary music. British pop fashions began to dominate the fashion scene for younger people. The 'Swinging Sixties' was well and truly under way! In the USA and Australia surfing music was also very popular with bands such as the 'Beach Boys' doing very well.

Also in the background another stream of music began to be popular in some circles; folk music was also on the rise.

In August 1963 Australia became the first nation to endorse the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty. The irony of this was Australia had its own nuclear reactor at Lucas Heights, south of Sydney. However, the enriched uranium was only used in peaceful enterprises such as medicine. A further irony was that Australia had its own uranium mines for the sale of uranium ore for domestic and export consumption.

In November 1963 an event took place in the USA which reverberated around the world. On Friday, 22-Nov-1963 President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in an open top convertible limousine, in a motorcade, in Dallas, Texas. This news stunned the world!

I remember being woken up by my mother Nancy, on Saturday morning. She had just heard the terrible news on the radio. Sydney, Australia is a day ahead of the USA, so even though it was Saturday in Sydney it was still Friday in the USA. The news was very current! Shock and disbelief were the general reactions to this news!

One week later the Menzies led coalition party won the Federal election held on Saturday, 30-Nov-1963 by a good majority. His re-election as Prime Minister may have been bolstered by the assassination of President Kennedy in the USA. People may have voted to keep a stable government in place; even though Menzies' credit squeeze economics had hurt a lot of people financially. Not that it worried me unduly, I had a steady job and I wasn't old enough to vote in elections. You had to be 21 years of age to vote at that time.

We finished 1963 with the world's population wondering where we were heading.

Chapter Five : Tragedy and Loss

1964 started off in a tragic way. On Tuesday, 11-Feb-1964 in Jervis Bay NSW, the Royal Australian Navy's aircraft carrier, HMAS Melbourne collided with the Royal Australian Navy destroyer HMAS Voyager; cutting it in half and killing 82 of the Voyager's officers and crew. It was the worst peacetime naval disaster in Australia.

I can't forget the pictures on national TV of the HMAS Melbourne slowly cruising into Sydney Harbour with its bow all crushed in. It was a very sombre, sad and tragic sight. The nation was deeply moved at this tragic loss of life at sea; and the loss of a destroyer.

These pictures for me were very poignant. I remember Dad taking us to Garden Island Naval Docks on Navy Day when I was about 10 years old. We went on board the HMAS Melbourne and up on to the flight deck. We marvelled at the sheer size of the aircraft carrier. I can remember going down below in the huge freight elevator that took the piston engine, propeller driven planes (with their wings folded) down below the flight deck for storage. I sort of had a connection to this aircraft carrier. It was a deeply moving experience for me, seeing it limp slowly back to its base.

On Tuesday, 25-Feb-1964 a Royal Commission into the Voyager disaster began and would run for a long time.

HMAS Melbourne with bow crushed in - [Source abc.net.au]

On the home front my sister Lyn decided she would like to learn Ballroom dancing. Mum decided Lyn could not go by herself so Mum surreptitiously roped me into going along with Lyn. The deed was accomplished by Mum wangling the dancing course money out of me on another pretext. As I had paid some of my hard earned money for this course I had no way of getting it back. So guess who reluctantly went off to learn how to dance?

The Ballroom dancing course was very basic, for beginners only. Talk about being clumsy and awkward; that was me starting out! By the end of the course I had grasped the rudiments of the 'Barn Dance', the 'Pride of Erin' and other old time dances. Strangely enough I began to enjoy myself at Jim & Margaret Wards' Dance Studios.

Funnily enough Jim and Margaret Ward originally had their dance studio at Cabramatta and later relocated to brand new premises at Fairfield. They had both studios running until the lease ran out at Cabramatta. The Fairfield premises were a lot larger. I bit the bullet and signed up for personal lessons. As the Cabramatta studio was across the road from Alcon's Cabramatta store I had my initial lessons at Cabramatta with Margaret Ward.

Individual lessons by themselves were not much use unless I could practise them. Jim & Margaret Ward ran Friday night social dances for all comers. The Fairfield dance studio would be packed out with young people, even a few younger married couples. It was a good opportunity to practise my dancing and meet lots of new friends.

Jim and Margaret Ward employed a very flamboyant male dance instructor named Warren. Warren had recently bought himself a new Goggo Dart convertible car. His Goggo Dart was a small two seater convertible.

The Cabramatta dance studio opened about lunch time and closed at night when the last lessons were finished. One afternoon Warren parked his car opposite Alcon's Cabramatta store and went upstairs to commence work at the dance studio. Sometime later four beefy louts came along the footpath, saw his car and for a bit of fun picked up Warren's convertible and placed it on the footpath! They then quickly moved on.

The inevitable happened! Another car moved into Warren's vacant parking space. About an hour later a parking inspector came along, saw Warren's car on the footpath and issued a fine for parking on the footpath.

Warren's face when he came downstairs was truly a sight to behold - even more so when he saw the parking fine!

My involvement with the fledgling Cabramatta APEX Club came to an abrupt halt about this time. Cabramatta area was unsuccessful in attracting enough members to form a fully fledged club without the aid of Fairfield APEX club members. As the Fairfield blokes could not belong to two clubs the Cabramatta club died a natural death.

On my way to Fairfield one day I was driving my Vanguard sedan along Polding Street and approaching the stop sign at The Boulevarde at Fairfield Heights. The Boulevarde was a very busy road, hence the stop sign on Polding Street. The intersection of The Boulevarde and Polding Street is on the crest of a hill. As I prepared to stop at the intersection, I naturally began to apply the brakes.

Suddenly complete panic! The brake pedal went straight to the floor! I had no brakes! Fortunately there was no other vehicle in front of me. The car sped through the intersection! Thankfully there were no vehicles to give way to. I grabbed the handbrake and slowly pulled off to the side of the road and brought the car to a halt.

I sat in the car with my heart pounding. For a few minutes I could not move. The enormity of what could have happened if other vehicles were involved was frightening! When I calmed myself down I began to try and work out what had caused the brakes to fail. The brakes were working fine when I left home.

I opened up the bonnet of the car and checked the hydraulic brakes' master cylinder reservoir. It was empty! A complete loss of brake fluid! I checked each wheel of the car. The front passenger side wheel had brake fluid dripping on to the gravel verge of the road. That wheel's brake slave cylinder had failed and that explained the sudden loss of pressure at the brake pedal. No hydraulic brake fluid meant no active hydraulic brakes.

I considered my plight. I had to be in Fairfield. I had a good handbrake and by driving slowly and using my gears judiciously for engine breaking I could get to my destination. So that is what I did. Later I had the brakes' hydraulic system completely overhauled. This incident taught me a lifelong lesson. Always ensure your brakes are in good condition! You can have engine problems and pull over. If you suddenly have no brakes, it could be your life at stake, or other peoples' lives, or both! Modern cars have built in safety precautions. If you lose pressure like I did on one wheel you still have brakes on two opposite diagonal wheels. This means you have less braking power but you can pull up your vehicle in safety. Always ensure your master brake cylinder is topped up for maximum braking efficiency.

On the national front in April 1964 the Commonwealth Government failed to ratify the International Labour Organisation (ILO) convention on equal pay. This inequity between male and female wages would last for decades; and even in modern times women are still playing catch up in some areas of society in Australia.

In June 1964 'Beatles' mania gripped Australia. The hugely successful English pop group 'The Beatles' arrived and created a media sensation. Thousands upon thousands of fans turned out to greet their idols. In the capital cities of Australia screaming girls were overcome in their emotional hysteria; some fainting and needing reviving.

The Beatles played to full capacity crowds in their concert venues. Extra police were needed to oversee the huge crowds in the streets. Wherever The Beatles went huge crowds of young people flocked to see them. If Australia was any indication, The Beatles global impact was steadily gaining momentum.

On 17-Jul-1964 Donald Campbell an Englishman in his car 'Bluebird' set a new world land speed record at Lake Eyre in South Australia. Donald Campbell achieved a speed of 403 mph (648.6 km/h). This record was significant for a car that transmitted its power to its driving wheels. After this, subsequent attempts on the world land speed record were made in jet engine powered cars using just the pure thrust of the jet engine.

On the home front, I was driving to work in my Vanguard sedan from Smithfield to Cabramatta one morning when the engine made a horrible noise and stopped. I quickly thrust in the clutch and coasted to a stop at the side of the road. Oil and water poured out underneath the engine.

This was an ominous sign! Something drastic had occurred to the engine! I had to leave the car by the side of the road in Canley Heights and walk back to a public telephone booth in Fairfield West. I rang the Fairfield Alcon's store to advise them of the situation. They arranged to pick me up and then I took the Morris Oxford ute up to the Cabramatta store.

Working on Jon's 1949 Vanguard sedan

My car sat by the side of the road for a few days until I could arrange with a friend to tow it home. After a close examination Dad, I and our neighbour Bert rigged up a block and tackle in Bert's back yard; then towed the car under the block and tackle and then removed the engine. When we stripped the engine down the cause of the damage was evident. A bolt in the rocker gear assembly in the head of the engine had sheared off, dropped into a combustion chamber and then proceeded to wreck the engine.

Over time we managed to put together another engine but we were not successful in getting it going. I sold the car as is, cheaply to a friend Terry Allen who had a similar Vanguard. He used it for spare parts. I was back on public transport! Oh well, it was good having a car while it lasted.

On the dancing front I had improved enough for Margaret Ward to suggest it was time for me to have a dancing partner and begin competitive dancing. I already knew my new dancing partner Sheila from the social dances. Thus began a more disciplined approach to Ballroom dancing. Sheila's boyfriend Tom was already competing in dancing competitions with his sister Maureen.

Dancing lessons were now done as a couple with the aim of competing in competitions. Once a week lessons became twice a week lessons with Margaret Ward. Margaret was now not so forgiving on mistakes. She was trying to mould us into a competition dancing couple. It was hard work for her and us. We still went to the Friday night social dances; it was good to practise manoeuvring our way around a crowded dance floor. We were encouraged to practice as much as possible.

A very unpopular move by the Commonwealth Government occurred on 10-Nov-1964. Compulsory National Military Service for young men was reintroduced. This was a result of the escalating war between North Vietnam and South Vietnam. The Commonwealth Government was concerned about the spread of Communism and wanted to see South Vietnam win. Most Australians could not see why Australia had to be involved at all.

