Trips to Melbourne

We have done a few trips to Melbs over the journey - some back in the day when it was a hub between Ma's place and SEA, but most during our five years in Echuca. We're about to do another one actually, in early Jan', to take the boys to the cricket, and for us all to enjoy some shopping, good food, and a nice pool to swim in. They are good trips, but unfortunately, have often been tainted by arguments. One could argue that these arguments have come from multiple sources or are caused by multiple people, but ultimately, I need to take responsibility. It is my angst, in city driving, and general impatience, that have caused a few fights. The last one was pretty bad, and led to us staying away from Melbs for quite a while. We're soon going back. We do have renewed resolve to control other contributing factors, such as booze, but at the end of it all, I need to keep my cool. This has proven to be more challenging of late, and I don't know why. I suspect, it is a subconscious dissatisfaction with myself due to constant failings that keeps me on edge. I really need to learn to not give in to them. I really need to get that values checklist happening soon, so I can better keep tabs on this and better manage myself. I think it is well and truly worth a shot. I love stat's, and I love my family. I need to do better.

Trips over the years to Melb's have been either to the city itself, or to the eastern suburbs, particularly Glen Waverly, where some parts look more like downtown Hong Kong than Australia! On our very first trip, we stayed in a part of town close to the embassies, so wifie could renew her passport. On the way there, walking through a park, we came across this strange shrine, which had wooden spoons littering the ground everywhere. Babs, having been threatened with one more than once in his naughtiness, looked quite spooked at the prospect of dealing with all these! Tongue in cheek of course...

This trip, we are staying close to the G, as I will be taking the boys to a BBL match. I hope it is fun and a spectacle for them, and not boring, nor tainted with yobbo's. I always worry about the yobbo factor when I am with my kids, one does need to be cautious. I hope we are able to find some good food too, maybe a couple of places to visit (Aquarium perhaps?) and some shopping for the girls. 

Also, I am considering a move in 2025, so it might be worth thinking about other places to go while we live in this neck of the woods. One I like the idea of is the Great Ocean Road. Too touristy and over-crowded in summer I feel, but maybe mid-year holiday, if we're still here, we could go for a road trip? I reckon it would be fun. I think we have the rest of this summer covered, and a Cairns trip already booked for Easter, so mid-year or next spring if we're still here, could be the go for this coastal exploration perhaps?

Anyway, those are my musings on local family holidays, and the impact my behaviour can have on them, and on my family in general. I may sound a bit blasé about this, but believe me, I am not. I am well aware of my shortcomings, I am well aware that I tend to focus on others when under duress, and I am well aware that this behaviour distances me from those I love most - too often at the moment. I must do better, for the sake of my wonderful family, this short life, and the joy these people bring me. 

Where To Invest?

So I have recently made a decision to offload my bullion and collectables - both online bullion and my coins, nuggets and bars. About 14 grand's worth all told. Reason being? Well, I am currently in a minimalist phase, and am looking to offload some physical stuff. That's one reason. Another is that I am keen for a bit more liquidity in my investments. A third is that while gold and silver are safe haven investments and will grow in the long-term, they don't provide a return in the meantime. That ongoing return is what I am after. Plus, lastly, if we move overseas again, I am wary of packing a box of gold and silver and not having it stolen.

Once in a while, I buy the Money magazine. It provides some good insights into investment products on the market, some case studies, and just helps in general, to get one's mind in the mix of things, to make good investment decisions. I have toyed with the idea of subscribing a few times, but never have. I'm glad of that fact too, because I think overall I am in a pretty good spot regarding my portfolio. But the fact is, that I'll have 14k to do something with once I have offloaded my precious metals. I am thinking I will have ~10k to invest, as I want to use 4k to put into the house and yard. The other day I sold the online bullion and immediately bought 5k worth of ETF's. So, so far, so good. For the rest, I figured I'd see what this edition of Money had to say, and if it gave me any ideas.

They had quite a section on the headline article, with a number of experts talking about a variety of things, and their own recommendations. Here goes;

1) Education. The first expert reckons you should invest in yourself, with say a Money subscription, some training, that kind of thing. I can see the benefit, but frankly, I don't think that was the intent of the article. For someone who views 10k as a meaty chunk of cash, they are looking for things to build their wealth more directly I feel. So I don't see the value in spending this kind of money on education in this context.

2) The next expert suggests term deposits or high-interest savings. Meh, they are ok, especially if you want liquidity, which I do, so perhaps it's not so meh. I do have my Bendigo managed fund, which is very liquid, and performs ok, so I'll keep that in mind as an option.

3) Next on the list is high-growth assets, such a tech' shares, S&P 500, gold, that kind of thing. I do like a bit of speculation, but frankly, with 40% of my portfolio already in growth shares, I am looking for return on those more than adding other punts to the list. 

4) Zach Riaz thinks managed funds are a good choice. I do like them, and see ETF's as akin to these. As mentioned, I have already put 5k into ETF's as part of this exercise, so the rest needs to go elsewhere.

5) Small-cap stocks is the next recommendation. Why do I get the feeling that Money have just got a group of so-called experts and asked each to recommend their own area of expertise, so that they have a recommendation for each possible approach? That makes me think that it's not really an objective list - it's more one created to justify any possible investment idea. Small caps to me are similar to growth stocks, so no thanks.

6) Bonds are mentioned too. I have had a quick look at these in the past, but don't really understand it very well. Yes it looks low-risk but also looks low-return. I guess if you can set and forget, that's a good thing. But I am not really looking to diversify investment types even more, more which kind of investment that I already have, that I can put more into.

At the end of the day, it's all about what one is looking for. I am ultimately looking for retirement income. I want to retire at 60 and take pension from my super. Then at 67 I will take the aged pension. But likely, these will not be enough, especially at 60. So I want to grow my dividend stocks and ETF's, to generate more returns. For now, I go for stocks with dividend reinvestment schemes, which offer discounted shares and no brokerage, to put your dividend into. When I turn 60+, I can redeploy those dividends into cash payments. So I think that answers the question. I have put 5k into ETF's so far, I will now look to add another 10-ish to some of my dividend stocks, once I have sold my precious metals.

