The early days
I grew up in the back streets of a suburb in northern Brisbane, often found playing on the street with a football, soccer ball, tennis racquet, baseball, go cart or my BMX. Just after I was born, my parents bought a 4.5m half cab boat, and at the age of 7 I was in the front yard playing with the anchor rope, trying to throw it over the branches of a Jacaranda tree. A guy that was driving past, stopped and asked to speak with my parents, and the next week I was in Cub Scouts, age 7.
I’m not sure what happened at age 7, but I seemed to join a few things, Cub Scouts was one, soccer was the other. Somehow the gentle learning nature of cub scouts turned in to urban warfare by the time I reached scouts proper, and would generally involve running around the parkland next to the scout hut in full camouflage playing night games. There were a few things that were good take aways from the scouting movement, respect for the Queen of England and the Royal Family, doing stuff with rope, fieldcraft, playing with fire, and finally realising that we were not supposed to be heavily armed…. Ooopps.
Hiking out of a weekend camp, through the Brisbane State Forrest, I’d fallen behind on the hike out, severally dehydrated, I called out to David, a younger guy about 30 metres in front of me, to tell the leaders that I had to stop. I made my way to the side of the dirt track, laid down and passed out. I’d say I was about 12. I woke up to one of the parents assisting me, I was helped in to their 4WD and they took me to the finish point. The father who helped, his son went on to be a Commonwealth Games gold medalist in his wheelchair. Even though I nearly died, the scouting movement was awesome.
I played soccer from age 7 – 14, again, an awesome experience. Some how, every weekend the coach Bruce, who couldn’t kick a ball to save himself, had some personal tragedy and if we won, it would really make his day better. Under 10’s and Under 11’s, we won every game for two years, every game.
No one ever said that if you could bend it like Beck’s, you would end up being worth millions and have a hot wife. But in saying that I can stand at the corner post and kick the ball through the goal on command, and I’m a toe punter, which the coach hated, except when it went through the posts.
High school
These years were ok, a lot of my friends went to different schools, and I later found out they wagged often, they never mentioned it, but I was a pretty strait laced kid. I took all of my books everyday, I always went, my shirt was always ironed, and I went to every class. High school being what it is, often boys would bully people to see what they could get away with and again jostle for hierarchy. I got bullied a bit, I was easy pickings because I was well behaved, and raised to be polite and keep my hands to myself.
After showing interest in a girl, some guys ganged up on me in grade 11, five on one and the pushing, shoving and banter started. Realising this had to come to a head at some point, I dropped my books, threw the biggest on on his arse and stood my ground. The bullying stopped after that and was then known as Roger Ramjet…. ?
Work life.
Unofficially, I started work when I was 8, mowing lawns with my father for money on the side. I never saw any of the money but it kept us fed. Age 14 I worked at a lawn bowls green mowing the common areas, marking the green, and odd jobs. From age 14 through to 17 I worked at a mechanical car wash using a chamois to dry cars as they came out. It gave me enough money to supplement my lunch money for school, buy rollerblading stuff, and sponsor weekend rollerblading adventures.
I started an apprenticeship literally the day I finished school and it was probably one of my most regretted decisions. After the 3 month trial, I told my parents I was done but they forced me to finish it. On my last day I threw my tools in the industrial bin outside the workshop, and smoked the tyres on my V8 muscle car leaving the carpark. I went a bit hard smoking the tyres and blew the main bearing in the gearbox and limped the car home. Totally worth it.
A month later the boss rang me at home to offer me the old job back, I laughed, he laughed, I hung up. I have little tolerance for people who take advantage of other people, or use their position of “power” to be mean or controlling.
The pen is mightier than the sword, only until you meet the guy with the sword.
Tae Kwon Do
I started Tae Kwon Do in late high school, after doing self defence classes at school, mostly because of the bullying I’d faced through my school career. It was good fun, a good social sport eventually making my way to Black Belt just before my 21st birthday.
I ended up training 2-4 times a week, participated in 4 semi contact tournaments (no punching to the head) and completed the referees course. It became pretty serious when Tae Kwon Do got accepted as an Olympic sport and the 2000 games were going to be in Australia. I was never any chance of going to the games, only came second in the heavyweight division once, but fortunately never got cleaned up by someone.
I’m against boxing now, particularly female and children boxing, and think it should be dropped as a competitive sport everywhere. It development of MMA has shown that people are taking it to the streets and its leading to the One Punch Can Kill outcomes we are seeing in society.
Natalie
Natalie is a beautiful, elegant lady I dated in my mid to late 20’s. In my mind, without a doubt one of the most influential people that crafted me in to the human I have continued on the path to become today. As a man, no one ever really tells you the things you need to do, the person you’re supposed to be, and really defines it down to desired outcomes.
Just under 10 years my senior, after a few dates I was really keen on her, and after all, I’d taken her to the Sanctuary Cove Boat Show, what higher ideal is there in life. One day I was talking to her and mentioned that I wanted to start introducing her as my girlfriend, to which she replied, “Are you going to love and care for me, give us a house to live in, provide all the things we need?” I wanted too, and looking back I guess I was never the person I needed to be when I was younger mostly because I hung around the wrong people, spent too much money in night clubs and on cars, and never had a good job even though I was a qualified tradesperson.
Not marrying her, and starting a family is one of my bigger regrets.
The Navy and Qld Police
What a waste of 3 years. After getting a divorce, I guess I was looking to become apart of something again. Being a boat guy, I thought the Royal Australian Navy might be a good idea. I started getting really fit, and started the application process. It’s pretty slow, and especially as I was trying out to enter at a higher level. I got good grades in the testing which indicated I could go as high as Pilot in any of the three services, but also included roles such as Commando. I chose Maritime warfare officer and continued along that testing path. Everything was going really well, until the hearing test. During the test the lady made my hold my hand up with the button to see if I was actually pushing it or if the buttons broken. It turns out that while I have functional hearing, I do have some loss at higher frequencies, which goes back to normal at very high frequencies. Weird.
Being found Class 4 medically unsuitable for the Navy, I decided to try the Qld Police. I had to get even more fit, which was fine, and still a long drawn out process, one of the last things you would think of from the police is that they were corrupt. Even though I passed all of the tests, and the physicals, and the medicals, I was asked to come back and try out again in 12 months. The 50/50 policy the wanted to bring in saw females unsuitable for the roles that had not passed some of the tests inducted in to the QPS just to bring up the female male ratio. The QPS recruitment process was later found guilty of wrong doing in court. I didn’t go back
Queensland University of Technology
More powerful than you’ve ever known
I’ve always been entrepreneurial, almost to a fault. I’ve always been putting things together, mechanically or just ideas, and thinking of what could be. I’ve owned several businesses, photography, modelling, and a digital magazine but never had the business skill to run the properly.
After leaving the police recruiting process, I enrolled in a Graduate Certificate in Marketing, and really enjoyed it. I completed it in under 4 months, and enjoyed it so much I signed up to complete the Masters degree in business majoring in marketing. Along the way I also completed the subjects to complete a Grad cert in Advertising.
The courses at QUT were fantastic, and it’s really a life changing event. While it took me two and a half years to complete the 15 subjects, I was also working full time which made for a very busy 30 months. Totally worth it, and with the expense of $60,000.
What the future holds
Business.
I have a few projects underway and I’m always on the lookout for businesses that could use my assistance in marketing, advertising, innovation or increasing performance. If this sounds like you, get in touch.
Personal life.
I’m certainly open to finding another life partner, but I feel people’s perception of what makes a relationship and what people think love is, is different to what I’m actually looking for. The fact that I’ve been asked what my net wealth is a few times by females is concerning.