On 31-Dec-1964, on the last day of 1964 Donald Campbell broke the world water speed record at Lake Dumbleyung in Western Australia. He reached a speed of 276.33 mph (444.7 km/h). He became the first man to achieve the world land speed record and the world water speed records in the same year.

Chapter Six : Rumblings of Discontent

In January 1965 a new hydrofoil ferry service was introduced on Sydney Harbour. The sleek, modern hydrofoil ferry was an impressive sight as it pulled away from the wharf at Circular Quay and headed out into the main harbour. Then the ferry accelerated, rapidly gained speed and rose up out of the water and rode upon its hydrofoils. Travelling at more than twice the speed of the normal ferries in service, it made the journey to Manly in less than half the normal time. However, you paid extra for the privilege of riding in it.

Also in January our Olympic gold medals' swimmer Dawn Fraser became the youngest woman to become 'Australian of the Year'. This was in recognition of her gold medal winning dominance in women's swimming at three different Olympic Games.

Underlying racial tensions surfaced in February 1965 when a bus carrying about 30 Aboriginal and white students was escorted from the town of Moree NSW by police. The so called 'Freedom Rides' had begun. The town of Moree discriminated against people of Aboriginal ethnicity by refusing to let them swim at the local municipal swimming pool. The demonstrators arrived from the bus and went into the swimming pool causing major consternation in Moree. Among the demonstrators was an Aboriginal student Charles Perkins who would rise to fame as an advocate for equality for the Aboriginal people in Australia.

The freedom rides caused a lot of anxiety in regional towns in western NSW; where there was a strong sense of discrimination between white people and Aboriginal people. Aboriginals in the main where treated as 'second class citizens'.

On the national front a portent of things to come occurred in April when Prime Minister Menzies committed Australian troops to fight in Vietnam. Australia already had a small number of soldiers in Vietnam; but in teaching and advisory roles not as combat troops. Menzies decision to commit combat troops was not a popular decision and was certainly not endorsed by the majority of Australians.

On the home front my dancing partner Sheila and I had started competing at beginner level in Ballroom dancing competitions. As her boyfriend Tom and his sister Maureen were also competing at more advanced levels we all travelled together in Tom's dark red, EH Holden station wagon; with the girls' Ballroom gowns gracing the rear cargo area.

On the national front during June 1965, University students clashed with police in Melbourne VIC. Student protests and demonstrations were also held in other Australian capital cities. The students were protesting over the South African Springboks' Rugby Union tour of Australia. They were angry that the Springboks were an all white team. Apartheid was well and truly alive in South Africa. The ruling white minority were brutal in their treatment of the South African black natives. No integration between whites and blacks were permitted. It was an unlawful act; and carried a jail sentence with it.

Student protests often ended in individual students being arrested for obstructing or disobeying police on duty. The nightly TV news broadcasts often had scenes of students being bundled into police vans; known as 'Black Marias'. It was interesting for me as one of the leading demonstrators was a chap I was at high school with. Michael Aarons was usually one of the first demonstrators being man handled by two or three police into the back of a police van.

The anti-apartheid demonstrations in one sense were quite ironic. The large numbers of protestors weren't doing large demonstrations in support of our own Aboriginal people; who in many ways were just as badly off as the South African natives. So were double standards being applied?

On 30-Jun-1965 Prime Minister Menzies officially declared war with North Vietnam. Australia was once again at war. Australian troops were being sent to Vietnam to bolster troops from the United States of America (USA) who were there in large numbers to fight the Viet Cong.

On 2-Aug-1965 the Australian Labor Party (ALP), faced with confronting scenes of racial issues, deleted the term "White Australia" from its immigration policy. This would have far reaching effects in later years. As the ALP was in opposition and not in Government it had no power to bring this new immigration policy into effect.

The case for equal rights for Australian Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders seemed to fall on deaf ears. Each State or Territory had its own laws in regard to indigenous natives within their boundaries. The Commonwealth Government had little jurisdiction in those matters.

Om my work front life was pretty good; by now I was a proficient salesman with an extensive knowledge of our products. Our knowledge was enhanced on Trade nights when the manufacturers gave in depth demonstrations of their latest products. I remember one particular night at a Malleys Whirlpool release of a new automatic washing machine range where I won a quiz on the technical features of the new machines. My prize was a portable cooler icebox; often called in Australia an 'esky'. It had a sturdy metal outer case and was fully insulated inside. The lid was locked into place by the sturdy handle.

At these Trade nights we mingled with sales people from other electrical appliance retailers; particularly those in our own area of Sydney. So I got to know a lot of people in the electrical appliances trade including the sales representatives for the manufacturers. One chap I met was co-owner of a store at Liverpool. He spent most of his days at the local golf courses; and get this - he often sold more white goods and TV sets than the staff in the Liverpool store! People he played golf with would say to him, _"I need a new TV set." "I need a new fridge." "I need a new washing machine."_

In early October 1965 at Canberra in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) Lake Burley Griffin was officially declared open. This lake was the final stage of architect and town planner Walter Burley Griffin's grand design for Canberra, Australia's national capital. It soon became the focal point for Canberra. I can remember Canberra before the lake was filled and how different it looked when the lake was filled with water.

On 31-Oct-1965 I turned 21 years of age. I was now officially an adult. This now gave me the right to vote in elections and to enter into contracts in my own name. Unbeknown to me my friends and my family had planned a surprise 21st birthday party for me. My friends John Cook and Ian Holman arranged with me to take me into the city on Saturday night on 30-Oct-1965 for some entertainment.

So they arrived in John's car about 5:00 pm. John said to me, _"Can we make a detour? I need to help arrange some seats in a hall at Canley Vale and then we can head on into the city."_

_"OK, I will give you a hand."_ I replied.

We arrived at the car park for the Fairfield Municipal swimming complex at Canley Vale. At the side of the car park was a Community Hall. John parked the car and we walked to the hall entrance. As we stepped inside the lights were flicked on and I heard a loud, _"Surprise, Happy Birthday!"_ Seated around the walls of the hall were lots of my friends, my mother, my brother Neil and my sister Lyn.

I remember chasing Ian into the hall for tricking me. I don't usually like people fussing over me; I didn't suspect at any time what was being arranged. It was a great night and I was given lots of presents. John and Ian were forgiven; however we never got around to having that night out in Sydney together. Oh well, that's life!

Lyn with her boyfriend Bill, in front of Bill's Valiant Sedan

Chapter 7 : Changes Afoot

1966 started off with a change of leadership. On Tuesday, 20-Jan-1966 Prime Minister, Sir Robert Menzies resigned from Federal Parliament after 16 consecutive years as Prime Minister. "Ming the merciless" as he was known to his detractors had presided over the affairs of the nation for a record number of years. The Treasurer, Harold Holt stepped into the vacancy created by Menzies and became Australia's 18th Prime Minister. Business as usual was the order of the day.

In Adelaide SA on Friday, 28-Jan-1966 three children Jane, Anna and Grant Beaumont went missing from their home in Glenelg initiating a huge search for them.

An even more far reaching change occurred on Monday, 14-Feb-1966 when Australia changed over from £. s. d. to decimal currency and $AUD became the nation's currency. A huge campaign on TV, newspapers and radio had preceeded the changeover. We now had to get used to multicoloured "monopoly" money, as everyone called it. Not only that the bank notes were now plastic instead of paper. Australia was on a technical break through with its new notes which had metallic strip inserts and special watermarks; plus enhancements to foil would be forgers.

The other problem was the new coins. The gold coloured $1.00 coins were similar in size to the silver coloured 10 cents coins. Many a paper boy was suddenly richer when customers mistakenly gave them a $1.00 coin instead of 10 cents for a newspaper. Old people in particular were ripped off by unscrupulous merchants because the new bank notes bore no resemblance to the old bank notes.

On Monday, 28-Feb-1966 Danish architect Joern Utzon the designer of the Sydney Opera House quit and left Australia; after bitter wrangling with the NSW State Government over the construction of the new opera house at Bennelong Point near Circular Quay. The NSW Government now had to struggle on with the complexities of the design; particularly with how to construct the 'sails' of the Sydney Opera House.

With many Australians coming to grips with these changes another emotive issue occurred on Tuesday, 19-Apr-1966 when the first Australian army conscripts flew out from Richmond RAAF Base in Sydney to fight in Vietnam. Anti-Vietnam and anti-conscription demonstrators could not even get near the air base. Security was very tight. The situation stirred up even more demonstrations against the Coalition Government led by Prime Minister Harold Holt.

On the home front I was toying with the idea of changing jobs. I felt it was time to try my hand working for a larger business; to round out my work experience. David Jones Limited, Sydney's upmarket Department Store began advertising for staff for a new department store being built as part of a new shopping complex at Bankstown in Sydney's outer suburbs. Here was my opportunity!

I applied for a position as a salesman in the electrical appliances section of the David Jones Limited Department Store at Bankstown Square. As Bankstown was on the electric train network I could catch a train from Fairfield to Lidcombe and then change platforms and catch a train to Bankstown. The new Bankstown Square complex was 10 minutes walk from Bankstown railway station.

On the international front in July 1966 the USA launched INTELSTAT 2 a communications satellite into space. INTELSTAT 2 was positioned over the Pacific Rim. This had tremendous significance for Australia. The satellite enabled Australia to receive and transmit telephone calls and TV signals; thus creating a satellite exchange between Australia and the rest of the world. By the mid-1960's TV was available just about everywhere except in the most remote areas of Australia. Australia had a new portal to the world with INTELSTAT 2.

On the home front I went for an initial interview at David Jones Limited in the Sydney CBD. I was successful and was picked to be the salesman for the TV, radio and stereogram section of the Home Appliances Sections of the new Bankstown Square store.

I informed Mr Wulff of my decision to leave Alcon's Pty Limited. He was sorry to see me leaving his employ. I made arrangements to leave on Wednesday, 10-Aug-1966. I was to start work at David Jones Limited on Tuesday, 23-Aug-1966 with orientation at their Market Street, Sydney department store.

With the advent of the INTELSTAT 2 communications exchange we began to receive grim pictures of the war in Vietnam on the nightly TV news broadcasts. This was a different kind of war. The Viet Cong were often unidentifiable and Australian soldiers often did not really know who their enemies were. Anybody in a Vietnamese village could be part of the Viet Cong guerrilla forces.

On Thursday, 18-Aug-1966 a small contingent of Australian troops had a very bloody encounter with a far superior force of Viet Cong at a rubber plantation at Long Tan. It became known in Australian military lore as "The Battle of Long Tan" The Aussie troops though suffering losses held off a vastly superior force until reinforcements arrived to help them.