Today's Walk - New Bridge, Old Bridge

Alright, today was something different. Wifey and the boys were keen for a bike ride and I was keen for a walk. So I left 30 minutes earlier than them and began walking to Moama. As I predicted, they caught up to me halfway across the new bridge.

I had mainly been doing 5-7km walks for a while now, so today I was keen to go longer. As mentioned in older posts, in the day I used to do 10km, reasonably easily. Today's, which included a return leg, was 11.5km. It should be been 12.5km, but I was so tired and sore at 11.5km, I got wifey to pick me up at Echuca College. 

Great to be back on the big walks board again, although I might tone it down a little next time. At least until I am back in some kind of condition. Which walk is next?

Getting Back Into Reading

This is something I have been trying to do for a while.

Why is it that I find it so hard to do blogging / reading / listening to music with others around? Am I wary of their criticism? Am I avoiding their input? Or is my mind just so cluttered that I need quiet around me in order to function? I put in my calendar a weekly Monday morning cafe visit, in order to dedicated some regular time to blogging. I have done it twice in six months or more. Not so successful. 

Anyway, I have been routinely downsizing my library over the last few years, and have only enough books to fill a single set of bookshelves now. Sticking out amongst these shelves is the one below, essentially filled with books I liked the look of, but have never read. Looking at these, there are some interesting sci-fi novels, a cricket book, a history of silver and something on mysteries. It's actually a pretty good microcosm of my tastes across my life actually. Interesting snapshot!

So these school holidays, which see me having some holidays and WFH days as well, I have set myself the goal of finishing off a couple of books. I have the following title sitting next to my easy chair, which is where I do all my reading these days. 

I am about 3/4 through the King book of short stories, and about 1/3 through the Singapore book. I will finish these two off and then likely donate them. As usual with the King shorts, some are awesome and others, not-so-much. On the back of getting this though, I also repurchased a second-hand copy of Night Shift and Skeleton Crew, his classic short story books from my childhood. I will reread these in due course too. The next interesting novel is the Crichton one. Interesting for two reasons - one, Michael Crichton died about 20 years ago, so I am not sure how he managed to write a new novel. Perhaps it's his son, or perhaps James Patterson has taken some notes of Crichton's and turned it into a finished product. I am interested also, because of the subject matter - I just love volcanoes! Plus, Crichton's work on Jurassic Park was magnificent, a simply superbly written and balanced novel. The movie did do it justice thankfully, but the book is still a better piece of work. I must grab another copy one of these days. Perhaps I can do it in my newly gifted Kindle - thanks wifey! - as I would rather be more of a minimalist regarding such things these days.

Lastly, we have the two self-help books. What The Fuck? I hear you exclaim! Yes, I know. But I have seen many shorts of Jorden Peterson on YT in the last few years, and his point of view resonates with me. So I am keen to read him. The other one was recommended, also on YT, and is a book on the roughly 4,000 weeks we have in our lives, and using that context to help plan and prioritise your life, work and goals. I look forward to getting stuck in !

52 Pick-up

Hearts, Diamonds, Clubs, Spades.

Somehow, I always thought that was the ranking of suits in playing cards. Apparently, with the exception of Bridge, there is no distinction between suits. However, for the sake of this post, I am ranking them as just written. Reason being, today I am 52, the same number as the total of cards in a standard deck. So I figured, why not reflect on my 52 years of life so far, see which are my best 13, all the way to my worst 13. I don't know how easy this will be to do, as frankly, life isn't as simple as that, but I shall attempt it! To make it a little easier, I won't rank the years within each suit, so for instance, the Ace of Diamonds will be just as good as year as the Two of Diamonds. Make sense? Here goes...

Spades - Worst Years

2 - 2000 - this was the year my dad got diagnosed with cancer, and we all spent it watching him deteriorate. Strictly speaking, it was the following year that he actually died, but 2000 was a very tough year for me, one that I didn't recover from for some time.

3 - 2018 - this was another year of great change. Change in the case of death, for my brother Michael, and my dear Aunty Heidi. I was not around for either though, as the other aspect of change in that year was our move from Barooga to Kupang in West Timor. What a change that was! And what a loss we felt at home too.

4 - 2004 - this was the year that I essentially came undone. I was on a mission of self-destruct from 2000 onwards, partially due to losing Dad, but also because in some ways, I think I wanted to go down the hole. I honestly don't know why. It culminated in me leaving Murrin and moving to Queensland. I'd like to say that fixed me, but it didn't. I didn't get fixed for a long time after.

5 - 2002 - much like the previous entry, I left Tarmoola this year, less so because I was over Tarmoola, but more so because I was running away from myself and what I had become. Of course, changing jobs only partly changed my mindset, and temporarily so. In 2002 I was lost frankly, and remained this way for some time to come.

6 - 1988 - this was the year my foolish teenage antics came undone. I got caught up with the wrong friends for a while, and ended up stealing jewellery from my mum to fund our nonsense. We got caught in the end and I had to own up. My parents were devastated, and it hit me hard. Still, I bounced back from this like nothing else, and it turned my life around. I became fit, excelled at school, and learned humility. So a lot of good came from the bad, yet it was a terrible learning experience in my life.

7 - 2001 - well this was on the back end of 2000, and in Jan 2001, my dad actually passed. At the time, in many ways we were glad his suffering was over, but in all honesty, I struggled to recover from this. 2001 and the following few years I was lost, behaving poorly, taking risks, and really not going anywhere. 

