My Life Story

1953 Born 17 August at King Edward Memorial Hospital (Subiaco, Western Australia) and lived in Wasley Street, North Perth.

1955 Sister (Susan) arrived on the scene.

1956 Moved to Third Avenue, Mt Lawley, midway between Mt Lawley Primary and Senior High Schools.

1959 Started school at Mt Lawley Primary School.

1966 Entered Mt Lawley Senior High School.

1971 Started work at the (now defunct) Sunday Independent Newspaper (owned by the late Lang Hancock) as a cadet journalist. I also studied part-time at the Graduate Academy of Arts (WA) and obtained a Bachelor of Science degree

1974 Due to social upheaval in my life, moved to Queensland and worked for the Courier Mail Newspaper (Brisbane) for six months, then spent the following six months exploring north Queensland.

1975 Moved to Melbourne (Victoria) and found work as a tram conductor.

1976 Became a tram driver/trainer and later, bus driver, based at Footscray (western suburbs).

1979 Homesick for WA and came back west and got a job with MTT (now Transperth) as a route bus driver. Initially based at Causeway depot, later moved to Claremont and then Karrinyup. Met the lady who I was to marry next year - Julie.

1980 Married Julie. Life is happy. Working for the MTT. Find seasonal work as a Water Theme park manager.

1983 Our daughter, Tracey Michelle is born in March. A loving, clever, wonderful little girl.

1984 Time for a vocational change. Start work as a psychiatric nurse. I like the job, but miss travel, so it is time to look around. Start work with Deluxe Coachlines as a Perth-based driver on the Perth-Wangaratta and Perth-Darwin express coach runs.

1985 Our son, Troy Michael is born in August on my birthday.

1989 Time for a change again. Plus, I could see the writing on the wall for Deluxe. Decide to head for the north-west of Western Australia and start work as a swimming pool manager.

1990 My Annus Horribilus (as Queen Elizabeth 11 would say). Had a run in with the Australian Taxation Office, got divorced and numerous other problems. Finished the year on a positive note - started work as a console operator with Shell (Halls Creek) in the Kimberley region of Western Australia.

1991 The Swagman chain - which owned a number of Shell roadhouses in WA was broken up and the new owners of Shell Halls Creek gave us all 3 months notice, as they would be bringing up their own staff. Drove to Meekatharra and started work with Steve and Jean Dunstan at their Shell Roadhouse.

1992 Wanting to get back closer to Perth to see my children grow up. Move in with my brother and work briefly at Ampol Cataby (110km north of Perth) before working at Shell South Perth. Shell decides to buy out large numbers of Shell franchisees and after a brief stay with the MSF (multi-site franchise), I go and work at Ampol Rivervale then go back my old boss, Sam Barrass, who has bought himself a Caltex site in Lord Street, East Perth.

1998 Time to move on again. Join MOW Holdings, which now operates a number of BP sites in the Perth metropolitan area. Gain a lot of experience managing high-volume fuel sites.

2001 I am tired of Perth. I never thought I would say this. I am tired of armed holdups, drug dealers, fuel drive-offs. Visit the government's Job Search website and find a vacancy in the Gascoyne region of Western Australia. Unfortunately, they only have 'female accommodation' but put me in touch with Bob Bongiorno, Manager of Balladonia Hotel-Motel, on the Eyre Highway. With technology being what it is, I decide to trim my communication costs by starting an online Daily Diary.

2002 Balladonia is a wonderful place. I am happy here and quickly save enough for my dream holiday - a trip to Thailand. Only two weeks there - only saw Bangkok, Pattaya and Phuket - but determined to see more of the country.

2003 After much soul-searching I decide that I have achieved what I set out to do at Balladonia and take up a management position further east. I am appointed Relief and Crisis Manager for Caiguna, Cocklebiddy, Madura, Border Village and Nullarbor roadhouses. My final day at Balladonia was Valentine's Day, 14 February. For a non-drinker, I felt lousy - but thought it was only a 24 hour virus. Fortunately, relief manager, Mandy, knew better and called the Flying Doctor, who informed her that I was having a heart attack. Flown to Kalgoorlie Hospital. Spent 3 days in intensive care, before being flown to St John of God Hospital in Subiaco, where I had a stent fitted. Discharged myself 24 hours later and my daughter and her ex-husband drove me to WA/SA Border Village to commence my new job. Spent the rest of the year managing Madura and Caiguna, with brief stints at Cocklebiddy and Border Village.