On Tuesday, 23-Aug-1966 I commenced work at David Jones Limited, Market Street store; in their TV, radio and stereogram section of the Home Appliances Department. Fortunately I was already familiar with most of the brand names and models. That week I was initiated into the David Jones culture and their methods of merchandising. I was also expected to attend to customers if other sales people were busy. I was quite pleased with myself as I sold a few TV sets during the week.

The following week I reported for work at the new Bankstown Square store. We had to enter and exit the store through an employees' entrance. Our major tasks before the official opening were to set up our departments ready for the opening in September. Funny thing it took the same amount of travel time to and fro from Bankstown as it did to Sydney CBD. It took two hours each way.

The Bankstown Square opening was a huge success. Tens of thousands of people invaded Bankstown Square; they were all eager to look and to buy merchandise. Sales in the first few weeks were excellent. People came from all over Sydney to see the new shopping complex. The car parks were filled to capacity. The only thing I found a bit weird was being a specialist TV, radio and stereo salesman. I was used to selling white goods and small appliances as well.

David Jones Limited at Bankstown Square had quite a large staff; many of whom I got to know over the ensuing months. One of the main maxims for staff was to be ever conscious of looking after customers. If you lost a customer through some fault; every department also lost that customer. This was drummed into us time and time again. I reported to the Home Appliances Supervisor at our Bankstown store. I also reported to the Buyer for TV, radios and stereograms at the Market Street Store. At the Bankstown Square store we were all held accountable by the Store Manager as well.

Sales were strong right up to Christmas Eve. David Jones Limited had a tradition of home delivery right up to midnight on Christmas Eve. The Bankstown Square store had its own fleet of delivery vans. Delivery was free all over Sydney. Sales dropped off between Christmas and New Year; however a lot of exchanges and credits took place during this time. The new store ended the year on a buoyant note.

Chapter 8 : Moving On

On Friday, 3-Feb-1967 a prisoner named Ronald Ryan was the last man hanged in Australia; for the murder of a prison warder whilst escaping from Pentridge Jail in Melbourne Victoria. His execution would result in the abolition of the death penalty in Australia.

1967 started out with very hot conditions which did not bode well for the bush fire season. Hot, dry conditions were always a precursor to bad bush fires. On Tuesday, 7-Feb-1967 a series of bush fires began in Tasmania which would end up burning vast areas of the island State. One of the chaps I worked with at David Jones Limited at Bankstown Square was very worried and anxious as he was from Tasmania and all his relatives still lived in Tasmania.

The speed of the fires and the extent of the 110 separate fire fronts were frightening. Within the space of five hours the fires burned through 2,640 square kilometres (652,360 acres); (264,000 ha) of land in Southern Tasmania. The fires even encroached on the capital city Hobart. The fires claimed 62 lives and over 900 people were injured. The day became known as 'Black Tuesday'. [Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopaedia.]

Tasmanian bushfires 7-Feb-1967 [Source: abc.net.au]

We watched the TV news broadcasts during the day at work. The extent of the fires in the small island State of Tasmania was horrendous. It was a truly, awful day in Tasmania.

One day at work I had an interesting incident. A male customer bought various merchandise from different departments; including mine. He wanted to pay by cheque which needed clearance by the Credit Manager's department. It was a Saturday morning and the customer's bank could not be contacted for verification of his account's worthiness. As a fair bit of merchandise was involved approval was given. The customer had brought a car trailer with his car and took the merchandise with him.

Our top security man had a gut feeling this would turn out bad. How right he was! The man was a smooth con man and the cheque bounced! Because I had spent some time with him I had to go to the NSW Police Headquarters in Phillip Street, Sydney and look through the mug shots of criminals on their books.

Lo and behold, after about 15 minutes there was a photo of him looking surly and grim faced. It was definitely him, so the police were happy. This chap had been in prison for similar thefts. It would not take long to bring him in again for questioning.

While I was looking at the mug shots another familiar face came up. It was a chap called Ron who had worked at Alcon's Pty Limited at Fairfield for a few weeks. Ron had a brand new Volkswagen 'Beetle' car. It turned out he had stolen the car and was on the run from the police. So he also had gone to prison.

On the national front on Wednesday, 8-Feb-1967 the Australian Labor Party elected a new leader. It was none other than my local Federal Member of Parliament - Gough Whitlam.

On the home front I had a nice surprise at work. I was asked to become the Outside Sales Representative for the Home Appliances Section for the Bankstown store. This job entailed delivering, on a trial basis, products from the Home Appliances Section to customers' homes; setting up the appliances in the homes and then demonstrating the features of the individual products. A brand new 1967 Holden panel van came with the job. This was right up my alley.

I enjoyed this new job. The only new product I had to learn was how to demonstrate electric, portable sewing machines. Fortunately we had two permanent in-store demonstrator **/** sales ladies on staff. So I was given a crash course on sewing machines. Portable, electric sewing machines quickly became the main items delivered to customers' homes. Female customers liked the idea of trialling a brand new sewing machine in their own homes.

Other popular items were TV sets and stereograms. One interesting delivery was a two stroke, petrol engine Victa lawnmower to Bankstown Airport. I had to drive to where our customer's single engine aeroplane was parked and then load the boxed lawnmower into the rear of the passenger area. It was an unusual delivery for me.

I usually had lunch in the vehicle at various parks; it depended on what suburb my deliveries were going to. Sometimes, I had to pick up and drop off merchandise from the Market Street store. Occasionally, the panel van required servicing and I would book the panel van in with David Jones Limited's fleet service facility near Mascot Aerodrome. I also clocked up a fair bit of overtime with deliveries to customers when they got home from work.

I was quite successful in this new job. I can recall only two or three instances where customers returned the merchandise. The experiment turned out to be a real boost to sales in the Home Appliances Section. The sewing machine department did particularly well because their customers had a few days to try out all the features on the machines. After all if a man could do it, it must be easy! Once the customer tried out the machine in their own home they were hooked; another successful sale.

It was about this time I began to think about continuing my education. I knew that my old high school, Fairfield Boys High had an Evening College; so I made inquiries. I was surprised to learn that secondary education now went to sixth year, an additional year. The curriculums had changed to suit. I could study for a Junior Certificate at fourth year level. If this was successful I could continue to study for the Higher School Certificate which was sixth year level.

With further education in mind I realised my present job would not be suitable for my new requirements. I talked it over with my friends. One of my mates Greg DeHaan was a third year apprentice at Borg Warner Limited at Fairfield. Borg Warner made rear axles and automatic gearboxes for the Australian automotive manufacturing industry. He told me I could probably get a job on an assembly line.

On the national front on Saturday, 27-May-1967 a referendum for a proposal to count Aborigines in the Census and for the Commonwealth Government to make special laws for them was held. It was passed by a large majority of voters.

In June 1967 I carried out my proposal to continue my secondary education. I contacted Greg DeHaan and asked him if he could get me a job at Borg Warner on a day shift. Greg told me it would not be a problem. I gave notice to David Jones Limited and finished with them on Friday, 23-Jun-1967.

I commenced working at Borg Warner on Monday, 26-Jun-1967 in the rear axle assembly line. My job as a third class machinist was to press bearing cups, into the rear differential cases, with an industrial hydraulic press. As each differential case moved along the assembly line the various components were added. When the crown wheel and pinion assembly was installed and set to correct clearances and tensions, the axle tubes were pressed into the differential case housing and then the axles were fitted. The completed rear axle assemblies were then packed in special crates for shipment to the car manufacturers.

The rear axle assembly line workers were mainly migrants or children of migrants; Italians, Maltese, Polish, Yugoslavs, Russians, Latvians and a couple of Aussies. We had a set number of axles to complete each shift. If we reached our daily targets, bonuses would be included in our weekly pay packets. It was a good incentive scheme. There were two shifts, a day shift and an afternoon shift. I of course opted for the day shift, because next year I would start Evening College.

Since there was no direct public transport link to Borg Warner's Fairfield Plant I bought myself a car just before I left David Jones Limited. My car was a 1964 four doors, Ford Cortina sedan. It was a light blue colour with bench seats, front and rear. It had a column mounted gear lever with a four speed manual gearbox; hydraulic disc brakes on the front wheels and hydraulic drum brakes on the rear wheels. The engine was a 1.5 litres, four cylinder petrol engine. There was no fan/heater or radio; but it did have flow through air ventilation vents. Borg Warner had an employees' car park with high wire fences which was locked securely in case of would be thieves. Security guards unlocked and locked the gates before and after each shift and at meal breaks.

A similar looking 1964 Ford Cortina Sedan

On the national front the war in Vietnam continued to escalate. In September 1967 there were demonstrations against Queensland Government regulations; which decreed that groups had to apply for, and obtain, permits before they could hold meetings in public in the city. This situation arose as a result of the anti-conscription and anti-Vietnam war demonstrations. The Queensland Police now had the power to arrest demonstrators who did not have the necessary permits.

Also in September 1967 the Commonwealth Government following on from the May Referendum results announced it would set up the Office of Aboriginal Affairs. It was a positive step forward for Aboriginal people in Australia.

The year finished on a dramatic note on Friday, 22-Dec-1967. Prime Minister Harold Holt disappeared in heavy surf whilst swimming at Cheviot Beach near Portsea on the tip of the Mornington Peninsula in Victoria. His body was never found. He was alone in the treacherous surf when he disappeared. All sorts of theories abounded about his disappearance. The two main theories were that ( **a** ) he was taken by a shark and ( **b** ) he was picked up by a Russian submarine and spirited away.

The event threw the whole nation into a state of perplexity. It was just before Christmas and the nation was getting ready for the annual holidays season. The Commonwealth Government was in a quandary, Was Harold Holt dead? Would he be somehow found alive? A huge search and rescue mission took place. The Deputy Prime Minister became the temporary leader of the nation. As the days went on all hope of finding Harold Holt alive was abandoned. The search and rescue mission was called off.

Australia now had the unforeseen circumstance of appointing a new Prime Minister from within the ranks of the Coalition Party members. However this would have to wait until the New Year. Federal Parliament was in recess and all the Federal parliamentarians were home with their families for Christmas and New Year celebrations. Harold Holt's disappearance stirred up a huge international media focus. How could a Head of State suddenly disappear without a trace?