8 - 2006 - this was the year of my first marriage and my joining of JMS. JMS itself was good experience, and I enjoyed the travel it allowed me. I mainly enjoyed it because it allowed me to escape my reality, which was being in a controlled situation, with a psychopath watching my every move. During my life I have sometimes been good at ignoring important signals for the sake of perceived tranquillity. But that so-called peace 

9 - 2009 - hmm, this was the year that I broke up with the ex. I could have handled it better. I spent the year essentially drifting away, and then finally stating that I wanted to end it. She came up to Lipis in an effort to save it, and we ended up in a fight. I may or may not describe the cause of that, but needless to say that was the end of that. I am lucky that I had such an understanding boss in Dean, as he protected me through this, and over the next couple of year, I thrived. But 2009 itself was pretty average until about October. 

10 - 2003 - this is up there with the rest of the early 2000's as the time I lost myself. This year in particular has no specifics I can remember, other than me blowing all my money indulging in a whole lot of vices. I was at a low ebb, and heading towards the crash that happened the following year. I wonder if such things are inevitable, or if more well-rounded people can maintain a better balance? I guess we all have our own story to tell, and our own way of dealing with what life throws at us.

Jack - 2007 - this was my year living in Brisbane and doing almost 100 flights working for JMS. From an experience and lifestyle perspective, it was good. I worked at Jump Up Dam as PM, did plenty of estimating, and mucked around in Kal and Perth. But it was my personal life that puts this year in the misery books. I was under the thumb, distanced from friends and family and not in a good place mentally. It took a while to gain the strength to pull out of that situation, but I did eventually, in 2009.

Queen - too young to remember, so we'll stick 1977 here. 

King - too young to remember, so we'll stick 1973 here.

Ace - too young to remember, so we'll stick 1974 here.

Clubs - Middling - Not The Best Years

2 - 2024 - look I'm going to put this year in the not-so-flash category. Why? Well let's say that this year has been under-pinned by ongoing health annoyances, dissatisfaction with my work, and not always the best interactions at home. It has seen my close-to-giving up of alcohol, which is a great thing though, but has been dominated largely, by unrest. 2025 though, is a year I am looking forward to with great hope!

3 - 2017 - in some ways, this was a decent year. It was a full year living in Barooga and working in the shop. That meant seeing family more than any other time as an adult. So I celebrate that aspect. But inside me, I still struggled, and my alter-ego surfaced at one point, which I am ashamed of. In some ways, that drew a line in the sand that may never be undone. My weaknesses remain, my resolve sometimes wavers. But I am determined to the best person I can be, mainly for my family, but also for myself.

4 - 1989 - this was my first year in Cobram High, having come back from Singapore. I had the pommy accent, and didn't really fit in that easily. I guess there were some good memories from this year, but I had all sort of different friend groups, searching for decent friends. Shane was probably the best of those, although it was a fickle arrangement. Ups and downs in the female relationship side of things too, but to be expected for a 16yo. It just wasn't that easy a time for me. Luckily, Year 12 improved that.

5 - 1980 - my first year proper in HK was not easy. I was shy, and didn't make friends all that easily in those days. I was also impressionable, and wasn't the best kid. I have memories of doing some stunts at KJS that hurt others (not much, but that's not the point), and I have memories of feeling humiliation due to poor personal hygiene (I can see Alex doing the same frankly). those burgeoning years were not easy, but eventually I found a wonderful group of friends there to grow up with.

6 - 1997 - my last year at KCGM became troublesome. I was still young, and frankly, too big for my own boots. I didn't want to do the hard yards at mine planning, and was convinced I could become a production and blasting expert. Bruce counselled me otherwise, I wish I had listened more. Not to worry. Without Alex, JB and Bruce around, I wasn't as impactful, and didn't get on as well with Rosie, Sleep and Gupta. 

7 - 1998 - this was a continuation of the year before. I did leave KCGM, joined a nonsense minor for 2 weeks, and eventually ended up with Bruce at Tarmoola. This job was awesome for me eventually, but to begin with, it was bloody hard, as I was largely left to my own devices, working in DIDO then FIFO and dealing with a hostile contractor. It was a maturing experience for me, but that year doesn't hold a lot of great memories.

8 - 2019 - like many of these years, it was a tale of different experiences. By early 2019 I knew GMG was a basket case, due to the Hamish factor. As mentioned elsewhere, it ended up being the best move that I left when I did. Then spent four months in KL, which was up and down. I suppose it was fairly stressful due to the unknown of our future at the time, plus it not being in my comfort zone. That's why 2019 makes this list.

9 - 2023 - last year was a Milbrae year and a tough one, being focussed on too many areas. Much like this year, I wasn't happy with work, nor myself personally, and had too many negative interactions with loved ones. I feel bad about that, but proud that I recognised it, and made moves to improve my situation. Still, 23/24 has been a tough time. Where to from here I wonder?

10 - 1985 - I left HK and moved to Sing with the family this year. It was a stressful time, changing countries and schools and this is when I got childhood asthma. I was lucky enough to see Martin Gill and his family in Singapore not that long after we moved there, which was super for me. It took me a while to settle in Sing, so this was a difficult year for me.

Jack - 2005 - this was an up and down year too. The first 2/3 of it was at Gladstone, where I performed well at work, but was a bit unsettled. As Dick Yates suggested, it really was a retirement job, and after a year, I had nailed it, and started to become bored. Plus I was still wasting all my money on smokes, booze and strippers at that time. I made improvements in this timeframe, but not enough of them. The end of the year saw me in West Wyalong at Barrick, which was an ok change for a while.

Queen - 1987 - similarly to 1989, I was a bit of a fish out of water here. I was trying to be with the so-called cool kids, and frankly, I didn't fit. They didn't want me either. I clashed with some, got bullied, and ended up drifting away from strong core values. My schoolwork suffered too. I guess it wasn't all bad, but I don't have the best of memories. The exception was the Krakatau trip, which was grand. 

King - too young to remember, so we'll stick 1975 here.

Ace - too young to remember, so we'll stick 1976 here. 

Diamonds - Great Years!

