Born in Australia at the end of the second world war I grew up in North Balwyn with my brother and sister, having a great family life due to my parents commitment. I went to Box Hill Technical College and went on to graduate as an Electrical Technician at RMIT. At the end of my training I left my employer with their support to travel Europe and the UK. I went to Scotland and worked in their ski resort of Avimore. It was here I met my first wife Pam and after a honeymoon touring Europe we migrated to Canada and lived in Vancouver for 12 months. We then moved back to Australia and I went back to work with my original employer who took me back as a supervisor. I worked there for 3-4 years then went into my own electrical and lighting wholesaling business. After the birth of our first daughter we both still had the travelling bug in our systems so we decided to look at purchasing a Caravan Park. We ended up buying a third share in Bonnie Doons Lakeside Leisure Resort. After a couple of years the partners wanted out so we purchased their shares and developed the business to a stage where it had a licensed restaurant, shop, water ski school, petrol pontoon on Lake Eildon and over 200 powered sites, 20 cabins and a YHA Hostel. We managed this as well as taking on other community activities and raising our 3 daughters who were very involved and competing with their horses. We also purchased a farm close to the park and raised Hereford cattle. I joined the committee of the Victorian Caravan Parks Association (Vicparks) eventually taking on the presidents position of this and eventually the Australian Caravan Parks Federation. Locally I was a councilor on the Shire of Mansfield, Chairman of the inaugural Delatite Tourism Board, and eventually President of the Mansfield and District Hospital.

 

When the drought hit us late in the 90's things started to fall apart and eventually led to my first divorce. Westpac forced us to sell both the farm and the park business even though they were still tradeing profitably during the drought. I became rather depressed and decide to spend a season in America on a H2 work visa in the 1999-2000 winter season to work and ski in Vail Colorado. I worked 4 nights a week and skied up to 7 days a week and did this for 3 seasons and this is where I met my American wife.

 

In 2003 with Jaylene my second wife we moved to Myrtle Beach where we settled, Jaylene was an avid golfer so Myrtle Beach with over 100 golf courses was her ideal retirement home. We purchased a home in Indian Wells, a golf course in Murrells Inlet and I initially started work in South Carolina as a Maintenance Engineer with the Sheraton Hotel and Time Share Resort at Myrtle Beach but was laid off when my work permit ran out before my green card came through. I then became a Realtor and worked for Century 21 for a couple of years. We went back to Vail for a couple of winters, one working and another just for a holiday as well as going to Australia in between. It became too expensive with health insurance for me to live there and eventually the marriage broke down due to my working commitments in Australia and Vail.

I have since commuted the last few years to Australia to visit my daughters and grandkids and at the same time managing the YHA Lodge on Mt Buller for their winter seasons.

Outside the ski seasons I am available for relief management of Hotels, Motels, and Caravan Parks (RV Parks). Having an electrical technician and trade background I am very conversant with all types of maintenance within the tourism industry. I have an excellent computer knowledge having being one of the first in Australia to link boom gates to a caravan park booking program.

I now have taken up my lifelong hobby of photography and am starting to build a collection of equipment and photographs.

My next project is now on the home page. I purchased a Silverado together with the fifth wheeler and toured the states when the season finished in 2013. I had planed this for 2012 but had to go back to Australia to manage YHA Mt Buller for another season. This was the last season I managed Mt Buller but have continued working in Vail. Due to personal problems the last couple of years I have had to return to Australia and cut my trips travelling in my RV in America short. I had to return to Australia for another divorce case from a woman that I only lived with some of the time I was in Australia. Two appearances in court, more of the story on my businesses not recommended page. Now with the court cases behind me I returned to the states to pick up my truck and van and headed East again to visit Roger and Kitty in South Carolina. Did this and then started work another season in Vail.

 

I decided this was my last year in America 2016-17 and that season I skied 1.4 million vertical feet as well as touring right up the east coast to New England at the end of the season. I then headed back to LA and put both the truck and 5th wheeler on ships to Australia before flying home.