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Farewell Melbourne hello Sydney

January 5, 2017 by David Herd

This is not a travel blog just my personal photo collection from the 1970s & 80s, check it out if you wish.

Arabella St Longueville

Farewell Melbourne hello Sydney

Farewell Melbourne hello Sydney

 Farewell Melbourne hello Sydney, it was early 1976 after a dramatic final few months living in Melbourne, I resigned from Sanyo Office Machines, moved to Arabella St Longueville in Sydney & started a new job as NSW sales manager with Wilkins Servis washing machines. I rented a beautiful waterfront home with the view you see above & a garage for my red E-Type Jag.

Little did I realise the next 11 years would be the most successful money making decade of my life, along with an almost non stop party regime and included luxury waterfront apartments, Jaguars & Mercedes plus a Bertram fly bridge cruiser parked outside my condo, & last but not least a red Doberman called Baxter.  

 This was actually 1975

Farewell Melbourne hello Sydney

However it features my friends & my beloved Jag in Beechworth Victoria, how about the hair & the bell bottom jeans? 🙂

Looking back the 1970s was probably my most exciting decade.

Carol Aboud 

Farewell Melbourne hello Sydney

It didn’t take me long to get tied up with Carol who had a hair dressing salon in Double Bay. She also had a husband & 4 children but these minor complications did not stop us from having a lot of fun over the next 4 years.

There is a very funny story involving Carol on another blog, just follow THIS LINK.

My beautiful mother celebrating my birthday on the 7-7-77

Farewell Melbourne hello Sydney

 What a great date for my birthday to fall on. When friends see these old photos is it any wonder they suggest I looked like a Miami drug dealer? 🙂

My Dad Arthur & my 2 best friends Wolf Wottke & Ron Walsh.

Farewell Melbourne hello Sydney

My two buddies surprised me by flying over from Adelaide without prior warning. That was a fabulous birthday present.

Carol’s birthday November 1978.

Farewell Melbourne hello Sydney

Check out the hair colour & the gold chains. 

New Years Eve 1978

Farewell Melbourne hello Sydney Apologies for the fuzzy photo, but you get the picture. 🙂

French Champagne of course

Farewell Melbourne hello Sydney

From memory we were at the Castle Cove house of my friend Peter H & the booze was really flowing.

Oh Carol, I am but a fool…..

Neil Sedaka "Oh Carol"

Peter Luciano RIP

Farewell Melbourne hello Sydney

Peter & his wife in 1979, he was Carol’s brother and sadly passed away a year or two later.

December 1978

Farewell Melbourne hello Sydney

We hired a houseboat for a weekend cruise on Hawksbury River. Two Peters, yours truly & Rob Symonds.

Talking about boats

Farewell Melbourne hello Sydney

This was my Bertram 25 moored right outside my condo at 72 Wrights Rd Drummoyne. I enjoyed six great years here & threw so many parties that I became the most hated person in the building.

St Georges Crescent Drummoyne

Farewell Melbourne hello Sydney

Just around the corner from my condo I purchased another waterfront apartment, so now I owned 2 condos & a terrace house in Glebe, I was on a roll. Working now as NSW Sales Manager for Remington Typewriters before moving to the word processing division. Enjoyed the job but hated the back stabbers, & there were plenty of them.

Selling all my Sydney properties over the years was one of my worst ever decisions, I should have kept at least one.

After the Jaguar XJ6 I upgraded to a white Mercedes Sports, life was good. 

Farewell Melbourne hello Sydney

In my eyes this was one of the prettiest cars ever built.

 View from my condo

  Farewell Melbourne hello Sydney

With my Bertram moored right out front.

Another party at Wrights Rd

Farewell Melbourne hello Sydney

This gorgeous redhead called Beryl worked with Carol in the Double Bay salon, she had just had a boob job and I couldn’t help but admire them. 🙂

While we are on the subject of boobs….

Farewell Melbourne hello Sydney

You could never accuse Carol of being shy. 🙂

And the winner is Angie

  Farewell Melbourne hello Sydney

Her name was Angela Savic, she was the girlfriend of my best friend Wolf. Without a doubt she had the best body out of all the girls we knew. Our very own Greek Goddess. 🙂

The music in the 70s produced many of my all time favourite songs, here are 3 of those.

Piano man 1973

Audio Player

Hotel California 1977

Audio Player

Suttans of Swing 1978

Audio Player

The five Herd brothers in 1979

Farewell Melbourne hello Sydney

Neale, David, Ian, Bryan & Warren, it’s a shame the photo is such poor quality.