2 - 1979 - this is the year I moved to Hong Kong. I say "I", but I was merely a hanger-on, as Dad was going to work on the MRT. This move, in reality, was the making of me. In this moment, I started my journey towards multiculturalism, which really is at the heart of what makes me tick.

3 - 1992 - my second year at RMIT. What I remember the most about this was winning student of the year at the John Saunders Lecture, and being awarded the honour by the CEO of BHP while pissed as a fart. Haha, glad the memory is a hazy one. But academically, it was close to the pinnacle for me.

4 - 2011 - this was a good year at Penjom. This was the year Stu, Harj and I put together the life-of-mine strategy for the mine, and in doing so, made it a very attractive option for JRes to buy. We did not know this was Avocet's plan at the time, but we really enjoyed the challenge, and to my mind, did some great work.

5 - 1990 - I did Year 12 in 1990. This was overall, a great year, with some good learnings, the strong development of my English skills thanks to Darcel and her inspiring teaching, and the completion of high school for me. Time with that group of friends was precious, although I am no longer in contact with any of them strangely enough. 

6 - 2020 - this was the year I achieved my career dream, and was promoted to GM at Mawsons. It was a big step up from the role I was recruited into, and a steep learning curve, but it felt right, and in that first couple of years, I feel I really excelled at the job too. Definite life highlight.

7 - 1983 - in this year, I was in a more senior grade at KJS, had a great group of friends, spent my spare time exploring the streets of HK with Martin, and was in my prime as a young boy. 

8 - 1984 - as with '83, both these years were my prime in HK. In '84 I actually went up to high school, starting at KGV. It was challenging, but fun, and I just loved it there. Yeah I was still no good at sport (memory of trying to play rugby sticks with me), but I was relishing the freedom I had and the experience of this life.  

9 - 2015 - again, this was me as a consultant, living and working in KL. I wish it never had to end. Could I have done better for ASN? Maybe, but it was Najib and 1MDB that did for ASN, causing funding to be revoked and the whole thing to fall apart. John Reeve looked to Chinese investors as an alternative, but they smelled blood in the water, and it suddenly started to become very hard to do anything. I loved the year though, especially Ma and Heidi's visit. That Damansara house was just grand!

10 - 2022 - this was also a good year overall, seeing me land a very healthy bonus. I got involved in redesigning the structure of Mawsons quarries, and I think I did a good job. We were really settling into things at home, with covid now behind us. 2022 also was the year that I started wondering about this job and lifestyle, and briefly considered Vietnam with Chook (I wonder!). Ultimately, I have to ask myself the question - now that I have my dream job as GM, is this something I can / want to sustain? 

Jack - 1986 - this is the year I hit my strap at UWC, before going off the rails. I had made some good friends, got into cricket, was doing ok at school, and enjoying the Singapore life. I think I then tried to ramp it up, join the cool kids, get into drinking and general nonsense, and then it wasn't so good after that.

Queen - 1995 - this was the year I discovered Kalgoorlie. I went up there one weekend from SX, had a look at the tourist lookout, and decided I simply must work here. I was lucky enough to land a job quickly and away we went. I had my own unit in that first year, which was tough financially, but I had a lot of fun, and learned hugely at KCGM. 

King - 1994 - this was the year I finished uni, and moved to W.A. It was also the year I spent with Lucette, living with her family in Hurstbridge, which was a great experience. Of course, being young and emotionally immature, I screwed it all up, but that's kind of to be expected in hindsight. This post is difficult, because of course each and every year has its ups and downs, and '94 is a great example of that. But I choose to remember the positives - my first serious girlfriend, my move into mining, and my first big adventure as an adult.

Ace - 1978 - too young to remember, so we'll stick 1978 here. 

Hearts - Awesome Years!!!

2 - 2010 - this was the year I became free of my ex, met my life partner, travelled the world, and truly lived. The beginning of the rest of my life.

3 - 2012 - this is the year we welcomed Lala into the world, and a joyous occasion it was! 2012 was also a big year of change, with me leaving Penjom, joining and then leaving ENC in the Philippines, joining and then leaving ASN, and moving to Texas with Alcyone. But all of it is forgotten compared to the birth of our daughter!

4 - 2013 - this is the year we welcome B into the world. He came in full of drama, and has maintained that to a degree since, but he has a very loving heart, and is growing into an impressive young man.

5 - 2016 - this is the year we welcomed Babs into the world. Ok it's also the year that ASN went CU and we had to hightail it back to Oz with nothing, but if life has taught me anything, it's to take away the positives, learn from and forget the negatives. So it's the happy occasion of Babs entry into the world that dominates memories of 2016.

6 - 1991 - this was my first year at uni, my first experience living away from home, and was a whole lot of fun. I did well at uni, went on some dates, had some fun, and enjoyed life. This entry into adulthood was memorable and I look back on it fondly.

7 - 1999 - I was at the peak of my technically awesome powers this year. This is the year I became a Drill & Blast guru, managing our D&B team at Tarmoola, doing all the designs, and helping Surpac develop their D&B design system. We did some great work. 

8 - 2008 - the year I moved to Malaysia, and an amazing life that sprouted from that move. The first part of the year was tough with the ex, as it was when we got to KL, but the new job and new lease on life was the beginning of the main chapter of my life, and I look back on this opportunity and all that flowed from it with great nostalgia and happiness.

9 - 1996 - this was me at my peak powers at KCGM. This was when Jeff Innes introduced me to people as a young man with a superb work ethic, this is when I was relief foreman and impressing everyone at KCGM. This was also the year I got over Lucette, which was hard, but boy did I emerge from my shell at this time. I love the memories of working at the Superpit this year, and all that I did. It was also the year I met my old pommy mate Dave, and we shared a house in Kal' with the mad Kiwi Ed.

10 - 2021 - this was my second year as GM at Mawsons. We smashed record after record, and made a huge profit, recovering well from covid, and setting me up for a nice bonus. I felt like I was in control, planned and executed well, and made good improvements. Then entered Milbrae, and, well, life became harder for me...

