Random thoughts about my Dad.

I decided to repost a story I did last year about my Dad, I have to
be honest and admit I didn't notice any signifigance in the date of
the original post until I ressurected it, it was 9-11-2005.

Random thoughts about my Dad.

My blogging son Marcus did a post about his Dad, (a wonderful
man that I know very well) recently and I thought the idea was
worth repeating, so, in no particular order here goes.

My Dad was a boy from the bush; he grew up in “Gippsland” in
Victoria in 1911.
He did not see his first motor car until he was 9 years old, an
indication of the remoteness of the area.

Dad always claimed that he left school in the third grade, and his
only good subject was “rounders” (a ball game, for those not
familiar with it) be this as it may, Dad was very well educated by
life.

Dad grew up in the depression years, work was hard to get and you
certainly couldn’t be picky about what you did, thus his early years
were spent at manual jobs like; shearing, wood cutting, coal-mining
and rabbit trapping, (already the rabbit population in Australia
was in the millions and growing fast)

Dad soon realized that he was not making much progress working
with his hands, so he decided to try letting his mind take over.
What a revelation! He turned to buying and selling used cars, way
before the days of “used car salesmen” he bought and sold
properties, houses and small farms. All this from a starting bank,
back in the 1930s, of three pounds, (six dollars.)

Dad was, as I said in the first place a “self made man” who got no
kick start from anyone else, and in a few short years he had
progressed to a very comfortable state.

Dad by now was able to engage in his love of horses, he became
a trainer/breeder of thoroughbred race-horses, and while he never
had any world beaters, he did have a few horses that won races,
winning was always pleasant, but the joy of his life came from the
inter-action with racing people and his beloved horses.

Dad was an enigma when it came to money, having grown up in
hard times, he could be almost miserly about wasting,
(read spending) money unless it was to earn more. Having said
that, Dad was one of the most generous men to his family and
friends that I have ever known

Dad and my Mum had a stormy relationship for twenty years before
splitting up. He found his “soul mate” when he married again, Dad
and Ada, my step mother, spent fifty wonderful years together.

Harking back to Dads, hard to follow at times, ideas on money,
he gave me a perfectly presented four year old Mercedes Benz once.
The proviso was that I drive him home in it, some 1000 miles away,
not surprisingly I agreed to do this. Dad paid for the fuel on the trip,
and said to me only put $10.00 in the tank at one stage as fuel
was 4 cents a litre cheaper in the next town. This from a man who
had just given away a $40,000.00 motor car and now is intent on
saving maybe 80 cents on fuel???

Dad could recite from memory, maybe 25 or 30 poems by his
favourite authors, the list included some he wrote himself, his style
of presentation, which was robust, made him very popular at parties
and such.

Dad was a big man with long legs, he would stride around a horse
paddock at a pace that nearly had you running to keep up, we are
talking of Dad up to the age of eighty here!

Dad worked on his property until the age of 85 still feeding horses
and slashing weeds and attending race meetings. When he finally
“retired” he and Ada moved to a lovely unit at the coast, sadly he
had left this move a bit too late as they only had a couple of years
before his health deteriorated badly, he died a happy man though
at the age of ninety.

Dad did not agree that he had left his move too late, his claim was
that he had been doing exactly what he wanted to be doing all
those years.

Marketing.

Here is everything that you wanted to know about marketing:

You see a gorgeous girl at a party; you go up to her and say
"I'm fantastic in bed".

That's Direct Marketing.

One of your friends goes up to her, points at you and says
"He's fantastic in bed"

That's Advertising.

You go up to her and get her number. The next day you call and say
"Hi, I'm fantastic in bed"

That's Telemarketing.

You straighten your tie, walk up to her and pour her a drink. You open the door for her, pick up her bag after she drops it, offer her a ride, and then say
"By the way, I'm fantastic in bed".

That's Public Relations.

She walks up to you and says
"I hear you're fantastic in bed"


That's Brand Recognition.