Hi there BANJO...

I couldn't have articulated my own feelings, about Australia any more eloquently than you have Banjo. A simple, yet nevertheless an emotional synopsis of the Australia that you and I grew up in, and a mirror image of my own ascent up the greasy pole of 'prosperity'.

Even in the early days of my military service I had a part-time job when time permitted. All I needed to do was seek authority from the Adjutant to engaged in part-time work, and provided it didn't bring the Service into any disrepute, its was usually granted.

Similarly with my early days in the police, I used to cut lawns during my time off, always cash in hand...today you couldn't do such a thing? Later I did 'Return to Base' cars; vans; or single axel trucks, that were a normal oneway rental, and needed to be returned to their original rental outlet. I was paid by length of journey, not hourly.

The best I did after an ordinary dayshift; was Sydney, to Cooma with a 4 x 4 wheel returning with an ordinary sedan. Finished my normal shift at 1500hrs and arrived Cooma with the 4 x 4 rental, 5 1/2 hours later, eventually getting home and to bed at around 0245hrs the next morning; arising about 3 hours later for my normal 0700 to 1500 day-shift with the coppers. Oh to be young again!!

It has been going on for years now. The piece of paper that says you are qualified is more important than what you can really do.

An old uncle of mine, 40 years ago was having a rant one day. He had at 71 been called back to Australia's major petrol pump maker Gilbarco. A fitter & turner, he had worked his way up to production manager, running every part of the planning & production.

They had hired a couple of young bright eyed bushytailed graduate engineers to replace him as he neared retirement. They had been given 2 years training by him before he left. Six years later the directors had come begging him to come back to sort out the mess they had made of the place. All because they introduced the new fangled stuff they had been taught at uni, my uncle reckoned.

The most ridiculous thing about this was that Gilbarco had been started & made a major company by a couple of tradesmen plumbers, who had seen the problems when installing service station systems, & designed stuff to work properly. They should have known to avoid the "new fangled stuff".

No piece of paper replaces the requirement to be able to think & plan properly. This is why our public services are so hopeless.

Ah yes o sung wu, the strength of youth.

When I was racing I would close my workshop at 5.00PM on Friday night, load my Brabham into it's 19ft enclosed trailer, hook it onto the car, embark my pit crew & head for Melbourne, Albury or Brisbane a few times a year.

In those days of higher speed limits & would arrive at my destination with enough time to have an hour or 2 sleep before practice, but no more. Practice used up Saturday, & full of nervous energy we would check & recheck everything on the Brabham, until early Sunday morning. I would have a shower, & dove for a dew hours before Sunday race day.

After the race, it was off home, with perhaps an hour or two before work on Monday. I always found it difficult to sleep with someone else driving, so I did the transport driving.

These days 400 kilometres is all it takes for me to be tiring, & needing at least a meal brake before driving further. Yes the unappreciated joys of youth. Pity we didn't realise then that it would not last for ever.

Even greater pity is the fact that the marvellous country we grew up in & served, is winding down into something not worth much today.

"...strange, multicultural faces and dress in the streets..."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Highland_dress

I just couldn't resist!!

Banjo,
Was the pay from fruit picking really tax free? Or is it just that people cheated on their taxes in those days?

And why can't you live in a temporary place while building nowadays?

Then there's this lot.

http://www.google.com.au/search?q=welsh+dress&rlz=1C1CAFB_enAU718AU718&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj_xuvZlLTcAhUS87wKHZwjD_MQsAQIOQ&biw=820&bih=484

and these,
http://www.gaelicclothing.com/irish-kilt-kit