 Jenny Dale

Farewell Melbourne hello Sydney

Jenny with the red eyes was another nice girl from the late 70s who wandered into my life occasionally. 🙂

Let’s finish the year off properly

Farewell Melbourne hello Sydney

Well 1979 turned out to be a very tumultuous year, Remington gave me the flick and I joined the company who had the agency for Qyx the new word processor taking the world by storm. I did a marketing course with Exxon in Philadelphia and topped the class, there were 25 Americans in the course with me the only foreigner. Back to Australia to launch the product nationally but only lasted a few months before having a blowup with the company directors who showed me the door. I was never good at taking instructions from fools. 🙂 

Now in 2023 at the ripe old age of 79, I guessing I just may have been a rebel without a cause. 🙂

To top off the year finally Carol & I parted company after 4 terrific years painting the town, I suspect I may have been going through a mid life crisis. 🙂 🙂 

Consequently I took 3 months off, spent lots of time on my boat, travelled to Philippines, Hong Kong, Thailand & Bali then opened my very own liquor store in March 1980.

Sydenham Cellars

Farewell Melbourne hello Sydney

Yippee, cheap booze for me. 🙂

Opening night 

Flashback Sydenham Cellars

My friend Debbie Don was part of the celebration.  More photos on THIS LINK.

The 1970s were probably the most interesting & dramatic of my life. 1972 saw me return to Sydney after a 2 year stint in Melbourne, only to see me head to Adelaide for two years as State manager for Sanyo, then back to Melbourne for two years with Sanyo before returning to Sydney in 1976. 

Made some money, broke some hearts & had a lot of fun. 

I was very good at my job, Sales & Marketing in the cut throat business equipment industry was a tough gig, but on reflection & being & brutally honest, my arrogant autocratic management style that worked well in the 60s & 70s was out dated in later decades. Consequently recognising my limitations I went back to what I was good at, which was selling. In the mid 80s I had a successful few years at Canon followed by 7 or 8 very good years as a financial planner with a couple of banks in QLD. In 1998 I took a year off work to travel & never really worked again. 🙂

Thanks for visiting my Farewell Melbourne hello Sydney photo blog.

It’s now 2023 and here is Glenn Frey to tell you exactly how I feel today.

 

Some of my lovely ladies from the 70s.

  Farewell Melbourne hello Sydney       Farewell Melbourne hello Sydney          Farewell Melbourne hello Sydney

    Paula 1970                              Dianne 1973                            Lee 1974

    Farewell Melbourne hello Sydney        Farewell Melbourne hello Sydney          Farewell Melbourne hello Sydney

     Di Parko 72 & 76                      Jan 72/74                              Carol 76/79

                   Someone Like You by Van Morrison.

   Here are some more posts to check out

         Life 2015                     Family history                   Life 1982

2835141a-02cf-4cda-a909-2a8408a99f47        6a173a01-9744-404a-a45f-87a975ec90fa          d5436828-abbc-4da1-a638-7f90436c6417

  Adelaide 1972                 Iron Bar Freddy               Sydney 2006

417091_10150704751043594_62315468_n          Susies home Newport 1 (1)        April24FreewayHotel-33 (1)

Thailand 2008                Gold Coast Babes               World trip 2003

Fun in Pattaya-116         92bfa275-a122-4078-9970-1e24188a5917        CopacabanabeachNov2003-124

             Great hotel room rates anywhere in the world if you book
                  through these links below.  Book now & pay later.
Free Cancellation. 
                              Bangkok Hotels                    Pattaya Hotels
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 That’s all folks
 
 
9a1fec74-4461-46cd-8663-97f5893c8f6e (1) 
A-One hotel on Beach Road

Seven deadly Songkran days

For a great room rate at the A-One hotel opposite the beach just book through THIS LINK.               

 

 Soi Cowboy                  Nana Plaza                    Patpong

 Soi Cowboy (5)           e1274c0c-cf4d-4406-b5dc-d9e8071e382e            8993ef02-ccf3-46a7-8b6d-fc11af9d93ad

 

Counter only started June 16 2020.

This gallery contains 2 photos

Sydney 2011 farewell Australia

March 4, 2016 by David Herd

This is not a travel blog just my personal photo collection

Sydney 2011 farewell Australia 

Sydney 2011 farewell Australia

 Sydney 2011 farewell Australia is about my life changing event when on October 18 I left my home, friends, relatives and country to live in Thailand. I had two trips to Sydney in September & October and stayed with my cousin Debbie at her home in Balgowlah before jumping on a plane to Bangkok on October 18.

Dinner at Manly

Sydney 2011 farewell Australia

I had many friends to farewell including Paul Slaughter and his lady Clode who was a flight attendant for Air Canada.

Richard aka 003 1/4

Sydney 2011 farewell Australia

Richard & I have been friends since 1976 and had many great times together over the years. Obsessed with luxury cars and women on a scale far higher than I.