2004 Went back to being a Road House Attendant at Madura. Briefly managed Madura and Caiguna again. Resigned at the end of the financial year (30 June) to fulfill my dream - living and working in Thailand. Unfortunately the business failed. The only positive is I meet and hall in love with my current partner. No income, so six weeks later I am back in Australia - looking for work. A brief stint at Balladonia (paradise), a forced transfer to Norseman (nightmare!) before returning to Madura.

2005 February saw my third trip to Thailand. One night in Bangkok, then Air Asia to Khon Kaen and taxi to Si Chom Phu. Start building a house on land donated by my partner's parents. After 2 weeks, return alone to Australia and back to work at Madura. Next holiday booked and paid for to Thailand in early August this year. House is completed, electricity and water connected. House is now fully furnished.

2006 Madura managers David and Sandra resign and start work at Central Caravan Park in Belmont (near Perth). I buy a car and drive to Perth in February before flying to Thailand in February. Three weeks holiday - 2 in Thailand. Work starts on building a fence around our properties (mine and partner's parents). Come back to Madura and meet new managers. Unable to work with them - so I resign and move back to Perth. Live briefly with my mother and step-father, before moving in with friends Ron and Fran. Work for Peak Petroleum, starting at Easter - but lack of work hours means I resign and start work for Carringtons as a Traffic Controller. Resign Boxing Day to start work at Murwillumbah - 32km south of the Gold Coast - in the Northern Rivers region of NSW for Bradley and Alison at Murwillumbah Motor Inn as Reservations Manager..

2007 Travel back to Thailand just after Easter for the Thai New Year celebrations of Songkran. My partner, Nop, is given a 3 month Tourist Visa to vacation in Australia. Late June, MMI's maintenance man (Grant), Nop and I travel to Thailand. I return with Grant. Just before my 54th birthday, on 11 August, I suffer my second heart attack. In November, I fly to Singapore and meet with Wit. We see the sights of the island and then fly to Koh Samui. From there we are off to Chiang Mai (via Bangkok) - visit the Golden Triangle (Myanmar, Laos and Thailand) before returning to Bangkok. I fly back to Australia.

2008 Alison's grand-daughter (Madison) and I fly Air Asia from the Gold Coast to Bangkok, via Kuala Lumpur in January. A brief orientation tour of Bangkok - I got to see the tourist highlights and we both enjoyed ourselves. I headed back to Thailand in April, having just given up smoking - a habit I took up when I was 17 - also visiting Hong Kong and Cambodia. Early May and things are quiet - so Alison arranges a job for me in Perth at the Indian Ocean Hotel, Scarborough. I buy a VN Commodore car and stay with my son at his northern suburbs house. It's too far from work - so I share a unit with a nice lady in Doubleview - 2km from work. After 4 months, at the start of September, I resign from the IOH, have a Father & Daughter Road Trip around the SW of WA and start with Path Transit as a bus driver. I move out of the shared unit, into a Scarborough triplex with Ron.

2009 03 January - I moved back in with my son Troy and his fiancee Amy. Amy announced that I would be a grandfather in early September this year. Sure enough - I age 20 years (joking!) and I become a grandfather to Ada - a gorgeous little girl. Had a major hernia operation in March at Joondalup Health Campus and a holiday in Thailand in mid-year.

2010 It's Y2K+0.01 - a few left-over bugs from Y2K surface. A hot and very dry start to the year in Perth. A week's holiday in Thailand in March. I start a new relationship with Witt in April. Finish with Path Transit at the end of the financial year. Life is complicated - Tracey moves back home with her mother. 12 August is a momentous date for all the wrong reasons. My life is put on hold - literally! I am forced to surrender my passport. My business overseas collapses. I declare bankruptcy two months later. I just hope 2011 is a better year. Can it get much worse?

2011 A new year - my life is still on hold. I am unable to leave WA. I am very depressed. A ray of light happens in January. I have my fingers crossed. I will know more at the end of June this year.