Chapter Nine : Dancing Days

Ballroom dancing in the 1960's was considered to be a 'sissy' sport. It was not even considered to be a genuine sport. My generation at that time, the younger generation, was moving away from contact dancing _i.e._ holding your partner; and they were beginning to dance apart in an independent manner. In other words you were 'doing your own thing'. So ballroom dancing was considered old fashioned and behind the times.

Competition dancing really put you on the spot. You had to dance as perfectly as you could, guide and lead your partner and manage to keep clear of all the other couples on the floor. Usually two or three judges examined each couple as they went through their dance routine. Obviously, the couple with the highest marks was awarded 1st place. Sashes were given to 1st place, 2nd place and 3rd placed couples.

Competitions were held at various venues around Sydney; either at dedicated ballrooms or local town halls. Sometimes we travelled to regional centres as well. A highlight of the year was the annual dance competition held at Sydney Town Hall where we also got to see the professional ballroom dancers in action. Sydney Town Hall was a great venue for ballroom dancing; with plenty of room around the sides of the dance floor for all the dancers and their entourages. The actual area set aside for the dance floor was a large area which meant the dance floor was less crowded than lots of venues.

It was an inspiring dancing venue. Standing on the sidelines, watching the couples swirling around in perfect time to the music, noting their skill and poise and being caught up in the rhythm, tempo and mood of the music was an exciting and gratifying sight. And then it was our turn! There was something about the Sydney Town Hall competitions; they seemed to lift your dancing on to a higher plane. But the highlights were the professional ballroom dancers.

They were breathtaking to watch! Their poise, grace and control were amazing! It was a feast of wonderful, exquisite dancing!

Sheila and I began our competition dancing in the Beginners' categories. The three grades of competition for amateur dancers were: ( **a** ) Beginners, ( **b** ) Intermediate, ( **c** ) Open. The Open category was for the most accomplished dancers. However, dancers from the Intermediate category often entered the Open competitions.

The three classifications of ballroom dancing were:

International Standard/New Vogue

\- Waltz [3/4 time]

\- Tango [4/4 time]

\- Viennese Waltz [3/4 time]

\- Foxtrot [4/4 time]

\- Quickstep [4/4 time]

International Latin

\- Samba [2/4 time]

\- Cha-cha-cha [4/4 time]

\- Rumba [4/4 time]

\- Pasa Doble [2/4 time]

\- Jive [4/4 time]

Old Time Dancing

\- Pride of Erin

\- Gypsy Tap

\- Parma Waltz

\- The Charmaine

\- Tangoette

\- Veleta Waltz

\- Boston Two Step

\- Military Two Step

In the Old Time dances there was quite a selection of dances for organisers of competitions to choose from. There are other dances not listed above. You could be caught out if they chose a dance you did not know as you had to dance all the dances set for the competition. Obviously, if you did not know a particular dance you could not enter that competition.

My favourite style of dancing was the Old Time dances; which were slower and more graceful. This style of dancing suited Sheila and myself; more so than the other styles. We were more successful in competitions in this style of amateur dancing.

Ballroom dancing also meant being dressed correctly for each dancing style. When we were starting out a tuxedo with a bow tie was considered suitable attire for a male dancer. The tuxedo was suitable for both New Vogue and Old Time dancing styles. For Latin American dancing I took off my tuxedo coat and wore a cummerbund around my waist. I always danced all styles in my special lightweight dancing pumps; which I used exclusively for dancing.

As Sheila and I progressed into the Intermediate ranks it became necessary for me to obtain my own set of tails; in other words 'a Penguin suit'. I was able to obtain a second hand set of tails and had them altered to fit me by a men's tailor in Cabramatta. The set of tails came courtesy of a chap named Cecil (Cec) who I worked with at Alcon's Pty Limited's Fairfield store. Cec was also a Warrant Officer in the Citizens' Military Force (CMF) a reserve army set up. The set of tails had belonged to his father.

Sheila on the other hand had to have two different styles of dresses. For New Vogue and Old Time dances she wore ballroom dancing gowns. For Latin American dances she wore Latin American dresses; which were usually shorter and flashier.

My brother Neil started out in competition dancing but gave it up in the early stages. My sister Lyn gave up ballroom dancing when she left home, so she did not get to the competition dancing stage. Neil however was always at the Friday night general dances at Jim & Margaret Wards' Dance Studio.

Easter was always a time to look forward to. All the competition dancers from Jim & Margaret's dance studio, and their friends, drove to Wagga Wagga (pronounced Wogga Wogga) for a large regional dancing competition. Wagga Wagga is in the Riverina District in south western NSW. We booked into motels and hotels in Wagga Wagga. Being young and high spirited there were plenty of pranks and laughter.

I remember one incident when we crammed about twelve people into a Ford Cortina sedan at a motel in Wagga Wagga. Then someone suggested we take it for a drive! It took four people to use the controls of the four speed, manual gearbox Cortina. Whilst driving slowly on a back street the local police picked us up. The looks on the two policemen were classic; as twelve people disembarked from the car and boot. Their jaws dropped lower and lower! I was one of the last out as I was up on the back parcel shelf all scrunched up.

Seat belts were not compulsory in vehicles at that time; so a couple of extra passengers were OK - but not twelve people in a car designed to carry a maximum of six people. The police were quite decent about the affair and nobody was charged and we were let off with a warning. However one fellow was wrapped up in a motel blanket to keep warm and the police were going to charge him with stealing a blanket. Fortunately, the motel owners did not press any charges and he was let off.

The dancing competitions were held in the main hall of the Wagga Wagga Showgrounds. Dancers from NSW and northern VIC would meet in Wagga Wagga for the competitions which were held on the Saturday and Sunday of the Easter weekend. Sheila and I usually did well at Wagga Wagga. A lot of the Sydney dance studios did not travel down to Wagga Wagga for these Easter dance competitions. This narrowed the field in our favour.

We spent Good Friday and Easter Monday on the road travelling to and from Wagga Wagga. The old Hume Highway route took us through a lot of towns that the newer Hume Freeway bypasses. The old highway was only two single lanes for most of our trip. It was a lot slower and had a lot more bends in the road.

From Fairfield we travelled to Liverpool, Camden, Picton, Bargo, Mittagong, Berrima, Goulburn, Yass, Gundagai and finally to Wagga Wagga. The old highway passed through these towns. There were no bypasses in existence. With a lunch stop and fuel stops it took most of the day. Just near Picton we had to negotiate the Old Razorback road; a notorious winding, hilly stretch of the highway. Also being Easter holidays the highway carried a large volume of holidaymakers' vehicles. The modern route from Fairfield is about 430 km; however the old highway had to pass through more towns and was less direct, making it a longer trip distance wise and time wise.

Another regional town we visited in the winter months was Orange NSW. This was a much smaller dance competition; however Jim & Margaret Ward took us there each year to encourage the ballroom dancers in western NSW. The weather was so cold that all the gas heaters in the dance venue were on full blast. One year we stayed in an onsite caravan in a local caravan park and nearly froze; even with an electric bar heater on. From then on we stayed in a nice warm motel room.

When Jim & Margaret Ward moved full time into their Fairfield dance studio their employee Warren decided to move to another rival studio. A short time later a married couple Ron & Patty joined Jim & Margaret as dance instructors. Sheila and I were transferred to Patty for our dance instructions. Ron & Patty stayed about a year or so and then moved to Forbes in western NSW to start their own dance studio. Sheila and I were transferred back to Margaret Ward.

Ballroom dancing was an interesting pastime. We made lots of friends in other dance studios and it was good to meet up with them at the dance competitions. However the better we became with our ballroom dancing, the harder the competitions became. Those same friends were hard to beat on the dance floor; and we were also competing against the better dancing couples in our own studio.

At the end of 1967 I had a decision to make about competition dancing. I had started a new job at Borg Warner in October 1967 with the aim of finishing my secondary education at Evening College the following year. I could not really mix the two; it would have to be Evening College or dancing. The decision was a 'no brainer'; competition dancing had to go. So I quit competition dancing at the end of 1967; and I began studying at Fairfield Evening College in February 1968.

Chapter Ten : Sun, Sand and Surf

Leisure time was not always about dancing. In the summer months we spent a lot of time swimming and body surfing; and sometimes we would go spear fishing as well. Australia's east coast is blessed with myriads of golden sandy beaches. Because we lived in the outer western suburbs of Sydney it was just as easy for us to reach beaches south of Sydney as it was for us to drive to iconic beaches such as Bondi Beach, Coogee Beach and Maroubra Beach.

The beaches to the south of Sydney were less crowded. Our favourite beaches were Wattamolla Beach and Gairie Beach in the Royal National Park down towards Wollongong. Wattamolla Beach had a lagoon with grassy vegetation on its banks; a perfect spot for picnicking and sun bathing. You had the choice of body surfing in the waves or a lazy swim in the lagoon. The lagoon was quite shallow at one end and it was a favourite place for families with little children.

Wattamolla Beach NSW - [Source: Google Maps]

The surf board riding craze was well and truly under way in Australia in the 1960's. Personally, I enjoyed body surfing and I was not interested in trying to balance on the long boards of that era. I could swim out, catch a six feet high wave and be propelled effortlessly to the beach. I had to be wary though of 'dumper' waves that could pound you into the sandy bottom.

It was always advisable to swim at patrolled beaches as Australia's beaches are notorious for 'rips' that carry you out to sea. Swimming between the flags was the safe way to go. The lifesavers always chose the safest part of the beach to swim. Unfortunately even today there are people who ignore the swimming between the flags rule and end up in trouble and need rescuing. Remember what happened to Prime Minister Harold Holt!

We used the sun tan lotions of the day; which in retrospect were pretty useless as sun blocking screens. Skin cancer awareness was not an important issue at the time. A glorious sun tan was the aim of countless Aussies.

Often in summer, after dancing competitions on Saturday afternoon or Saturday night, we spent Sunday relaxing at the beach. On our way home from Wattamolla Beach or Gairie Beach we would stop at one of our favourite Fish and Chips shops at Heathcote near the Heathcote Road turn off.

We always stopped here for our evening meal. People returning from the beaches were good business for the shop's proprietors; there could be up to 30 people just in our group. This shop also did deep fried battered bananas and battered pineapple rings. Another favourite was battered potato scallops. After a day in the salty air of the seaside this food was absolutely delicious and we were usually ravenously hungry.

