“I was born in Lismore Base Hospital in January 1962. We stayed in Lismore for a little while. My Mum said she found me hanging off the outside of a second storey balcony as a toddler, yelling…Mum…Help!!. I got rescued luckily. We moved to a farm at Wollongbar and I went to the old Wollongbar School. It’s all changed now. We stayed until I was almost through Year 5 and then we moved to Ballina.
Most of my younger life was spent in Ballina. As a young fella still at school I would get up at 4am and do the paper run. 150 papers and then paper sales at the local caravan park. I went to the old, original Ballina High which was only pulled down in the last 2 years. We would go fishing on a Friday arvo near the old co-op and fish all night. When it got cold we’d light a fire and wait for the trawlers to return in the morning. When the trawlers came in the fish followed so we’d get big beautiful bream and fresh prawns off the boats. We’d see big sharks going up the river. Sometimes we’d stay out for a couple of days, occasionally heading home for something to eat and then back again.
I was never into sport. I played at school but I liked going to work with Dad who was a Plumber. My uncle was a Builder so often I would work with them as a young fella. I learnt skills early. We were pretty good teens. We’d get up to a bit of mischief but nothing bad. We never broke windows, never smashed cars or stole stuff, nothing like that. We had good, clean fun.
At 15 I worked after school at the old Bounty Fruit shop. The owners were from Norfolk Island. We socialised with them and had the best BBQ’s in the country. I then worked at the supermarket next door which was similar to Jack the Slasher’s. This was the days before electronics. We had to price everything before packing the shelves. I also worked as a night filler in Woolies in Ballina. I got to manage the supermarket when I was only 17. In the end the pressure got to me so I moved to Sydney.
The first job I applied for in Sydney I got as a Storeman and Packer. He was a lovely old gentleman, well I thought he was old. He was probably only 40 (laughs). I loved the job. I was driving from Engadine to Kirrawee to work so I moved closer. I found a place to rent with this elderly couple. He ended up being a real dropkick. He was working on Centrepoint Tower so when it was too windy to work he’d go and get drunk, come home and beat up his partner. I asked her one day, What’s going on here? She said, ‘Listen here young fella, pack your bags and go, don’t worry about me, I’ve been putting up with this for a long time.’ I said you can’t put up with that. She told me to go before he got home. I often wonder about her. I moved into a place that was meant to be bed and board but they were always out of it, no food in the house. They’d sit at home smoking bongs all day. After those experiences I came back home to Ballina.
Dad’s back got really bad so he had to give up work. We moved into the Hibiscus caravan park in 1974. Everything we owned was jammed under the van or up inside. Mum and Dad were having a drink with friends and the next thing there’s screaming…We’ve gotta get out!. I stepped out of the van into a foot of water. The ’74 flood had come and swept across the cane fields like a tsunami. As the water was rising it flowed into the toilet block which in those days had oil burners to heat the showers. The oil was leaking and the pilot light’s going so next thing, there’s fire floating on the water. It was really scary. All the vans had to be dragged up into the middle of the road. We ended up moving to the Shaw’s Bay Caravan Park which was great. We could fish, swim, had the kiosk for fish and chips, played the pinball machines. Life was good.
I went to Mildura picking grapes with a school mate. One night I’d gone to bed and my mate was up reading by candlelight. The candle was sitting in a plastic container on a vinyl chair. He’d fallen asleep and woken up to the seat on fire. The first thing he thought of was to put it out so he’s tried to put it out with his hand. He rang me up and said, AJ you need to take me to hospital. We got to Mildura and they had to literally scrub the vinyl off his burnt hand. I could hear him screaming. We had to go back daily to get the dressing changed for the next 3 weeks. I kept working till we came home to the Northern Rivers.
I started work with Kevin Geaghan Funerals which are now Guardian Funerals. I used to go to the cemetery and dig holes, do pick ups from the hospital or from homes where someone passed away. The boys never did it to me but a few of the new workers would be given the treatment. The morgue was at the back of the house and they would tell the new ones to go down and screw the lid on the coffin so we can do the service. It would be another coffin and when they started putting the screws in someone would jump out of the box. We’d say where’s the new guy and they’d say..He’s gone! (laughs). They never stayed. One time I was mowing the grounds in the cemetery and the grass was neck high. My mower and I dropped into a big hole. I thought they’d come to get me. Scared the crap out me. The original caretaker was really old and loved a drink. If the mower didn’t start first go, he’d go and have another drink. The council never got rid of him because he’d been there a hundred years. It was an interesting job learning all the different protocols in the different churches and sometimes very sad when children were involved.”