Jack - 2014 - this was a year spent living in Damansara Heights, at my favourite house ever. I spent time working with Dean on Wetar, and time with ASN. I was largely my own boss, made plenty of money, had a lot of fun, and enjoyed life to the full. In hindsight, I should have done more with my spoils, but isn't it easy to measure things in hindsight? I made the most of the time I had, and largely, I think I did it pretty well.

Queen - 1993 - third year at uni, first experience in mining, lots of fun, living in Mooroolbark with my mate Scott, started going out with Lucette. The world was my oyster this year!

King - 1981 - in KJS, settled now, with a decent group of friends. Life was simple, but enjoyable. 

Ace - 1982 - ditto for the above. I'd love to write more, but the memories here are more of feelings than events. I remember life being simple and absolutely love HK due to my childhood there. So all good.

Job Hunting Review

So at the moment I am trying to go through my vast archives of old email folders, keep what's worth having, and ditch what isn't. I do like to have relevant archives, so it can be tricky to decide what may be useful in the future. You might think that it's easier just to keep everything, in this day and age of digital beaucoup. However, unless one is particularly adept at managing a slick filing system, it can be easy to lose the gems amongst the chaff. Plus I am in one of those moods currently where I am seeking to downsize and rationalise my life - brain fart, I think I tend to do this when I am thinking about a move. History tells me that is the case. And I have certainly been vocationally unsettled, for some time now. Hmm, interesting observation of oneself. Anyway, so I figured in an effort to get rid of some old stuff, I'd go through the various folders where I have filed job-seeking correspondence over the years, make some notes and screenshots of things that resonate, and clear them all out. Here we go!

Yahoo Archive

2013-15 Folder (53 emails)

The folder starts with a few emails to/from Will Coverdale. He is a mining engineer consultant who was HKG-based at the time. Not sure what he is up to these days though (might be in Laos). Of course post-Penjom and pre-shop, I was always on the look out for contract/consulting work, so no doubt that's what those meetings were about. 

Next in this folder, and one of the main featuring roles was Senior QM with LaFarge/Holcim. I think they are only Holcim these days, and a mix of local and foreign management. It looked like a decent role, generally KL-based, and I was keen on it. But it didn't pan out as I was looking for $ similar to what I had been on, and the local-ish offer was well short of that unfortunately. 

The next one that stands out was a series of emails to and fro with my old uni mate Simon Mottram. Simon was keen on getting me over to help him in Brazil at this time, and then again a couple of years later. It was just a bridge too far for me though, I wasn't keen on moving to the other side of the world. Well, truth be told, it was more because my family would have to stay in a city and I would be on a FIFO roster, that's the main turn-off for most mining opportunities for me, both then and now. I have included one of the emails from Simon below, as I had forgotten how hard he tried to get me, and how highly he rated me. I do respect him a lot and wonder what might have been. No regrets though.

"Dave

 

8.30am here. Am leaving today for Brazil. Fly out at 12.30 GMT. Things went well here and its all looking good for money

 

Brazil really is a pleasure to work in, and there are many days I just stand there laughing saying I cant believe I get paid for this. Although at this stage I cant say more than 2 years on a FIFO, anything can happen. Living here would be a different proposition as it opens the door to other visa types. Also now looks like we will go open pit to stage the second mine and on a faster timetable… so you could roll straight into this one and end up like sitting over both when you have found Brazilian’s you are happy with

 

Would love to work with you again, and to be honest I need you to make the pit fly… the job has you written all over it. You would get along perfectly with Colin the Chairman, who is the only other Mining Eng. His whole career is U/G, so it would be a peerless position for you, get to do it all your way. That is where my trust and our relationship comes into it. I know you’re up for it, you would love it, and you would be a great fit here… you know jobs like this always go to insiders that someone knows and trusts… I am putting you up as “the man” and underwriting your name

 

Come out and take a look, will make that worth your while also… you wont be disappointed…

 

See if you can carve out a couple of weeks at least, as you will burn a week in travelling. Would be great if you could help out on the contract mining tender adjudication, go and do the site visits for the short-listers other work sites etc (first tour around the interior of Brazil hahaha)

 

Sorry I am bit hard to get hold of, it a crazy week of travel and meetings. Will be back in the office in Parauapebas (Google Earth this) in a few days and life will return to normal (which is no ordinary life hahaha), you would love it here…

 

Send me a MSG when you are good and I will call

 

Cheers

Simon"

Ok, so as for the rest of that folder, well it had a lot in it. I guess this is reflective of the time, as in 2013-15 I was not employed fulltime. I was hoping, of course, that ASN would pan out and that I would join them FT eventually, but it never happened. There were about another 30 emails in that folder talking about various roles, none of which panned out of course. 

Avocet Folder

This folder is less packed than the previous one, but no less interesting! I generally forget that my interactions with Avocet started before my 2008 phone interview with Dean, which led to me being employed as the Penjom Mine Manager. About a year before that, Eric Vesel the COO, was looking for someone to carry out mining engineering work at Avocet's mine in Tajikistan. I had gone across to meet him, but never went anywhere with it. Just as well, as it turned out, as they sold this project soon after. So this folder was largely about my recruitment, arrangements with Eric and Wee Khon, the Admin' guy, and a few other bits and pieces leading into my moving to Malaysia. I remember all this fondly and wish the old expat' contracts were as easy to find these days as they were then. Alas we live in a different world now. Still, I have not given up hope...

General Folder

This folder stretches from 2006-2018, but not with too many emails contained. Gosh, what an interesting intersection of life here. So the first email, dating to 2006, referenced a phone interview I was to have with QMAG, a magnesite operation out of Rockhampton. I don't remember the interview, but clearly didn't end up with the job for whatever reason. But in looking up QMAG to see who they were, I note they have just advertised a residential Mine Manager role. It could fit the bill for me right now perhaps... What will I do? I think I need to aim higher at this point.

