“I saw this house advertised up here in Numulgi, Corndale and it jumped out of the page at me. It wasn’t the sort of house Sharif would buy. He liked big flash houses and this was a tiny little rural cottage. I remember calling the Real Estate but at the time there was nothing I could do about it. A year later when I got out of hospital, my operation failed and I had to go back and have another operation. It’s been good ever since but I found the piece of paper with the house on it again and it still had the same feeling to me. I rang up and it hadn’t sold. As soon as I could get up here I came and we bought the house as a holiday house.
Sharif came here after a business trip to Africa for one night. He was now suffering psychosis when he was sober. I’d moved all the furniture in and was decorating the house still on crutches. He pulled me outside thinking I worked for the Federal Police. He left for Sydney and that was the last I saw of him. He’s gone missing before but I had a feeling in my guts something was bad. I listed him as a missing person and 5 days later I got a call from Lismore Police to come and identify a photo. It was him. I asked where he was and they to said he was found in an apartment. It was about 6 blocks from where we lived. He hadn’t taken his car or clothes, no identification. Apparently he had reached into a manhole and got electrocuted, fallen back, hit his head on the bath and bled to death. When I got home our security door had been ripped off from the bricks, all the computers were gone, all the phones were gone. All the art was still there. It was all very suspicious. I would come up with so many stories of what happened and still to this day I don’t really know.
I ended up here, not knowing anyone. There were lots of legal wrangles over his estate, a million dollar tax bill, all sorts of stuff and I was still disabled. I stayed here and everyone in the community reached out. The people heard that I had lost my partner and so many people befriended me and asked me to their homes. Donna from Bexhill shop had heard that I was a hairdresser and begged me to cut her hair. My clients would come up from Sydney and buy stuff there so she asked me to cut hers. One day I felt good enough again to do it. I built up a clientele through word of mouth and it got too busy for inside the house so my partner Llan built a studio for me here on the property. It got busier so now I am booked out all the time in the hills, in the middle of nowhere. I love everyday I come to work. I feel very blessed to be able to work one on one with people. It’s like a vault in here, we share.
I was given a lot of helping hands when I was growing up. It felt like every step I took someone gave me a step up in community and in life. For instance, the lady who got me to blow-dry her hair took me to a fancy restaurant. I’d never been to a restaurant where they had more than one glass on the table and 5 bits of cutlery. I’m still good friends with her and her sister. They taught me the correct words to use, what sides the cutlery is placed, table etiquette . Because they did that for me I try and do that for others now. As a man I feel so blessed to be able to work with women and to have that balance in my life. I think all kids should have a hairdressing apprenticeship for 3 months so they can understand each other better.
I loved living in the Vaucluse, Double Bay’s colourful little bubble and I remember when I drove to Corndale and coming through Lismore. I didn’t know how to place it. I remember going to Farmer Charlies and buying 3 kilos of apples for $5 where in Vaucluse we were paying $5 for one apple. The more I saw of this area the more I loved it. I met so many resilient, brilliant people in Lismore, cafe owners, people who pulled together after the flood. Everyone seems to stick together as a community and strive for the best so I love living here now. I don’t actually live in Corndale, I live in Numulgi but I couldn’t say it. I’d be on the phone to clients and they’d say, Where do you live? I’d say Noomilgy or Namarlgy or Nomoooljee. I couldn’t get it right so Corndale sounded much more glamorous (laughs).
It’s been 10 years now on our 17 acres. We have chooks. I’ve built a Koala corridor and reforested all the hills. When I first got here I thought I had a rainforest but it was Lantana and Camphor. I did a Conservation and Land Management course which taught me what to plant. Prior to that I was planting Bromeliads in the bush, giving it a Vaucluse garden.
