“ I grew up in Cronulla. My parents had take away shops, one opposite Cronulla Station and another opposite Shelley Beach so I worked after school. From a very young age I was surrounded by very liberal older people so I was up for trouble. At 14 I had a much older girlfriend whom my parents and I argued about and I was asked to leave home as things were pretty tense.
I had lots of money because I had all these part time jobs. I worked in the ice cream parlour, my parents shops, in a butchers, as a paper boy, all after school. I had shoeboxes full of money and I went to the Cross and shared an apartment with an older girl who ended up being an Escort. I used to paint on a moustache with mascara so she thought I was older. I was 16.
I worked 2 nights a week at a restaurant in Cronulla. The lady was really beautiful but she was a drinking problem. At first I washing dishes then I moved on to making entrees. Each week as she got a bit more pissed I’d get bigger jobs which was a blessing because I learnt how to cook. I used to take the food back to Kings Cross and that fed me until I got a better job.
I got a job in my first hairdressing salon. I went day in and day out asking for an Apprenticeship. There were over 30 people applying before me and the girl I lived with said, Say you’ll work for free. I walked in 6 or 7 days in a row telling them I’d work for free and eventually they took me on. That started my hairdressing career. That salon was Cut Above in the Angel Arcade. I’d stroll past John and Merivale, all the groovy music, up the stairs to the salon with about 30 staff. It was pumping and I loved every second of it. I’d go home and practice blow drying hair and of course the lady I lived with had a lot of friends who wanted blow dry’s late at night so I became very good at it.
I was transferred to the North Sydney salon. One day a lady who liked my head massages came in and asked for me to blow-dry her hair. The manager said, No, he’s an apprentice so he can’t. She was a good customer but said she wouldn’t return so I started blow drying her hair and we are still friends to this day.
At 17 I went to work for a lady called Georgi Lee at Studio Works. She was from San Fransisco and she taught me service, American service. Every client got a cup of coffee, a magazine and head massage. I worked with her for years and years and have a lot to thank her for.
John Adams from Double Bay asked me to come into his salon and bring service. When I got there it was a cafe bar, no magazines, etc. I thought I would take over that salon when John retired but he’s a work horse and never retired. I moved to a salon 2 doors down from John with a guy called Scott James. I was the manager there and we got the 2000 Olympics. We did the hair for the celebrities for the opening and closing ceremonies. It was really cool. We did Kylie and Elle and all the others involved and hung out with them for the 5 days in between. They were all really nice, down to earth people. Kylie was particularly nice. She’s so tiny. She fitted into Nicki Websters trapeze outfit when she was at the Olympics. I did Cathy Freemans hair before she lit the flame. Two security guards came and said we are taking you to do the hair of the person lighting the Olympic torch. I didn’t know who it was or what tools I would need so I took a big bag and we travelled on this little golf cart through the stadiums to a green room. When they opened the door it was Cathy who is one of my biggest heroes. My heart was racing and I was told I only had 3 minutes to do her hair. The only thing I could do was braid it. She still kindly signed an Aboriginal flag for me which I treasured and only recently gave to an Aboriginal friend for her daughter. It was time for someone else to treasure it.
My partner Scott James retired so I took over the salon after the Olympics and we skyrocketed. We had 22 staff and I was a hairdresser not a manager. I’m not a manager. I enjoyed all the perks of having a salon in Double Bay. There was a beautiful Jewish community who took me into their hearts and their homes every Friday for Shabbat.
I had lots of partners over that time. I met a guy called Sharif. He was a Director of an oil and gas company and he also had a drug problem but was highly functioning. He ran his job beautifully and in the good times we flew first class all around the world. I saw amazing countries and he was an amazing guy but things were tough when he was using. It was horrific. We were together for 8 years but the first few years he’d been to The Buttery and was in recovery from Ice. He’d have small relapses. He had a place to recover up here in Belongil and we had a place in Vaucluse. If he ever busted he’d come up here and I’d stay working in Vaucluse. It all got too much so I left the salon and started working from home. No stress and more money.
When my boyfriend relapsed I went to stay at my friends house just to get out of his space. My friend had gone to QLD for a week. She’s always loved my gardens so I decided to do a makeover of her garden. I did her garden, came home because Sharif ended up in hospital. My friend phoned and said she was coming home a day early and I remembered I’d left the garbage bin, rake and buckets of leaves in the middle of her garden. I wanted it to be perfect when she got home so I went back the next morning, opened the door and as I left the door slammed with my dog and the keys still inside. I climbed over a chimney which was part of the fence as I didn’t want to ruin my bamboo section. The chimney collapsed on top of me. I ended up in the same hospital as Sharif but I was there for 9 weeks. My leg was completely crushed. Two doctors wanted to chop it off and the third said, Let’s just wait till the swelling goes down. I couldn’t get out of bed for 12 weeks. I’m very lucky I can still work on it.”
