Went to Oz in '86 on a tourist visa, bought a $800 beat up Chevy at Bondi from some scruffy surfer shared between a Swedish mother and son, and mother's Egyptian bf and son's Swedish gf. Drove all the way from Sydney up to Townsville. Took slightly more than 3 months for the journey because we were stopping and working at farms along the way,picking tomatoes, watermelons, apples, whatever work we can get. Great demand for manual workers like us.
Stayed at caravan parks for like $20 a night, shared equally. Great fishing, plentiful weed, very potent especially in Queensland. Met lots of locals in their pubs and invited to too many BBQ's at their home, among the most memorable was a Kiwi hangi, in which huge chunks of lamb, beef and chooks were wrapped in muslin cloth and buried in a hole in the ground filled with rocks that have been heated in a bonfire. Best BBQ I have experienced, not to mention a big bowl of weed was available in a big bowl for anyone so inclined, lots of good local wine and beer.
Decided to come back to Sydney, said goodbye to the travelling companions without taking back my share for the price of the car. Found a job at a Caltex station a couple of hundred meters from my pad near Coogee, paid $50 a day. Besides filling up, learned to change tyres, tubes, balancing and simple maintenance job. Yah, was exploited but I take it as a learning process.
Next, went to work in Sydney's largest dry cleaning outfit. Started off steam-pressing shirts and pants. Emerged as the fastest worker, promoted to dry-cleaning machine operator. Not 3 weeks in the job, boss asked whether I'm interested in becoming a contractor in their curtain collection unit. Sure, I said, if you'll put the money up for the van. They, however, give a bank guarantee to ANZ bank for me to take out a loan, guarantee me a minimum $350 a week wage even if there's no work, undertake all my van's expenses including tyre changes and maintenance, which I thought was pretty decent of them. My cut was 20% of the total invoices which, on a average, nets me about $700 a week.
Turned out I was the only guy in that outfit collecting curtains from all over Sydney doing this, reporting only to a Fijian Chinese with an Ozzie wife. Henry, his name was, took pretty good care of me, helped me negotiate after 6months to a rate raise to 25%, decent of him. The job entails collecting curtains from mainly corporate like offices, hospitals, even the Sydney Supreme Court, old folks who can't do their own curtains, restaurants etc. The few Christmases I was there, the office were inundated with calls from those old folks with invitations to join their X'mas dinners, which I declined. I like to start early, leave the house at 6 and would be finished by 4 in the arvo, unless there's a big job. Very relaxed, lots of time for snooker at the St. George Leagues Club where I came in runners-up in the Annual doubles chamionship. The cup still have a honored place on my shelf.
3 romances there, first one was a Malaysian cutie who unfortunately for me wants her virginaity reserved for her husband. I would have married her but for the fact I was, after a first 30 days, an illegal, even though I was paying my taxes, and so was she, so that put paid to that. The second was a really cute Venezuala 22 year old who manned the drive-in drop-off and collection counter at the factory I worked. We had a month long fling before her estranged bf decides he really wanted her back, and me deciding she's not really worth having a triangle fight for. Then one day a friend, a Malaysian dentist, brought me to a brothel in Chinatown. Met this lovely Thai girl and started a affair which lasted till I decided to come home after 3+ years. Taught me all the Thai I needed to know because her English sucked.
At the airport, I was pulled aside to the office and asked if I am aware I had overstayed. Stupid question but I told the lady immigration officer yes but I was travelling all over Oz and it's such a big and beautiful country I was loathe to leave. She eventually stamped my passport and I think in all sincerity wished me a good trip home, and that I would only be able to go back after 3 years. I did eventually 15 years later, with wife and son in tow.
with artifical lighting ..