There are a few other emails in this folder from various recruiters I have worked with over the years to look for / secure roles. Harry Tetis and Libby Langford as examples. Libby tried very hard to get me into Lumwana with Jon something or other, which went well, but I decided Africa was not for me. It's actually never for me, so not a part of the world I would consider. Tara Davidson and Ron Morland are another couple of names in that folder. Ron was the guy helping John Reeve recruit for ASN, so that's what I had to do with him. He recently moved elsewhere and I touched base to let him know I was on the hunt. Looking back, he provided some welcome feedback on my CV too. I should review it in light of his thoughts.

"David,

 

Hi and thanks for your email just now. Could I make a few suggestions regarding your CV? Sorry to be a pain but, as I am sure you realise, the CV is a break point. Decisions are made based on the CV and so it is worth the effort.

 

People generally look at the first page and decide interest or not; sad but true in many cases. You need a front page that hits home. The detail is there in yours but I suspect people will not read all the pages first off. Yours relies on people reading the detail to understand your depth. In this day and age people do not tend to do that first off so you need to adapt to what will hit home. Also your CV tends to be the traditional type which is fine if you want the detail.

 

Have a look at these three CVs, one made up but the other two are real. Look at each for 30 seconds each then ask yourself if you know what they have done and what they think they are good at? The skills are general, but different, with little space for examples/achievements. It tells somebody what you are good at and what you like doing, with a snippet of detail (usually a measure or size).

 

You should consider developing an Executive Summary CV for yourself. Think strategically. You need a mixture of what you are good at and like but also some that link into the position requirements of any role such that the reader says "ah, he has done that". Note how the skills vary for the guys for very different positions. I have even developed these with new graduates.  With the framework in place it is not hard to modify for each individual position you go for. Subtle changes in say the skills order, or maybe a little more emphasis on key requirements for the particular position, are all that is required.

 

The title is important as it is how people see you as seeing yourself.  

 

You can append your standard CV after it  (“Detailed CV attached”) but I guarantee that your one pager will look impressive. Remember it has to be on one page and beware it is not a 5 minute job. The left side is quick but the right takes some thought. After all this is what it is all about with your history being supportive evidence.

 

Think back to when you recruit. What do you look for? My guess is skills first, then where the person got those skills.

 

This style works very well for a person with such varied skills and a long career as yourself. Your CV is the standard role description with activities and achievements. It does not tell me what your skills are.

 

Some of skill headings you might think of as being appropriate may include;

 

·         Strategic Planning

·         Vision

·         Safety Leadership

·         Team Development

·         Financial Management

·         Innovation Leader

·         Change Management / Managing complex change"

I did reply, I can see, but can't see my reply. Looking at his email now, I believe this was the catalyst to change my CV, but I am not sure I got it perfect. I have taken a copy of Ron's feedback and an example CV, to review mine against. Thanks Ron!

Texas Escape Folder

Haha, this was an interesting period in life. I believe I described the whole Texas thing in the consulting part of the My Career series, so I won't go into detail on that here. Needless to say, looking at the subtitle here, you can tell that getting out of Texas happened at short notice, and under cover of darkness! I did resign and give notice, but just had to get out of there to remove myself from the influence of the maniac GM. 

Surprisingly, there are a lot of emails in this folder (61). I am surprised, because when we left Texas, it was because ASN had (temporarily) got their shit together. As such, John Reeve contacted me, and said we're ready to go again. So go I did! Thus it wasn't like I was job-hunting, hence the surprise. But looking at the folder, there is a lot in there from Crown Relocations, who handled our move back to KL. Far out our gear got around in those days! Also, at the beginning of the folder, my old mate Stu had given a recommendation for me to one of his contacts, see email below:

"Hi Julian,

 

I have another contact who you may possibly want to talk too. His name is David Brown and he has extensive mining experience which I believe ranges over 20 years. Dave was the mining manager here at the Penjom gold mine and implemented a lot of the mine production efficiency management systems, safety training along with helping develop the strategic mine planning and the mines exploration and resource definition drilling targets.  Dave is currently back in Australia although he is looking to move back to KL with his Malaysian wife.

 

As a personal reference I would not hesitate in working with Dave again if the opportunity arose.

 

I will let you introduce yourselves if you wish to proceed.

 

Regards,

Stu"

That was for a mob called Terragali Resources, a local investment company trying to get into mining. I met with a few of them, but it never really went anywhere. Another local (KL) contact was Cathy Zhai from Monument. I interviewed for their Mine Manager job, but didn't like her style. She wanted 6 days a week, and for not the best package, so we didn't go any further. Talking to my new Besra contact, I think I dodged a bullet there!

There were a few more about jobs in Africa, Kazakhstan, Philippines, Thailand and the Solomon's. Actually the Chatree one was interesting, as I went there for an interview back in the JMS days (flew over from Brisbane). It probably wouldn't work for me, as the family would need to live in Bangkok and me just home on weekends. But it was a pretty cool operation and only recently got going again after the usual Thai government clusterfuck that seems to happen every 10 years or so. A bit like Fiji in that regard!

2011-12 Folder

Not all of this is in order, and I may have discussed aspects of some roles previously. But I will tackle the information as it comes, and hope that there are no inconsistencies in my prose! This folder starts with PanAust in Laos. I interviewed for a role with them in late 2011. It didn't go anywhere, as I did not hit it off with the GM who interviewed me. He was an angry little man and I did not like him one bit. Plus it was a 10:4 DIDO from Vientiane. This would suit many, but I need to be home most nights, so it wasn't going to work for me anyway.

Next emails were about some underground opportunity, which was clearly never going to be for me, so not sure why I kept them. There are a few more from various headhunters, and then I see IAMGOLD come up in the list. What an odd name for a company I have to say, but they seem to be a fairly serious player, mainly in the Americas. 