Sometimes a few of us would drive down Wollongong way to Bass Point and do some spear fishing. We didn't have wet suits so we swam in our swimming costumes and sometimes wore T shirts if the water was a bit colder. We had masks, flippers and snorkels. We also carried a fishing spear with a rubber lanyard attached to one end. By pulling hard on the rubber lanyard and grasping the spear at the point the lanyard came to, you had a very effective harpooning spear. When you released the spear the pent up energy in the rubber lanyard propelled the spear rapidly through the water. If your aim was good you came up with a fish.

Weather conditions made snorkelling difficult at times. I remember an incident where the tide turned and swimming back to shore was very hard. If I stayed on the surface the tide dragged me out further to sea. I had to use my snorkel and swim under water as much as possible to make any progress. What was usually a five minutes swim to shore took half an hour of hard underwater swimming against the receding tide. Boy was I glad to drag myself ashore!

Another time there were a few of us snorkelling in the same area when one chap yelped in pain. A Blue Bottle Jellyfish's tentacle had stung him on the lips; a very sensitive area. I swam up to him and said I would go with him to shore in case he ran into difficulties.

We reached shore and went to the Lifesavers' Surf Patrol Station. The lifesaver took the fellow with him and as he did he noticed my back was covered with welts all over from Blue Bottle tentacles. He said, _"Mate, you better come with me, you are the worst case I have seen today."_ They did not know about vinegar to neutralise the stings back then. They just rubbed wet sand on my back and said, _"Go take a shower, then rest until you feel better."_

It sounded good in theory. The reality was when the toxins in the tentacle stings began to build up in my body and I felt worse. It was a hot day yet I began to shiver violently. My heart began to pound and I felt very unwell. All the lifesavers could offer me was Sal Volatile in water to calm my heart. I said, _"I'll take anything if it helps."_ So I took a dose. My friends were advised to take my straight home. It was an uncomfortable trip with me shivering violently and covered in beach towels to keep me warm. Thinking about the stings, I must have been under water and as I surfaced the tentacles draped across my back. I was glad to get home and get to bed. Thankfully, next day I felt well enough to go to work.

On odd occasions we drove to Bondi Beach just for a change of scenery. The problem with Bondi Beach was finding a spot on the beach to put our towels and have enough room to lie down for a sun tan. It was a nice beach to spend the day. One time we were there swimming when the shark alarm sounded. This meant clear the water quickly. A friend of mine Terry Trainer was terrified of sharks. He was the first person to reach the beach! Not even the best Olympic swimmer would have beaten him to shore that day! It is amazing what fear motivates people to do. Fortunately, the 'all clear' was given later and we were allowed back into the water. I know one person who decided against it!

These are isolated incidents; swimming and surfing at Australian patrolled beaches is safe if you obey the lifesavers' instructions and swim between the flags. They are there to make your swim enjoyable and safe.

We spent many an hour at the beach enjoying one of Australia's great blessings - sun, sand and surf.

Chapter Eleven : Towards A Better Education

The year 1967 ended in a perplexing manner with the disappearance of Prime Minister Harold Holt off Cheviot Beach in Victoria. No trace of him or his body was ever found. The Deputy Prime Minister, Sir John McEwan leader of the Country Party became the interim Prime Minister until a new Prime Minister could be chosen from the Liberal/Country Parties' Coalition. On Wednesday, 10-Jan-1968 Liberal Senator John Gorton was sworn in as Prime Minister. He became the 19th Australian Prime Minister. The nation and its citizens could now move on and resume normal life.

On the home front at the end of January 1968, I enrolled at Fairfield Evening College to continue my secondary education. The core subjects set for the School Certificate were English, Science, Mathematics, Geography and History; five subjects over four nights per week. The subjects were all taught at the ordinary level. As one teacher explained it, we could only cover about 75% of these core curriculum subjects. We had to cram four years of learning into 12 months. An External State Examination would be held in December 1968.

We needed to be dedicated and committed for the whole year ahead. The teachers were very good and professional in their approaches to their subjects. They were real chuffed that each of their pupils was there to learn as much as possible, so they could achieve their individual goals.

Night times and weekends took on a studious note. We had set assignments to cover each week. Even the spare Friday night I used so I could do a bit of socialising on Saturday nights. You have probably heard the old saying, _'All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.'_

Fortunately my job at Borg Warner allowed me time to knock off work, drive home, have dinner, change my clothes, grab whatever I needed for the subject that night and then drive to Evening College. I usually had a shower at work, before I drove home. As most of Borg Warners' employees worked in environments where there were greasy and oily conditions; the company had a huge shower block and locker room to cater for those who wanted a shower when they finished work.

I had separate teachers for English, Science and Mathematics. My History teacher also taught Geography. It was pretty full on for the students. We often helped each other out by discussing problems together. Of course all the students were classed as mature age students; as we had all left high school years ago. Our Maths teacher was amazed at our capacity to learn. He told us, _"If I gave the high school kids this much work at one time they would collapse under the pressure."_ It makes a difference when you are the one shelling out your hard earned money for a better education. Our incentive was to learn and have a brighter future. I soon settled into a steady weekly routine. My dancing days, except for Saturday night social dancing, became a thing of the past.

My friend Greg DeHaan who helped me get the job at Borg Warner had started dating a new girlfriend named Jill. Jill was a local girl who lived at Fairfield with her parents and her brother Mike. Jill worked as a secretary at Ampol Petroleum's head office at North Sydney. Jill wanted me to go on a double date with them, with Jill's work mate Maria who was currently not dating anyone. I was not looking for romance due to the Evening College commitments; however I reluctantly agreed to go.

What a nice surprise! Maria was an attractive, well proportioned brunette, with brown eyes; of Italian ethnicity. She had a pretty face, was quite articulate and had a good sense of humour. We got along quite well on the double date. I made arrangements to see more of her.

My sister Lyn was married on Saturday, 10-Feb-1968 to her fiancé Bill McCann at an Anglican Church at Ryde in Sydney's north western suburbs. The newlyweds set up home in Balmain, an inner Sydney suburb. Bill had started courting Lyn before she left home. She had met him when Bill was in the CMF, the Citizens Military Force, when I was working at Alcon's Pty Limited. Cec one of the salesmen at the Fairfield store was a Warrant Officer in the CMF and was one of Bill's Army instructors. As the CMF was only part time, instruction was given at night and at weekends. Also once a year they went away for two weeks on training exercises.

Lyn and Bill were attracted to each other from the first and soon formed a bond with each other. So it was a happy day for them on their wedding day. They are still together all these years later. However Bill and Collyn, my stepfather, did not get along with each other and this often caused friction when Bill visited us at home in Smithfield.

My sister Lyn with her bridesmaids and flower girls

My brother Neil who had had numerous casual girlfriends fell for a local Smithfield girl named Gail Murray. Gail's older sister Sheena was in the same classes as me during primary school. The Murrays were a well known local family. Gail's father had a vegetable farm at Smithfield and sold his produce at the Sydney Wholesale Fruit and Vegetables Markets.

Neil and Gail began a serious relationship and made plans to get married the following year. It was quite a change to see Neil settle down with a girl he was serious about.

On the national front on Tuesday, 27-Feb-1968 Australia's Lionel Rose won the Bantam-weight World Boxing Championship. He defeated Japan's Masahiko "Fighting" Harada. This caused a sensation as Australia was generally not known to produce world boxing champions.

On the international front on Thursday, 4-Apr-1968 the internationally renowned civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated in Los Angeles, California USA. This caused a huge outcry around the world. Martin Luther King was the leader of the Afro-Americans, particularly in the southern States of the USA. His mass marches and peaceful demonstrations against racial inequality and racial bigotry earned him many enemies from the white bigots in the USA. The result was one of them decided to shoot him and get rid of him permanently.

On Thursday, 6-Jun-1968 the USA was again rocked by the news of another assassination; this time it was Robert F. Kennedy, assassinated President John F. Kennedy's brother and a former US Attorney-General. Robert F. Kennedy was running for President of the USA in the Presidential elections when he was gunned down. Robert F. Kennedy had been a fearless Attorney-General with enemies in the CIA, the Mafia mobs and in Cuba.

Back on the national front in Australia anti-conscription and anti-Vietnam war demonstrators continued their campaigns to stop sending Australian troops to the war in Vietnam. A young Australian named Simon Townsend refused to be conscripted and was detained at Ingleburn Army Base in NSW. The Australian Army put him on bread and water rations in an attempt to force him into National Service. On Friday, 14-Jun-1968 due to all the bad publicity and the general uproar from the public, Simon Townsend was granted an exemption from National Service. He went on in later life to become a TV entertainer (Simon Townsend's Wonderworld).

With the winter months upon us I had to dress warmly for my Evening College lectures. The schoolrooms were not heated. Most of the students had continued on in their studies, only a few had found it too difficult and had pulled out. My car did not have a heater and I wore warm gloves to keep my fingers warm whilst driving. After the engine and transmission warmed up; a little bit of heat from them seeped into the cabin. We often drove with rugs wrapped around our knees to keep our legs warm.

On the work front at Borg Warner the afternoon shift was causing the day shift some headaches. Normally if the day shift experienced supply problems with rear axle components we waited patiently for the parts and then resumed work at normal pace. The afternoon shift on the other hand would wait for the parts and then work frenetically to try and achieve their normal shift allocations. They were more money hungry. If the daily allocations were not reached then the piece-meal bonuses were reduced.

Management began to query why the day shift did not make up the time like the afternoon shift. The upshot of this situation was that each shift was studied by Time and Motion staff to record actual working times for each person's contribution to the efficiency of the production line.

Obviously, the money hungry afternoon shift showed up in a better light than the day shift. Further to this, the employees machining parts on the afternoon shift were also found to be quicker than their day shift counterparts. Again, they were more money hungry.

The time and motion study took place over a couple of months. The results were not a good omen for the rear axle assembly production line. Management took the afternoon shift's production figures, factored in their catch up times when supply was interrupted and made this the basis for the normal shift quotas. Now we were all worse off because of the greedy afternoon shift staff.

Of course with all this going on the various unions were brought in to negotiate. So began a series of stop work meetings which meant we were not paid while we stopped work. Stop work meetings could only be held outside the premises and each employee had to clock off and then clock on again to resume work.

Management had a very powerful weapon in their armoury. The foreman of the rear axle assembly line had been a former union shop steward. Apparently he studied up on what the unions could do and could not do. They had so many stop work meetings and strikes with consequent loss of production that Management could not beat him; so they bought him off. They asked him to join their team, with a very good job and salary package. There would be no 'pulling the wool over his eyes'. It was a condition of employment at Borg Warner to be in, or join, the relevant union. What this meant was even if you wanted to work, if the majority of union members voted to stop work or go on strike you also did the same. Bear in mind that many of the employees were not Australian and English was not their primary language. Some of these folk were easily swayed by the more militant members of the unions.