I had lots of money because I had all these part time jobs. I worked in the ice cream parlour, my parents shops, in a butchers, as a paper boy, all after school. I had shoeboxes full of money and I went to the Cross and shared an apartment with an older girl who ended up being an Escort. I used to paint on a moustache with mascara so she thought I was older. I was 16.
I worked 2 nights a week at a restaurant in Cronulla. The lady was really beautiful but she was a drinking problem. At first I washing dishes then I moved on to making entrees. Each week as she got a bit more pissed I’d get bigger jobs which was a blessing because I learnt how to cook. I used to take the food back to Kings Cross and that fed me until I got a better job.
I got a job in my first hairdressing salon. I went day in and day out asking for an Apprenticeship. There were over 30 people applying before me and the girl I lived with said, Say you’ll work for free. I walked in 6 or 7 days in a row telling them I’d work for free and eventually they took me on. That started my hairdressing career. That salon was Cut Above in the Angel Arcade. I’d stroll past John and Merivale, all the groovy music, up the stairs to the salon with about 30 staff. It was pumping and I loved every second of it. I’d go home and practice blow drying hair and of course the lady I lived with had a lot of friends who wanted blow dry’s late at night so I became very good at it.
I was transferred to the North Sydney salon. One day a lady who liked my head massages came in and asked for me to blow-dry her hair. The manager said, No, he’s an apprentice so he can’t. She was a good customer but said she wouldn’t return so I started blow drying her hair and we are still friends to this day.
At 17 I went to work for a lady called Georgi Lee at Studio Works. She was from San Fransisco and she taught me service, American service. Every client got a cup of coffee, a magazine and head massage. I worked with her for years and years and have a lot to thank her for.
John Adams from Double Bay asked me to come into his salon and bring service. When I got there it was a cafe bar, no magazines, etc. I thought I would take over that salon when John retired but he’s a work horse and never retired. I moved to a salon 2 doors down from John with a guy called Scott James. I was the manager there and we got the 2000 Olympics. We did the hair for the celebrities for the opening and closing ceremonies. It was really cool. We did Kylie and Elle and all the others involved and hung out with them for the 5 days in between. They were all really nice, down to earth people. Kylie was particularly nice. She’s so tiny. She fitted into Nicki Websters trapeze outfit when she was at the Olympics. I did Cathy Freemans hair before she lit the flame. Two security guards came and said we are taking you to do the hair of the person lighting the Olympic torch. I didn’t know who it was or what tools I would need so I took a big bag and we travelled on this little golf cart through the stadiums to a green room. When they opened the door it was Cathy who is one of my biggest heroes. My heart was racing and I was told I only had 3 minutes to do her hair. The only thing I could do was braid it. She still kindly signed an Aboriginal flag for me which I treasured and only recently gave to an Aboriginal friend for her daughter. It was time for someone else to treasure it.
My partner Scott James retired so I took over the salon after the Olympics and we skyrocketed. We had 22 staff and I was a hairdresser not a manager. I’m not a manager. I enjoyed all the perks of having a salon in Double Bay. There was a beautiful Jewish community who took me into their hearts and their homes every Friday for Shabbat.
I had lots of partners over that time. I met a guy called Sharif. He was a Director of an oil and gas company and he also had a drug problem but was highly functioning. He ran his job beautifully and in the good times we flew first class all around the world. I saw amazing countries and he was an amazing guy but things were tough when he was using. It was horrific. We were together for 8 years but the first few years he’d been to The Buttery and was in recovery from Ice. He’d have small relapses. He had a place to recover up here in Belongil and we had a place in Vaucluse. If he ever busted he’d come up here and I’d stay working in Vaucluse. It all got too much so I left the salon and started working from home. No stress and more money.
When my boyfriend relapsed I went to stay at my friends house just to get out of his space. My friend had gone to QLD for a week. She’s always loved my gardens so I decided to do a makeover of her garden. I did her garden, came home because Sharif ended up in hospital. My friend phoned and said she was coming home a day early and I remembered I’d left the garbage bin, rake and buckets of leaves in the middle of her garden. I wanted it to be perfect when she got home so I went back the next morning, opened the door and as I left the door slammed with my dog and the keys still inside. I climbed over a chimney which was part of the fence as I didn’t want to ruin my bamboo section. The chimney collapsed on top of me. I ended up in the same hospital as Sharif but I was there for 9 weeks. My leg was completely crushed. Two doctors wanted to chop it off and the third said, Let’s just wait till the swelling goes down. I couldn’t get out of bed for 12 weeks. I’m very lucky I can still work on it.”