Hmm, next one is a little sensitive. What I left Penjom for initially, was the chance to join Dean in the Philippines. Dean is one of my great mentors in my career, and like Bruce was in the first half, someone I am willing to make significant changes to work with. I relished the idea of doing so with him in the Phils. So I resigned, then spent a few weeks there kicking things off. Alas, I soon realised that I had made a mistake. I did not like the Phils, didn't like the project, and frankly didn't like most of what I was encountering. Dean was largely the only positive. So I made the hard call to withdraw after my first stint. Dean took that fairly poorly to begin with, but we got over it. It was the right call in the end, as within 6 months, the local partner bought out the Aussie component, and all the expats were retrenched. 

A few odds and sods and then the next snippet popped up regarding Alcyone and the Texas silver mine. Far out, what a debacle that was. I talk about this in another post so won't go into it here, but this folder covered the time that I applied for and got that role. 

2017 Folder

Crikey this folder is a big one. It was when I was at the shop and looking to move back into mining. It all culminated with Gulf in Kupang of course, but I went through a fair few other options in the meantime. One being the magnesium place in Young NSW. OMG what a clusterfuck that joint was. Glad I went for a look and equally glad I didn't progress it.  

Also featuring in this folder are numerous emails from Boral. Haha, they turned me down, and just as well man - from what I know of Boral now, they are almost as bad as the Indian crowd in Young. Thank God I never ended up working for those fuckers!

One application that didn't end up in a role but I was sure interested in, was with Sibelco. I flew to Sydney to interview with them. It was all very formal and professional, and they came across well. I didn't get the job, but reached out to them afterwards and said Sibelco is a company I am interested in, and then another role landed on the table, this time at Newcastle. Interestingly, this time they offered it to me, but by that stage I already had GMG's contract in my hand, and ended up going with them. 

Other emails of note include numerous mine manager applications that appeared to go nowhere, plus Fulton Hogan, Downer and Holcim. A gold mine at Tawau popped up too, but I never heard back from them. As it happens, I just reached out to them again so let's see if they reply this time. The last interesting series of emails was with an Iranian mining company, put onto me by JR of all people. I didn't see any conclusion emails, so I presume they just lost interest. Not quite as unique an opportunity as the one at the bottom of this page, but certainly it would have been different, had anything come of it!

2019 Folder

So mid-2019 saw the conclusion of Gulf for me. Stick one's neck out and get it chopped off, it would seem. It was good that I got the arse there, 1) because I was unhappy working for Gulf and 2) because it allowed me to cash in my shares! We then moved to Wifey's parent's place in KL, and I spent four months looking for a job there. As that was the main activity at the time, it's not surprising to note that the 2019 folder is a big one - 86 emails.

Of no surprise will be that almost 10% - 8 emails - relate to Mawsons. After all, that's where I ended up. But there are numerous others worthy of mention. One is Meng Khong Tan, a Gulf shareholder, who was looking to develop assets elsewhere in SEA at the same time. We met numerous times to discuss this, but alas nothing ever came of it. Still, he is a good contact to have, and I just reached out to him again to see what he's up to. Interestingly, at one point my old mate Alex Mc and him got in touch, as Alex's crowd was looking for the sort of investment that MK was looking to provide. I don't think it ever went anywhere though.

Fred Bain was another local contact, who I got from Brian, who was engaged by local miners, trying to get a gold mine up and running. I met him, but it never went anywhere. According to him, due to lack of commitment for funds from the owners. I had the feeling that he felt I wasn't quite the right person perhaps, but who knows. In the end, it just fizzled out. 

Another lot of emails was from Joe Ranford, of Nordic Gold, put onto me by Stu Pether. These conversations went really well, and it almost ended up with us moving to Finland. Alas a change in ownership / board meant that focus for the MM role ended up being for local people rather than expat, and Joe ended up leaving too. The town where we would have lived was less than 100km from the Russian border, so it would have been an interesting place!

I "met" a couple of great recruiters along the way in this job hunting phase. One being Rhys Holding and another being Hurriya Mirza. Rhys was in NZ and Hurriya in Oman. You couldn't get much more different than that! The job Rhys was recruiting for was a quarry kind of role with a company called Omya, and in NZ itself. I ended up withdrawing from this application, due to accepting Mawsons' offer. I reckon it might have been a good job and was definitely a super location. Oh well, maybe in the future perhaps? The role with Hurriya was a PM role for a copper-gold mine in Oman itself. It would have been quite an experience, alas they wanted someone with more start-up and construction experience than I had at the time, so it was a no go, despite numerous interviews.

Ok, so after all those we still have 39 emails left in this archive folder! The list starts with four from Sibelco - I reached out to them to see if working for them in Malaysia was an option - it wasn't. There were number of roles listed by headhunters that didn't seem to go anywhere, plus a few more quarry companies, including a Boral rejection again! Haha, thanks Boral, you did me yet another favour! There was even one in there for a small UG mine in Thailand that didn't go anywhere. It's interesting, the difference in how widely one casts one's net when one is gainfully employed, compared to when one is unemployed and sitting at home. 

Penjom File (North Korea)

This is a single file, but kept because of how unusual it was, and what (in hindsight) potential craziness it represented! Knowing me, I may well have disappeared up there. Or maybe became one of Kim's inner circle like Dennis Rodman perhaps? Haha, we'll never know! Anyway, the reach out from the recruiter is below:

Quite an example to finish off with! And quite a significant post in the end. When looked at as a whole, I have had quite the journey, both in terms of the roles I have actually had, but also those I have looked at, and this is only covering the second half of my career to date! I doubt this post will interest many, but it sure was fun writing it for me!

Leunig

So this week, Leunig died. I didn't know him, nor even follow him. But living in Melbourne in the early 90's and visiting Victoria frequently enough since, I have seen his presence in the media over many years. He was a gifted comic artist and a satirical one too. I never pretended to understand most of what I saw in his art, but what I did understand was that is was clever. In the article reporting his death, they posted the following piece of his. It rang a bell with me.

