Last week my son, who is researching his own trip to Europe next year, came across this website. I got a tweet(!), and as soon as I saw my old schoolmate Graham Preiss (Vicar) fronting up I was locked in. Then I noticed that my name was mentioned a couple of times, in absentia, so I thought i'd better 'fess up. I sent Vicar a long email, most of which is reproduced below. Thanks to John Estes as well for asking. -
I had a relatively brief career with Sundowners - I did the training trip in 78, then took two Cossacks in the summer of 78, the first with Darcy Waller as driver, and the second with Graham Nicol. Both were great experiences. Darcy was great company, and a lot more relaxed than I was on my first trip as courier- I didn't realise until I cruised the website that Darcy had been everywhere. I was told in Vienna on the training trip that I would be taking a trip out again on the same day we all got back to London, so the trip with Darcy and the training trip sort of ran into each other. At the end of 10 weeks on the road without a break I was stuffed, so when Vicar and I met in Berlin after we got off the train from Krakow, to get us back home (read the blog, below), I was very grateful. The punters must have been a bit edgy too - I remember Buddha giving them all a serve the morning we left Berlin.
Graham was even more relaxed. The second trip seemed like a breeze compared to the first - always the way.
Anyway, after the second trip with Graham I met Cathie at the Albany. We got engaged 35 days later. (Needless to say, an awful lot happened in between those last two sentences!)
I travelled around Europe with my family in December/January 78/79, then went back to Aussie and we were married in March. After a few months back home we both were itching to return, which we did in July 79. We worked in a pub (the Queen Adelaide) near London for a while then returned to Australia via Greece, Egypt, Turkey and Bali in early 1980.
We lived in Sydney for three years. I was teaching at Stella Maris at North Steyne/Manly. During that time we organised a reunion for the Cossack trip, held at Loewenbrau in the Rocks. It was a great night. Then we moved to Adelaide where I worked at St Michaels from 1984-1994. We had three kids in that time - Phoebe, Robert and Verity - and lived in Grange.
When mid-life crisis hit I applied for a job in Darwin, and we have lived here in the Top End ever since. It was the best move we ever made. I was Principal at O'Loughlin College for a few years and then later Principal of the secondary school at Nguiu, Bathurst Island, among the Tiwi indigenous mob. That was an experience I'll never forget. Lately I've been doing a bit of English teaching to migrants and refugees at Charles Darwin Uni here in Darwin.
I had a late-life crisis a couple of years ago and did a bit of work with AAT Kings, taking tourists out to the Jumping Crocs, and a few Darwin Day Tours. It was great to be driving the coach, but the money was no good compared to teaching, so I didn't last long. I even got accreditation as a Kakadu tourist guide!
The past few years we have developed a passion for travelling again, mostly to Vietnam. We'll be there again in a few weeks to get some more dental work done. Email me if you want to know of an excellent American dentist in Hanoi. Between 1980 and 2003 we did not leave Australia at all - having kids does that. Now we hop on a plane to Singapore every few months it seems.
All of the above I have put together in a blog I created a few years ago, and update from time to time. Its at
http://travelsaroundmymind.blogspot.com.au/ . Feel free to have a browse when you get some time.
Don't know if you ever go through Darwin, but if you ever pass by, feel free to give me a call on 0412346542. Would love to have a decent chat.
Garry Griffin
Locked