Richard’s latest jigger

Sydney 2011 farewell Australia

From memory he also had a beautiful restored red E-Type jag at his Gold Coast home and a 911 turbo Porsche at his Sydney apartment. The Porsche he has owned since new in about 1977, it was fitted with some unusual modifications similar to some sort of secret agent. 🙂

1999

Sydney 2011 farewell Australia

My home in 1999 and our two toys, Rick’s E-Type and my Mercedes Sports.

My brother Bryan

Sydney 2011 farewell Australia

Lunch at Mosman with Bryan & Rick a couple of days before flying to Bangkok.

Old friend Peter Hesky

Sydney 2011 farewell Australia

Another friend from 1976, (WOW! 40 bloody years) Sadly I don’t hear from Peter anymore, from what I’m told he has turned into quite a recluse and rarely ventures out of his home in Castle Cove.

Some well built lads here

Sydney 2011 farewell Australia

Holly, Bolt & Al and not sure of the ladies name. We are at a very good Japanese restaurant opposite the Oaks Hotel.

Talking about the Oaks, here it is.

Sydney 2011 farewell Australia

One of Australia’s great pubs, was my local for many years from 1977 to 1987.

My gorgeous niece’s

Sydney 2011 farewell Australia

Drinks at my favourite pub with my favourite two girls, Elyssa & Laura.

Sydney Swans V Brisbane Lions.

Sydney 2011 farewell Australia

Australian football aka AFL at the Sydney Cricket Ground, watching the game from Peter Hesky’s private box. 

Dinner with friends

Sydney 2011 farewell Australia

Fortuna Court Chinese restaurant in Crows Nest has been a favourite restaurant for over 30 years, & I must say it has not changed one bit in that time. The guy I’m about to put to the sword is Warwick Robinson who I have known for over 30 years. He never did pay the ransom to me for not taking his life. 🙂

Sydney 2011 farewell Australia

Sydney 2011 farewell Australia

Leaving Australia was a huge decision, two major factors came into play when making the decision. First was purely financial, I had not worked since 1997 instead I travelled the world like a man possessed. Consequently I spent a huge amount of money in the process and I always knew it had to come to an end. My only regret was the timing of the Global Financial Crisis in 2007/8 which coincided with me needing to sell my home to pay off the huge mortgage created by my travels. My home took me 3 years to sell, had I have sold in 2006 I would have realized around $250K more than I finally got in 2011. Oh well them’s the breaks and I have no regrets because those years of travel were wonderful and irreplaceable.

The second reason for my decision to move to Thailand was triggered by the first. I found myself in a position where I could no longer live at the same level in Australia that I was accustomed to. However I could live to that level in Thailand which was only around 1/3 the cost of living in Australia.

It is now 2017 my 6th year living in Thailand and the move has turned out to be one of the best decisions of my life. I plan to stay another 5 years before moving back to Australia to live out my final days. At the moment that’s the plan but plans can change. 🙂

Here is my view in Pattaya

Sydney 2011 farewell Australia

 

There are many people around the world who regularly criticize Pattaya, my message to them is simple, stay where you are because we don’t want you here.  Our stress free Pattaya life has no time to waste on the knockers and whiners, having said that thanks for visiting my Sydney 2011 farewell Australia photo blog.

           I’ll leave it to the late great Glenn Frey to explain how I feel right now.

     

                     Here are some more posts to check out                            

       

     Life 2015                     Family history                   Life 1982

2835141a-02cf-4cda-a909-2a8408a99f47        6a173a01-9744-404a-a45f-87a975ec90fa          d5436828-abbc-4da1-a638-7f90436c6417

  Adelaide 1972                 Iron Bar Freddy               Sydney 2006

417091_10150704751043594_62315468_n          Susies home Newport 1 (1)        April24FreewayHotel-33 (1)

Thailand 2008                Gold Coast Babes               World trip 2003

Fun in Pattaya-116         92bfa275-a122-4078-9970-1e24188a5917        CopacabanabeachNov2003-124

             Great hotel room rates anywhere in the world if you book
                  through these links below.  Book now & pay later.
Free Cancellation. 
                              Bangkok Hotels                    Pattaya Hotels
                         d0c59ff5-7f2b-41b5-9312-4556d4a62037              01a75360-9573-473f-acba-3a187f779b7f
 
 That’s all folks
1g Duck
Pattaya live webcam 
 
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 Soi Cowboy                  Nana Plaza                    Patpong

 Soi Cowboy (5)           e1274c0c-cf4d-4406-b5dc-d9e8071e382e            8993ef02-ccf3-46a7-8b6d-fc11af9d93ad

 

 That’s all folks

Thailand Europe Vietnam Japan

Australian adventures

  • Melbourne


Counter only started June 16 2020.

This gallery contains 3 photos