On the international front Australia's Rod Laver won the Men's Singles tennis title as a professional tennis player at Wimbledon. 1968 was the year the first Open Wimbledon was held; which meant both amateur and professional tennis players could enter. Prior to this only amateur tennis players could win Wimbledon.

On the national front in August 1968 a man called Joh Bjelke-Petersen became Premier of QLD and the leader of the State's Country Party, which later became the National Party. This man was destined not only to figure prominently in QLD State politics but also have an effect on national politics.

On the home front I seemed to be keeping up with my assignments and lectures at Evening College. By now Maria and I had become an item; however due to my Evening College commitments I did not see her as often as I liked. My life was busy; but I was content with my lot.

On Monday, 14-Oct-1968 the town of Meckering in Western Australia (WA) was destroyed by an earthquake measuring 6.9 on the Richter Scale. Earthquakes are not common in Australia. This earthquake was the biggest earthquake to hit Australia to that point of time.

Australia sent a team of athletes to Mexico City, Mexico in October 1968, to compete in the Summer Olympics. Australia's medal tally was 17 medals; comprising 5 gold, 7 silver and 5 bronze medals. As Mexico City is well above sea level many athletes found the going tough in the thinner air. Swimmer Michael Wenden was our best performer winning 2 gold medals.

On the work front the situation with Management had worsened. Unfortunately, for me the local union shop steward in the rear axle assembly plant had resigned and because I was quite articulate and spoke good English I was voted in, very reluctantly, as the new shop steward.

Work was now a different ball game! I had to be really careful how I spoke to Management. They watched me with an 'eagle eye' for any slip ups. Any union problems and I would be called into the office to explain. However, I wasn't born yesterday! It was patently obvious to me that Management was deliberately goading the unions to go on strike. I knew that they were behind on deliveries to the car manufacturers. A general strike by the rear axle line workers would be right up their alley. They would have a ready excuse as to why they could not honour their delivery commitments.

Steady pressure was put on the workers to exceed target quotas. In early December 1968 I was called into a board meeting with all the American top brass present and given their latest demands. If they were expecting me to blow up in front of them they were disappointed. I am usually the opposite. I go quiet and silent and put on an impassive face. I stared at each person in turn and then quietly informed them I would take their demands to the union members for their consideration.

The hot heads among the union members wanted to strike immediately. I tried to caution them and told them that they were playing into Management's hands. They could not see this and became even more vocal. The local union representative was called to the meeting; but he also failed to pacify them. What the hot heads also failed to recognise was that it was the worst possible time to strike; just before Christmas and the annual holidays' factory shut down period.

Common sense did not prevail! They voted to go on strike for two weeks, to teach Management a lesson! I reported back to Management with their decision to strike. The workers were still gathered together waiting for Management's reaction. It was not what they were expecting! I told them since they had not listened to my advice I was resigning on the spot as shop steward and they could elect a new shop steward immediately.

I then went into my boss, the foreman of the rear axle plant and told him I was not interested in playing internal politics and that I knew it was a deliberate ploy by Management to create a strike. He was a bit surprised that I had sussed out their plan. I then resigned my job and told him a new shop steward would handle negotiations from now on. I also told him I did not like the way Borg Warner's Management ran their business; in particular, by deliberately causing a strike just before Christmas. My resignation became effective on Tuesday, 19-Dec-1968. Of course we were 'officially' on strike so I did not receive any remuneration for that period. To say I was fed up with the whole sorry affair would have been an understatement. Of course Borg Warner was pleased; no production for six weeks.

On the national front a huge gas leak and fire was blazing on Esso-BHP's gas and oil platform off Lakes Entrance in Victoria (VIC). On Thursday, 5-Dec-1968 a Texas oil trouble shooter, internationally renowned, Paul "Red" Adair arrived to put the fire out and stop the leaks. His solution worked out over a period of time.

On the home front in December 1968 I continued on with my final lectures for the year; despite the turmoil at work. The external examinations for the School Certificate were held at a high school at Regents Park a western Sydney suburb. So I drove to Regents Park for a few days to sit for the different examinations. I was officially on strike at work; so I did not have to take any time off work. It was quite a relief to finish those exams; however I would not get my results until late January 1969.

What a year! I had finished my exams; I had tossed in my job and now I could unwind and catch up with a certain young lady.

Chapter Twelve : A Girl Named Maria

Maria and I had become very close and we even talked about marriage some day. Maria being of Italian ethnicity was a nominal Roman Catholic, but did not go to church services. Maria lived with her mother at a three bedroom flat at Bondi in a street off Bondi Road. The street was opposite the northern border of Waverly Park. Maria and her Mum also had a female lodger.

Maria's Mum had divorced her husband years ago. Apparently he was an overbearing, insensitive Italian man who treated his wife more as a servant than a wife. The ex husband had a farm at Mirboo North in the Gippsland area of Victoria. They did not have any contact with him. Maria had a grandmother living at Reservoir in Melbourne's northern suburbs. Maria and her mother kept in touch with Maria's grandmother.

Most weekends I would drive from Smithfield to Bondi and spend Saturday and Sunday with Maria and her mother. If I had a heavy load of assignments at Evening College I would do them during the day on Saturday, so Saturday night was free to take Maria out. We often double dated with Greg and Jill on weekends.

Bondi Beach was a leisurely 30 minutes downhill walk from Maria's place to the world famous beach. We often walked down on a nice sunny day. Even back then the beach was very crowded. Not everyone went in swimming; a lot of people were there to sun bathe and be part of the atmosphere.

Maria worked at Ampol Petroleum's head office at North Sydney. The building was located over the top of the North Sydney Railway Station. Maria caught a bus from Bondi Road to Central Railway Station in the city and then caught a train to North Sydney station. Maria was the private secretary to one of Ampol's chief engineers. She would often practise her shorthand skills at home. Her work involved typing up detailed, technical documents. Sometimes I would drive to North Sydney Station after work on a Friday, park on the street outside and wait for her. Then we would drive to Bondi via the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Cahill Expressway. Getting around Sydney was easier back then it did not have the huge volumes of traffic that is on its roads today.

I settled into a steady weekend routine of staying with Maria and her mother most weekends. My days were full; with work during the week, evening college most week nights and weekends with Maria at Bondi. Life overall was pretty good.

Maria would sometimes get nostalgic about Victoria and her grandmother in Melbourne.

_Why don't we drive down to Melbourne on the next long weekend and see her?_ I suggested.

Maria was really pleased about this suggestion. So plans were made to drive to Melbourne on the next long weekend. This would give us one day to get there, one day in Melbourne and another day to drive home again.

So we set off on Friday evening and drove down the Hume Highway to Melbourne. The highway was only two lanes most of the way - no freeways or motorways - no town bypasses either. Maria and I enjoyed the overnight trip and we were greeted warmly by her Italian Nonna next morning when we arrived.

Maria and her Nonna had a strong bond between them. Their love for each other was obvious. We did not do any sightseeing as such, but just chilled out so Maria could catch up with her Nonna whom she had not seen for several years. Maria's Nonna had been invited to an Italian wedding on Saturday afternoon.

Knowing that Italian families like large receptions I jokingly said to her, _"I suppose they have hired the local town hall for the reception."_

_"Oh yes"_ she replied, _"There are over 500 guests coming to the reception."_

Well, blow me down! The wedding reception was being held at the Preston Town Hall in the next suburb. Apparently it was going to be a lavish affair.

The next day Maria and I drove past the Preston Town Hall to get an idea of its size, and we were suitably impressed. After a happy, short stay with Maria's Nonna we set out on Monday morning for the drive back to Bondi. The drive back was slower as we met up with holiday travellers who were also returning to Sydney via the Hume Highway.

Occasionally there was a hiccup in our relationship. Like the time Maria's ex boyfriend came to see her and wanted to recommence their old relationship. I took my study notes and my assignments and walked over to Waverly Park I went up the hill and sat in a quiet area under a shady tree. I was quite upset that she had not sent him away. So my thoughts were not on my studies. About half an hour later, Maria started looking for me and eventually found me under the shady tree.

She was apologetic. I said to her, _"I am not interested in a contest for your affections. If you don't want to be with me I am out of here and you won't see me again. So you need to make up your mind here and now. If you want to be with me then you get rid of your old boyfriend and don't see him again._

Maria knew me well enough to know I would back up my words with action. She spent about an hour reassuring me and calming me down. Our relationship entered a more committed phase after this incident. The old boyfriend moved out of the picture.

Chapter Thirteen : A Life Changing Decision

1969 started off with me having a well earned holiday before I started looking for work again. The pressures of the last year were now behind me. I was able to spend more time with Maria, although she was not on holidays. Maria's Mum had some news; she had decided to buy a house at Tempe about ten minutes walk from Tempe Railway Station and near a major bus route. This was a good move for Maria and her Mum. Maria could catch the train at Tempe Station and change platforms at Central Railway Station to catch a train to North Sydney. A couple of months later they moved into their new home in Tempe. This move was good for me as Tempe was a lot closer to Smithfield than Bondi; it saved me 15-20 minutes driving time each way. The house had a lock up garage underneath; however it did not have any lights in the garage. I installed an electric light for them to use at night. The house was on the high side of the street and had a fairly steep, short driveway.

The month of January 1969 was for me a time of radical change in my life. Before Maria and her Mum moved to Tempe, Maria decided she wanted to go to a Biblical lecture, advertised in the local newspaper, in a nearby hall in Bondi. Maria asked me to go with her and I agreed to accompany her.

We walked to the hall and took our seats among many other curiosity seekers. The lecture turned out to be on Bible prophecy. The male lecturer spoke from the book of Daniel in the Old Testament. His subject was the Image that was given to King Nebuchadnezzar of the Chaldean [Babylonian] Empire via dreams in the night (Daniel chapter 2). This incident took place about B.C. 603.

The prophet Daniel was the only man in the Chaldean Empire who was able to interpret the dreams for King Nebuchadnezzar. Here's what Daniel told the King.

Daniel 2:31-35

"(31) You, O king, were watching; and behold, a great image! This great image, whose splendour was excellent, stood before you; and its form was awesome.

(32) this image's head was of finest gold, its chest and arms of silver, its belly and thighs of bronze,

_(33) its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of_ [ceramic] _clay._

(34) You watched while a stone was cut out without hands, which struck the image on its feet of iron and clay, and broke them in pieces.