I think he has it right. I am no fan of the nonsense hippie movement, and associated inner-looking workings. So saying love is the answer sounds a lot like that. But Leunig's message is apt. It recognises that love is the answer, albeit sometimes a fucking hard one. That is the message I have been trying to send my boys. In being respectful, gracious, patient and kind to each other, well put all those things together, and what I am saying is just love each other boys. It is as simple and difficult as that. Rest In Peace Mr Leunig. 

5 years

We are approaching the end of 2024, I just turned 52, and just rolled over my 5-year anniversary with Mawsons. I have been waxing and waning with my job satisfaction for a while now, and increasingly feeling like the time is to move on. In actual fact, 5 years represents the longest I have ever been in one job, so it's probably no wonder than I am getting itchy feet. It prompted me to think about where I was 5 years ago, and further back beyond that, in 5 year increments, and my status at the time. Let's have a look...

2025 - in Echuca, at our new house that we nought a year ago. Family settled and happy, my job stable but not so happy. Thinking 2025 might be a year of change...

2020 - at this time 5 years ago, we were also in Echuca, with me having just been promoted to GM. We had found our way after the debacle of Kupang, were settled, and I had a vision of finally being able to give my family that stability I had been yearning for.

2015 - wow, time changes fast. In the previous five years, we had Gulf, we had the shop and Barooga, and we had the last year of KL. But at the start of 2015 itself, life was pretty good. ASN was on the go strongly at that time, we were in Damansara Heights, and has a nice little life set up for ourselves. And of course, at this time, Wifie was pregnant with Babs.

2010 - ok no we're seriously going back in time. At the start of 2010, I was single. The end of 2009 saw my separate from the ex, and it was only March 2010 where I met my future wife. So at the start of it, well I was chasing tail around, partying, working hard, and having plenty of fun. Still at Penjom.

2005 - it's amazing what these 5-year steps bring up. At the beginning of 2005, I was living in Gladstone and working at CA. I like to think I was on the mend from the difficulties of the early noughties by this time, and finding myself again. 

2000 - I have spoken about this year before. At the beginning, I thought I was in love again. Then we broke up, and I really struggled with it. Then almost immediately, Dad's diagnosis came in, and I spent most of the rest of the year at home. It was a tough time. I was living in Perth then, and at Tarmoola.

1995 - ok now this is getting out of hand! 1995, the beginning of it at least, saw me living in a donga in Southern Cross, with Lucette, and working at RYGOL, just before they got taken over by SOG's. It was a little later in 1995 when I first ventured to Kal, saw the Superpit, and decided I needed to work there. A few months later, I was doing just that! Broke up with Lucy, moved to Kal, and away we went.

1990 - the beginning of 1990 saw me about to start Year 12, and doing summer jobs with Afro. I haven't stayed in contact with him and Jodie, sadly, although I did see them once or twice during the shop years. 

1985 - I don't remember precisely when in '85 that we moved to Singapore, but I am certain that at the beginning of this year, we were living in Hong Kong still, and I was in Form 2 (Year 8) at KGV. Those were good days, best friends with Martin Gill, and enjoying exploring the 'burbs of Kowloon.

1980 - the beginning of this year was soon after our move to Hong Kong. I was still settling at KJS, and a shy little boy. Friends mainly with Ben P, James Ross, and a couple of others. V was living with us at HK at this time.

1975 - haha, not much to be said here. I have only a few, fleeting memories of my toddler years. At the beginning of '75 I was just a 2yo, and no doubt a cutie and a knuck at the same time, as little boys are wont to be. Living in French's Forest or Belrose, and that's about all I know of this time!

Well that was an interesting, quick 5-year summary of my life. Crikey, it's amazing how quickly things change, and what amazing differences there are between some of these periods. I wonder what I'll be writing for the next entry in 2030? 

Random

Just thinking about that funny game Ayex and I used to play, where we would be lying in bed, then he would touch me and say "you're it" and we would pretend to chase each other, all while lying down. Making the arm movements and leg movements, giggling all the while. It was hilarious and oh so endearing. My wonderful little boy. I mustn't ever let go of this memory, or of what it feels like to feel love and happiness from an innocent child. It's about the most heart-warming feeling one can ever have.

They do grow up quickly. I think we're in the last year or two of his cuteness. Of course as they grow older, there are always many things to love and cherish about their journey. But there is something unique and so special, about the sweet charm of a child. So don't grow up too quickly Ayex, Dada wants to enjoy your cheeky charm and joy for life for as long as he can.

Close Neighbours

So we all know that Australia and Indonesia are close neighbours. One of the reasons that Bali is so popular with Aussie tourists is its proximity - it's so much closer than many of the other tropical holiday destinations. Of course, the cheap prices, great food and party atmosphere of the place help too. 

The closest airport in Oz to Bali is Broome. I don't think you can fly between the two commercially, but for argument's sake, that's the closest one. It is about 1,300km away. You would figure, that this was the closest route between the two countries, although I think Darwin to Kupang is also only around 1,000km, so very close. However, you'd be wrong! I was reading a while ago, about Cocos and Christmas Islands, off the coast of WA. My mate Luke visited one years ago, and raved about it. It's a destination that I'd like to see too. So imagine my surprise when I looked these places up on a map and realised that Christmas Island is much closer to Jakarta than it is to Australia! See below:

So it's 1,500km to the nearest point on the Aussie mainland, being Broome, although you can't fly this route. So it's for reference only. Then, when you look at CI to Jakarta, it's only 500km!

Again, you can't fly this route - the only flights for CI and to/from Perth, to my knowledge, but it's amazing just how close you are to Indo's capital from this remote part of Australia. I would really love to visit there one day. Apparently it has quite a Malay/Indo influence in the local culture and cuisine, so I am sure it would be a super experience for me.