Most of my younger life was spent in Ballina. As a young fella still at school I would get up at 4am and do the paper run. 150 papers and then paper sales at the local caravan park. I went to the old, original Ballina High which was only pulled down in the last 2 years. We would go fishing on a Friday arvo near the old co-op and fish all night. When it got cold we’d light a fire and wait for the trawlers to return in the morning. When the trawlers came in the fish followed so we’d get big beautiful bream and fresh prawns off the boats. We’d see big sharks going up the river. Sometimes we’d stay out for a couple of days, occasionally heading home for something to eat and then back again.
I was never into sport. I played at school but I liked going to work with Dad who was a Plumber. My uncle was a Builder so often I would work with them as a young fella. I learnt skills early. We were pretty good teens. We’d get up to a bit of mischief but nothing bad. We never broke windows, never smashed cars or stole stuff, nothing like that. We had good, clean fun.
At 15 I worked after school at the old Bounty Fruit shop. The owners were from Norfolk Island. We socialised with them and had the best BBQ’s in the country. I then worked at the supermarket next door which was similar to Jack the Slasher’s. This was the days before electronics. We had to price everything before packing the shelves. I also worked as a night filler in Woolies in Ballina. I got to manage the supermarket when I was only 17. In the end the pressure got to me so I moved to Sydney.
The first job I applied for in Sydney I got as a Storeman and Packer. He was a lovely old gentleman, well I thought he was old. He was probably only 40 (laughs). I loved the job. I was driving from Engadine to Kirrawee to work so I moved closer. I found a place to rent with this elderly couple. He ended up being a real dropkick. He was working on Centrepoint Tower so when it was too windy to work he’d go and get drunk, come home and beat up his partner. I asked her one day, What’s going on here? She said, ‘Listen here young fella, pack your bags and go, don’t worry about me, I’ve been putting up with this for a long time.’ I said you can’t put up with that. She told me to go before he got home. I often wonder about her. I moved into a place that was meant to be bed and board but they were always out of it, no food in the house. They’d sit at home smoking bongs all day. After those experiences I came back home to Ballina.
Dad’s back got really bad so he had to give up work. We moved into the Hibiscus caravan park in 1974. Everything we owned was jammed under the van or up inside. Mum and Dad were having a drink with friends and the next thing there’s screaming…We’ve gotta get out!. I stepped out of the van into a foot of water. The ’74 flood had come and swept across the cane fields like a tsunami. As the water was rising it flowed into the toilet block which in those days had oil burners to heat the showers. The oil was leaking and the pilot light’s going so next thing, there’s fire floating on the water. It was really scary. All the vans had to be dragged up into the middle of the road. We ended up moving to the Shaw’s Bay Caravan Park which was great. We could fish, swim, had the kiosk for fish and chips, played the pinball machines. Life was good.
I went to Mildura picking grapes with a school mate. One night I’d gone to bed and my mate was up reading by candlelight. The candle was sitting in a plastic container on a vinyl chair. He’d fallen asleep and woken up to the seat on fire. The first thing he thought of was to put it out so he’s tried to put it out with his hand. He rang me up and said, AJ you need to take me to hospital. We got to Mildura and they had to literally scrub the vinyl off his burnt hand. I could hear him screaming. We had to go back daily to get the dressing changed for the next 3 weeks. I kept working till we came home to the Northern Rivers.
I started work with Kevin Geaghan Funerals which are now Guardian Funerals. I used to go to the cemetery and dig holes, do pick ups from the hospital or from homes where someone passed away. The boys never did it to me but a few of the new workers would be given the treatment. The morgue was at the back of the house and they would tell the new ones to go down and screw the lid on the coffin so we can do the service. It would be another coffin and when they started putting the screws in someone would jump out of the box. We’d say where’s the new guy and they’d say..He’s gone! (laughs). They never stayed. One time I was mowing the grounds in the cemetery and the grass was neck high. My mower and I dropped into a big hole. I thought they’d come to get me. Scared the crap out me. The original caretaker was really old and loved a drink. If the mower didn’t start first go, he’d go and have another drink. The council never got rid of him because he’d been there a hundred years. It was an interesting job learning all the different protocols in the different churches and sometimes very sad when children were involved.”