(35) Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold were crushed together, and became like chaff from the summer threshing floors; the wind carried them away so that no trace of them was found. And the stone that struck the image became a great mountain and filled the whole earth."

Daniel goes on to explain that the head of gold was Nebuchadnezzar's Chaldean Empire. After his kingdom would be another kingdom, then another kingdom [the silver], followed by the third kingdom of bronze. The fourth kingdom would be of iron and clay mixed together. After these four kingdoms would be a fifth kingdom which shall never be destroyed.

Secular history (and the Bible) has revealed that the four world kingdoms were:

Gold - Chaldean Empire

Silver - Medes and Persian Empire

Bronze - Greek Empire [Alexander the Great]

Iron **/** Clay \- Roman Empire.

The fifth empire to be set up will belong to Jesus Christ - The Son of God.

The lecturer used a large cut out figure of a man. The cut out was painted in fluorescent paints to signify the different world empires. Using ultra violet neon lighting the image was very vivid and spectacular; even more so when a cut out picture of a large stone slid down a rope and completely covered the feet of the image. The message struck home!

Back at Maria's place I was very restless in bed. The vision of the stone covering the feet of the image would not go away. My conscience had been awakened. I knew that the stone represented Jesus Christ and that He would rule over the Earth.

At 2:30 am in the morning I got out of bed, dropped to my knees in anguish and said, _"Lord, I don't want to die."_ Immediately a great sense of peace flooded my being. I knew that I was saved. I knew that I had peace from God. That was the moment I became a born again believer in the Lord Jesus Christ. Forty-five years later that peace and assurance from God that I am a saved soul has not left me. In all the ups and downs of life, that assurance and peace of my salvation has been a constant source of reassurance in my life.

Now I would like to pass on how God began to awaken my conscience over a period of time. At night at home in Smithfield I would sometimes wake up in a cold sweat with a feeling of dread and impending doom. This happened many times. Sometimes I would have a recurring dream that was always the same. I would be standing on a railway platform waiting for a train. I would feel a force moving me unwillingly to the edge of the platform. Over the edge of the platform was a writhing, seething mass of venomous snakes! As I felt myself being pushed over the edge I would always wake up in terrible fear. Those fears and dreams disappeared as soon as I was saved.

My life did not change outwardly in the short term. I explained what had happened to Maria. She was perplexed by the event. I began to notice a subtle change in our relationship from then on. I went to see my paternal grandmother and my step-grandfather, Leila and Tony Natoli who lived at Naremburn a suburb on Sydney's north side. My grandparents were both committed Christians and I began to visit them more regularly.

After Maria and her mother moved to Tempe, Maria began to see difficulties in our relationship. The crunch came when she began dating another chap who owned a motor bike. One day I arrived to see her riding away as a pillion passenger on the motor bike. That was the end of our relationship.

I was hurting inwardly and I began to see more of my grandparents at Naremburn. Soon after I was welcomed into the assembly of believers who met at the Gospel Hall at Berry Road, St Leonards in Sydney's northern suburbs. Berry Road is directly opposite the main entrance to Royal North Shore hospital. Berry Road Assembly had a very active youth work under way and I soon joined in with their activities and outreach.

Chapter Fourteen : The Year the World was Awestruck

1969 was destined to become the year mankind achieved a stupendous milestone.

On the national front on Wednesday, 8-Jan-1969 severe bushfires in Victoria turned catastrophic and 15 people lost their lives in the bushfires.

On the international front on Monday, 20-Jan-1969 Richard M. Nixon became the 37th President of the United States of America (USA). His term as President was destined to be controversial and caused divisions among the people of America.

On Tuesday, 21-Jan-1969 an Australian boxer named Johnny Famechon won the World Feather weight boxing title in London, England. Australia could now boast of two world title holders; Lionel Rose, with the Bantam weight crown and Johnny Famechon with the Feather weight crown.

On Sunday, 2-Feb-1969 the express passenger train linking Sydney and Melbourne, the Southern Aurora smashed into a goods train at Violet Town in Victoria. The death toll was 10 people and at least 50 people were injured.

As February was now upon us I enrolled again at Fairfield Evening College to study for the Higher School Certificate. I had passed all my subjects for the School Certificate examinations the previous year. The Higher School Certificate was a different kettle of fish. The work would be harder and I would have to go to lectures five nights per week. It would take two years to do the necessary study for the examinations.

My study work load increased and the assignments increased. This also became a source of difficulty with Maria and was another factor in our break up. In retrospect I can't blame her; she was an attractive, vivacious young woman who was suddenly saddled with a boyfriend who had become a committed Christian and who was now not interested in partying and having a night out on the town. Our break up was inevitable. Our lives were heading in different directions.

My old boss from Alcon's Pty Limited days heard I was looking for a job after I resigned from Borg Warner. He had closed down his Electrical Appliances' operation and had bought a 2nd Hand Furniture Store instead. He offered me a job as a Salesman **/** Delivery Driver. So on Thursday, 13-Feb-1969 I began work with Alan Wulff at Holger & Co. which was situated next to his old premises at Fairfield. He had retained some of his buildings for storage and also for repairing furniture.

Life as a 2nd Hand Furniture salesman was very different to my previous jobs. Alan Wulff did all the buying. I did most of the repairs and restoration on our stock. I also did most of the deliveries as well. We delivered our goods free of charge. I worked 51/2 days per week, the usual retail hours. This job kept me very fit physically. We moved the equivalent of two houses full of furniture in and out of the showrooms each working day. Except for very heavy or awkward items I shifted most of it on my own. We would bring it out in the morning and take it all in at close of trading.

It was a rush job for me to get home, have dinner, change clothes and drive back to Fairfield to the Evening College. After Evening College was over I would drive home and begin my assignment from the lecture. Late nights became a normal pattern.

I became more involved with the youth work at the Berry Road Christian Assembly; however my Evening College commitments meant most of this occurred on a Sunday.

My brother Neil and his fiancée Gail planned their wedding day for Saturday, 10-May-1969. Neil had a full time job as a Fitter and Turner. They decided to buy a brand new house on a new estate at Smithfield and to move into it after their honeymoon.

Their wedding took place at the Baptist Church at Smithfield. The same church that Lyn, Neil and I attended for a few years. The Baptist minister, Mr Coleman was still there but was now well into his 80's and quite frail. The wedding ceremony was conducted by a former Catholic priest who had been saved and came out of the Catholic Church with twenty five parishioners following him. He had nearly completed his studies to become a fully fledged Baptist minister. Mr Coleman assisted his new colleague during the ceremony.

It's a small world sometimes. It turned out that my grandfather Tony Natoli knew Gail's father. Gail's father used to sell his produce at the Sydney Wholesale Fruit and Vegetables Market and my grandfather used to buy some of his produce for his former Fruit and Vegetables shop at St Leonards. Here was another link to the Murray family.

On the international scene on Tuesday, 3-Jun-1969 a feeling of déjà vu enveloped Australia. The aircraft carrier HMAS Melbourne collided with an American destroyer the USS Frank E. Evans during peace time exercises in the South China Sea. The bow section of the USS Frank E. Evans sank and 74 personnel died. The HMAS Melbourne now had two collisions with numerous fatalities within a space of five years. A joint Australian and US Navy inquiry was set up to investigate the latest disaster.

On Thursday, 19-Jun-1969 the Commonwealth Conciliation and Arbitration Commission ruled that equal pay for women doing the same work as men had to be phased in by 1972. Whilst this was an important breakthrough in the rights of women workers; it certainly did not help the cause of women who worked in female dominant jobs such as waitresses, seamstresses and nurses.

On the national scene on Friday, 4-Jul-1969 in Melbourne police battled with thousands of Vietnam War protesters outside the US Consulate. The anti-war feelings in Australia were escalating. Most Australians could not see the need for Australia to be involved in the Vietnam War. Young people in particular were against the war and the sending of Australian troops to a conflict which was essentially Asian and had no real meaning to ordinary Australians. Australia was only involved because the USA wanted Australia involved.

On Sunday, 20-Jul-1969 an event the world watched with bated breath took place. The American space craft Apollo11's lunar landing module nicknamed 'The Eagle' landed on the Moon. Astronaut Neil Armstrong climbed slowly down the ladder and became the first man to walk on the moon. As he took that first step on to the Moon's soil he uttered these words which have become so famous in the annals of mankind's history.

"That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind."

I remember the moment well. I was at work and watched this historic moment on a black and white TV set we had set up in one of the furniture display windows. The scene was so surreal yet it was actually happening - man was about to walk on the moon! It was truly awe inspiring!

After Neil Armstrong stepped on to the Moon's surface; his fellow astronaut Buzz Aldrin also stepped down on to the Moon's surface. These two astronauts were watched by viewers all over the world. Australia's radio telescope at Parkes NSW figured prominently in the relaying of signals for the broadcast from the Moon.

The Moon would never seem the same. Men had landed on it, walked on it and now we knew for certain it was not made of 'green cheese'.

Moon landing, 20-Jul-1969 - [Source: Wikipedia the free encyclopaedia]

Chapter Fifteen : The Fluctuations of Life

With the whole world still on a high from the Moon landing, and the Moon walks, there was a buzz of excitement as to what mankind could yet achieve. Would the planet Mars be the next goal?

As the end of July 1969 loomed up I began to get a dose of what I thought was a flu virus. The usual symptoms appeared; aches and pains, a feeling of lethargy and a sore neck. It slowed me down but I kept working. By the end of July I wasn't feeling any better. Dad had asked me to help him do some repairs on the roof the following weekend and I agreed to help him. I informed my grandparents that I would not be out next weekend as I would be helping Dad repair his roof.

So July came and went and as we started the month of August my symptoms seemed to be getting worse. I thought to myself, _"I will have to take some time off work and try to get over this flu."_ My neck was not only very sore but getting stiff as well. On Wednesday, 6-Aug-1969 I told my boss that I would not be coming in to work next day as my flu was getting worse.

Thursday, 7-Aug-1969 I woke up feeling very unwell. Mum stayed home from work to look after me. I had a restless day in bed; the pains seemed to be intensifying. Next morning on Friday, 8-Aug-1969, I asked Mum to run me a warm bath. I hoped this would relax my aching muscles. I undressed myself and gingerly got into the bath. As I sat down in the warm water I noticed that I could not straighten my legs. My knees were slightly arched and I could not straighten my legs any further.

