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Sydney-Gold-Coast-2013-Manly-Drummoyne

Sydney Gold Coast 2013

January 1st 2013, please note, Sydney Gold Coast 2013 is not part of my Travel Blog. It’s my personal history, check it out if you wish.

Sydney Gold Coast 2013

Sydney Gold Coast 2013

Sydney Gold Coast 2013 was a trip I did starting from 72 Wrights Road Drummoyne on January 1st after spending a couple of weeks at my cousin’s home in Balgowlah. I spent News Years Eve with Peter Hobbs & friends, left early the next day to meet friends for coffee at Dee Why before calling in to see Sue at Newport. From there I drove to my brothers home in Port Macquarie and finally onto the Gold Coast before flying back home to Thailand.

Over a period of 3 or 4 years I was lucky enough to stay at Deb’s lovely home for which I’m forever grateful. Sadly in the end she kicked me out because I left the house unlocked for an hour when I went for coffee. Us aging geriatrics do become forgetful. 🙂

DAFFY015

Xmas Eve at Deb’s house

Sydney Gold Coast 2013a few days before I was banished,  sadly it seems all good things come to an end.

With Peter Hobbs

Sydney Gold Coast 2013

Wrights Road in these apartments was my home for 6 years from 1979, some of the best years of my life. In fact check out my 1982 photo blog and see for yourself.

Middle building, top floor, right side.

Sydney Gold Coast 2013

Unit 12 was my home for six very happy years.

Home sweet home 1979 to 1985.

New Years Eve with Warwick Robinson

Sydney Gold Coast 2013 A friend for over 30 years.

Robbie Bonett

Sydney Gold Coast 2013A long time resident of 72 Wrights Rd, way back to when I lived there in the late 70s. He has since married a Russian babe & moved to the Eastern suburbs.

Peter Hesky

Sydney Gold Coast 2013Another longtime friend from the 70s. We used to be in regular contact but I have not heard from him for 5 or 6 years. Maybe he put me on the “black list” in support of cousin Deb. 🙂

Aussie seafood on NYE.

Sydney Gold Coast 2013I really miss the Aussie seafood living in Thailand.

Drinks with John Loch

Sydney Gold Coast 2013

At the famous Oaks Hotel in Neutral Bay, John live 5 minutes walk away.

Iconic Oaks hotel

Sydney Gold Coast 2013 It could be Australia’s best pub.

Jill McCrossan

Sydney Gold Coast 2013 I bumped into Jill at Manly, we had lots of great times when we both lived on the Gold Coast.  If you want to see Jilly taking a bath in 1992 just follow THIS LINK.

Lunch at Mr Wongs

Sydney Gold Coast 2013Upmarket Chinese restaurant off Bridge St Sydney. More photos on THIS LINK.

Chinatown

Sydney Gold Coast 2013Yum Cha with Hesco & Al Chiswick.

 Coffee at Dee Why, Sydney Gold Coast 2013

Sydney Gold Coast 2013

Old friend Paul Slaughter and I enjoying coffee before heading to Newport to see Sue Ellis.

Sue’s home in Crescent Ave Newport

Sydney Gold Coast 2013

Tim Bristow’s lovely home in Newport, Tim passed away aged 72 about 10 years ago.  His long time (& long suffering) partner Sue still lives here.

I played tennis here many times in the 80s.

Sydney Gold Coast 2013

Sue Ellis was and still is a terrific tennis player, we played many times and to my dismay I never won a single set. Sue just turned 60 this year and is ranked number 7 in the over 60 Tennis Seniors Australia Rankings in Womens Singles.

January 1st 2013

Sydney Gold Coast 2013

After many years I was happy to visit Sue, the home is still as picture perfect as when Big Tim used fuss around keeping everything neat & tidy.

Portrait of the big fellow

Sydney Gold Coast 2013 I wonder if it was ever hung or stored in the basement. 🙂

Next stop Port Macquarie

Sydney Gold Coast 2013

Breakfast with Chris Lockwood & my brother Warren.

Kerry, Lynn and Bryan

Sydney Gold Coast 2013

Kerry, Lynn & Bryan, another one of the Herd brothers having dinner at the Great Wall of China restaurant in Port Macquarie.

Chris Lockwood aka Dr Evil.

Sydney Gold Coast 2013

Chris is a close friend of my brother Warren, they regularly travel the world together.

 The Gold Coast

Sydney Gold Coast 2013

Here I am with three good friends in Surfers Paradise. Craig Sulzberger aka Sudzi, Ross Kennedy & Greg “Noodles” Craig.

 Sydney Gold Coast 2013

Sydney Gold Coast 2013

Bob Martin & I have been friends for over 40 years. We had some great times together in Sydney in the 70s with our other great mate Peter Lewis. Here we are having coffee on Chevron Island.

Last but not least in Sydney Gold Coast 2013

Sydney Gold Coast 2013

My great mate Phil Thomson from Runaway Bay. Phil was to blame for getting me hooked on Japan, he and his wife Junko showed me the ropes in Tokyo in 2007.

Thanks for visiting my Sydney Gold Coast 2013 photo blog.


                   Here are some more posts to check out                            

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Thailand 2008                Gold Coast Babes               World trip 2003

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Author: David Herd

My history, particularly over the last 30 years is dominated by overseas travel. I sold my home in Australia October 20th 2011 and have have been living in Thailand since then. I don’t know where the time has gone? It seems like you go to sleep one night, wake up the next morning, and 20 years have flashed by. Not sure how many years I have left, however I have enjoyed a wonderful charmed life, and if it all ended today I would leave this world with no regrets. I was born in Sydney halfway through the last century, started my travels in the 60s with the usual U.K. Europe adventure at the age of 20, back to Australia and worked in Sydney, Melbourne & Adelaide in Sales & Marketing with multinational companies including Sanyo, Canon & Remington. Engaged to be married 3 times and never quite made it to the alter, finally realized by the mid 90s I was not cut out for "long term relationships" so I moved to the Gold Coast in Queensland in January 1987, worked for a couple of banks as a Financial Planner, I took a year off work in 1998 to travel and never went back to full time work again, after 25 fun filled years on the Coast I packed up and moved to Thailand. What is the purpose of this blog? Well I really want to use it to record my travel experiences & to display my photographs, give and receive travel tips, comment on places I visit, restaurants I eat in and use it to replace the autobiography I intended to write, apart from all that it helps me fill in my day. :) I moved to Thailand mainly because I wanted to keep travelling while my health allowed me to, there are huge advantages being closer to all the places I want to visit. Cost of living in Thailand is around 35% of the cost in Australia, plus flights are 50% cheaper because you are much closer to everywhere. ???? Consequently I am able to travel to many more places compared to living in Australia. Having said all that, it is & has always been my intention to return to Australia when my travelling is finished, I predict this will happen around 2021.

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