After living up here for almost 3 years I thought it was time to date and look for a partner. Normally in the past you’d meet people through your clientele and up here it was all on line which was a bit tricky. Lismore was always closed by 7pm so where do you go to meet people? After 3 years I met my partner Llan whom I’m still with now. We live a beautiful life. I came up here to retire but I work more than I ever have. I can walk outside to the studio, listen to music, chat, look out the window to nature. I love the area a lot.”
Sharif came here after a business trip to Africa for one night. He was now suffering psychosis when he was sober. I’d moved all the furniture in and was decorating the house still on crutches. He pulled me outside thinking I worked for the Federal Police. He left for Sydney and that was the last I saw of him. He’s gone missing before but I had a feeling in my guts something was bad. I listed him as a missing person and 5 days later I got a call from Lismore Police to come and identify a photo. It was him. I asked where he was and they to said he was found in an apartment. It was about 6 blocks from where we lived. He hadn’t taken his car or clothes, no identification. Apparently he had reached into a manhole and got electrocuted, fallen back, hit his head on the bath and bled to death. When I got home our security door had been ripped off from the bricks, all the computers were gone, all the phones were gone. All the art was still there. It was all very suspicious. I would come up with so many stories of what happened and still to this day I don’t really know.
I ended up here, not knowing anyone. There were lots of legal wrangles over his estate, a million dollar tax bill, all sorts of stuff and I was still disabled. I stayed here and everyone in the community reached out. The people heard that I had lost my partner and so many people befriended me and asked me to their homes. Donna from Bexhill shop had heard that I was a hairdresser and begged me to cut her hair. My clients would come up from Sydney and buy stuff there so she asked me to cut hers. One day I felt good enough again to do it. I built up a clientele through word of mouth and it got too busy for inside the house so my partner Llan built a studio for me here on the property. It got busier so now I am booked out all the time in the hills, in the middle of nowhere. I love everyday I come to work. I feel very blessed to be able to work one on one with people. It’s like a vault in here, we share.
I was given a lot of helping hands when I was growing up. It felt like every step I took someone gave me a step up in community and in life. For instance, the lady who got me to blow-dry her hair took me to a fancy restaurant. I’d never been to a restaurant where they had more than one glass on the table and 5 bits of cutlery. I’m still good friends with her and her sister. They taught me the correct words to use, what sides the cutlery is placed, table etiquette . Because they did that for me I try and do that for others now. As a man I feel so blessed to be able to work with women and to have that balance in my life. I think all kids should have a hairdressing apprenticeship for 3 months so they can understand each other better.
I loved living in the Vaucluse, Double Bay’s colourful little bubble and I remember when I drove to Corndale and coming through Lismore. I didn’t know how to place it. I remember going to Farmer Charlies and buying 3 kilos of apples for $5 where in Vaucluse we were paying $5 for one apple. The more I saw of this area the more I loved it. I met so many resilient, brilliant people in Lismore, cafe owners, people who pulled together after the flood. Everyone seems to stick together as a community and strive for the best so I love living here now. I don’t actually live in Corndale, I live in Numulgi but I couldn’t say it. I’d be on the phone to clients and they’d say, Where do you live? I’d say Noomilgy or Namarlgy or Nomoooljee. I couldn’t get it right so Corndale sounded much more glamorous (laughs).
It’s been 10 years now on our 17 acres. We have chooks. I’ve built a Koala corridor and reforested all the hills. When I first got here I thought I had a rainforest but it was Lantana and Camphor. I did a Conservation and Land Management course which taught me what to plant. Prior to that I was planting Bromeliads in the bush, giving it a Vaucluse garden.
After living up here for almost 3 years I thought it was time to date and look for a partner. Normally in the past you’d meet people through your clientele and up here it was all on line which was a bit tricky. Lismore was always closed by 7pm so where do you go to meet people? After 3 years I met my partner Llan whom I’m still with now. We live a beautiful life. I came up here to retire but I work more than I ever have. I can walk outside to the studio, listen to music, chat, look out the window to nature. I love the area a lot.”