Now I was worried! Something was not right! This was no ordinary flu. I got out of the bath, dried off, put on fresh pyjamas and walked painfully back to bed. I told Mum about my legs and she went straight to a public phone booth and rang my private doctor. My doctor was on holidays but his locum made a point of doing a hurried house visit to see me.

After a detailed examination he said to me, _"I don't want to alarm you but I want you to go to Auburn Hospital for urgent tests this afternoon. I will inform them that you are coming."_

Auburn Hospital, Sydney Australia - [Source: Google Images]

I was too sick to argue with him. Fairfield Hospital was closer but for some reason he wanted me at Auburn Hospital. Mum quickly packed me a bag and organised a taxi to take us to Auburn Hospital; which was about 15 km away. I don't remember much about the taxi ride; but I do remember being assisted into a wheelchair and being wheeled into the Casualty Ward.

The doctors and nurses in the Casualty Department were expecting me and I was taken immediately into an examination bay. Next thing I knew they were organising a lumbar puncture to inspect my spinal fluid. The locum doctor had suspected immediately upon examining me that I had Meningitis; that's why he wanted me urgently in hospital for treatment.

The lumbar puncture on my back was excruciatingly painful; I nearly jumped off the examination trolley. Fortunately the nursing staff held me secure. I reckon the needle hit a spinal nerve. From that moment on my pain seemed to treble in intensity. Every nerve in my body seemed to be screaming in pain.

I was taken up to an Intermediate Ward and placed in a room by myself which was at the end of a corridor. Full barrier nursing precautions were taken. Everybody entering my room had to gown up, wear gloves and a face mask. The hospital doctors were really worried that I had a virulent, infectious form of Meningitis. They did not have an Infectious Diseases ward or room and that's why I was isolated.

My spinal fluid specimen was quickly rushed through to the Pathology Department for urgent results. The diagnosis was not long in coming; Meningo-Encephalitis! Wikipedia - the free encyclopaedia defines Meningo-Encephalitis as a medical condition that simultaneously resembles both Meningitis, which is an infection or inflammation of the Meninges, and Encephalitis, which is an infection or inflammation of the brain. The Meninges are the membranes that envelop the central nervous system (CNS). Meningitis is an acute inflammation of the protective membranes covering the brain and spinal cord. Common symptoms are headache and neck stiffness. Encephalitis is an acute inflammation of the brain.

I was started straightaway on booster shots of penicillin antibiotics via large and painful needles directly into my buttocks; every four hours. Now I knew why I had such a stiff, sore neck and a severe headache behind my eyes. It felt like someone was trying to push my eyeballs out from inside my brain. I was put on a strong pain medication regime; but it only dulled the pain a little.

Neil and his wife Gail came for a brief visit and had to gown up, wear gloves and face masks. The nurses only allowed them about ten minutes and then sent them on their way. They came again the next day, Saturday, and brought Mum with them. On Saturday night I was lying on my back trying to sleep. Due to the lumbar puncture I was supposed to lie only on my back for the first 24 hours. My breathing began to be irregular and strange and I could not control the irregularity. I pressed my buzzer and a nurse hurried into my room. I said, _"My breathing is strange, I can't breathe normally."_

She listened to my irregular breathing and hurried out of the room. Next thing the Charge Sister was in my room, the doctor from the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) arrived about five minutes later. She had me transferred to a wheeled stretcher and taken down to the ICU unit.

I was put into an ICU bed and hooked up to a heart monitor. I was given an oxygen mask and put on a high flow rate; next I had a cannula inserted into my left arm and I was given intravenous fluids. My bed was lowered at the foot end and from then on I seemed to be fighting against sliding down the bed. My breathing was still erratic and I was in awful pain all the time.

My erratic breathing turned out to be pneumonia. I was fighting for breath. The female ICU doctor monitored my condition all night. My heart rate slowed during the night and it was touch and go whether I would live through the night.

My God is merciful; and I came through the night alive but very unwell. My heart rate seemed to be slow. The old chap in the bed next to me had a heart rate double mine. It turned out that the reason for the slow heart rate was Myocarditis, inflammation of the heart muscles. My pain intensity was still very high and I was given high dosage pain killers via the drip in my left arm. Penicillin doses were still administered every four hours.

I spent 21/2 days in the ICU unit until the medical officers were confident I could go back to the Intermediate Ward. The ICU unit was a real eye opener for me. Different patients came and went while I was there. There were people who had suffered major heart attacks, one chap was dying of Cirrhosis of the Liver and was moaning and groaning and writhing in his bed. He had the Delerium Tremems (DT's). He was in a really bad way. Another patient, a young woman was brought in from a car crash and had had windscreen glass embedded in her face. She was in intense pain and was moaning and crying out.

Mum, Neil and Gail visited me briefly on the Sunday. I was too sick for anything but a very quick visit. My boss Alan Wulff was contacted by my mother. He called into the hospital on his way to work on Monday morning and was allowed to see me from the doorway of the ICU unit. I could see the shock on his face.

On Tuesday, 12-Aug-1969 I was transferred back to my room in the Intermediate Ward. I was there for a couple of days; during that time I had an unexpected visit from Maria. She just wanted to make sure I was going to be OK. When the medical doctors were sure that I did not pose any risk of infecting other patients I was moved out into a normal four bed ward with other male patients.

The Charge Sister came and spoke to me, _"Mr Peasey, you have to be careful not to do anything strenuous as your heart needs to recover."_

I knew that there was a problem as I could feel a constant dull pain on the sternum bone on my chest. My recovery was slow and I felt very weary all the time. I spent a total of 10 days at Auburn Hospital. Neil came to drive me home.

At home I spent weeks in bed recuperating. I got to a stage where I would sleep during the morning then I got up and sat around the house in the afternoon. One of the more serious side effects was on my short term memory. I had difficulties retaining things. I could carry on conversations and participate well; but a short while later I had problems recalling these events. Yet I was fortunate, for some people who have had Meningo-Encephalitis have had much more severe memory problems as a result of this illness. Another unfortunate side effect was the onset of bad headaches. I cannot recall having had headaches before this illness.

Maria paid me one more visit at home, but this was the last visit. Apparently some of the young people from the Berry Road Assembly also came to see me; but I was in a deep sleep when they arrived. Mum and Dad supported me during my recovery phase. The Department of Social Security paid me a meagre amount of sickness benefits until I was able to resume work. My car sat by the side of the house until I was well enough to start driving again.

My recovery was gradual. I was unable to do hard physical work as a result of the heart problem; so I had to resign my job with Alan Wulff. He understood the situation. He had had to replace me quickly to continue to service his customers. What I would need was a desk job; at least until my health was back to normal.

On the national scene Rod Laver won the US Open Men's Single Title on Thursday, 2-Oct-1969. This gave him another Grand Slam year of tennis. He won the Australian Open, the French Open, Wimbledon and the US Open. His feat in winning two Grand Slams (in 1962 and 1969) has not been surpassed even in modern times.

In early October 1969 I rang up about a newspaper advertisement for a Telephone Sales **/** Clerk at Dunlop Footwear at Bankstown NSW. Dunlop Footwear was located

in a manufacturing complex; comprising Dunlop Mattresses and Dunlop Footwear on the corner of Chapel Road and Canterbury Road, Bankstown. I was granted an interview and was subsequently successful in landing the job.

On Monday, 13-Oct-1969 I started work at Dunlop Footwear. They were aware of my physical limitations at the commencement of my employment. As long as I could stay seated behind a desk for most of the day I was able to work satisfactorily. I had a crash course in their footwear range and their sizing grid for shoes and boots. There were three different order pads; one for industrial footwear, one for wet weather footwear and one for sports footwear.

The main styles were listed on each form and the size grid for the style as well. So it was relatively easy to fill out a telephone order. Space was left on each form for miscellaneous items.

The NSW Branch where I was located was a very busy sales office. Telephone orders were constantly coming in, as well as mail orders which had to be transcribed on to the order pads. There were three telephone sales **/** clerks and the Office Manager, plus two processing clerks. The NSW Branch Manager also had his office in the branch. A team of travelling sales representatives covered the State of NSW. Each representative had his own sales territory, which was either a city or country territory. The sales representatives were headed up by the NSW Sales Manager.

The work whilst not physically demanding was mentally demanding and at times extremely busy. I have known days when I knocked off work and sat in my car in the staff car park for up to half an hour to unwind; before I could face up to driving in the traffic.

On Saturday, 25-Oct-1969 a Federal election was held; the incumbent Prime Minister John Gorton defeated the Australia Labor Party's leader Gough Whitlam and Australia maintained its status quo. The Coalition Government remained in power. However, the Australian public seemed to be getting a bit tired of the Coalition Government, which had been in power since the Menzies' era.

On Saturday, 29-Nov-1969 the Indian Pacific standard gauge railway line linking Sydney and Perth in Western Australia (WA) was completed. It was now possible to get on the Indian Pacific train in Sydney and travel all the way across Australia to Perth in WA on the same train. This link up was also a great boon for freight companies. Goods trains could now be sent from Sydney to Perth and vice versa, without transhipping at State borders.

On Tuesday, 16-Dec-1969 Prime Minister John Gorton, giving in to public pressures, announced a phased withdrawal of Australian troops from Vietnam (the unwinnable war). The mood of the Australian public towards the war in Vietnam was becoming more belligerent.

Epilogue

As the decade came to its final conclusion, Australia was poised for more expansion and a different political climate. What would the 1970's have in store for us all? Vietnam War issues had created a polarising effect and people in general wanted Australian troops out of Vietnam. On the home front my life was moving in a different direction and major changes were in store for me during the next decade.

About the Author

I am a retired male nurse, married with three sons, who have grown up and left home. I live with my wife at Innisfail in tropical North Queensland, Australia. The main agricultural crops of the region are sugar cane, bananas and paw paws. Innisfail is situated at the confluence of the Johnstone and South Johnstone rivers; adjacent to the Great Barrier Reef. The closest major city is Cairns about 88 km further north.

I am a committed Christian and I fellowship with like minded Christians at a Gospel Hall in Innisfail. I enjoy writing and reading my Bible and Christian books. I also enjoy reading other non-fiction books in my spare time, particularly biographies and autobiographies

You are invited to check out my other ebooks.

Ebooks author page https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/JRPeasey

I also blog on my two blogs:

Biblical Perspectives blog http://www.jon-peasey.blogspot.com

Words of Life blog http://www.jrpeasey.blogspot.com

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