alf jessup Posted April 14, 2012 Share Posted April 14, 2012 You would be MORE than welcome to stop in to Laverton WA 6440 for a locum placement anytime. (hard to get GP to come out here) (own clinic, and a small community hospital servicing ~300 people in town and ~200 people in surrounds).I work about 107km S.E. of there trying to stop "kids" killing themselves in the "sandpit".... (OHS Advisor to a mining company, also Medic for them) Formerly a Registered Nurse and also electronic tradesman. Live on the Gold Coast QLD (yeah, the 16 hr commute to work sucks, but not as much as the 24 hr return trip). 2 on 2 off roster aint so bad. 2 on 2 off is the best, I did that for 16 years offshore and loved it, did week on and week off first but that I didn't like, did a couple of 4 on and 4 off and survived that. Currently I am having everyday off as my job in New Guinea didn't work out after I left the mines in December. Supposed to be having an interview in the next few weeks for a HSE advisors job on land rigs in SE Queensland so the future is looking brighter than it has been for the last 4 months. (mind you I have enjoyed every day off). Alf Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
damkia Posted April 14, 2012 Share Posted April 14, 2012 2 on 2 off is the best, I did that for 16 years offshore and loved it, did week on and week off first but that I didn't like, did a couple of 4 on and 4 off and survived that.Currently I am having everyday off as my job in New Guinea didn't work out after I left the mines in December. Supposed to be having an interview in the next few weeks for a HSE advisors job on land rigs in SE Queensland so the future is looking brighter than it has been for the last 4 months. (mind you I have enjoyed every day off). Alf You would be better off trying the NW WA gas/oilfields. The only thing going in SE Qld is relatively low paid (80-100K) CSG pipelines. Even that is getting a bit iffy with the new Govt possibly putting a moratorium in place on further CSG exploration. Big projects, but all treading on eggshells at the moment. Try, Gorgon, Browse, or any of the other majors in WA, or Inpex Ichthys project out of NT Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Louis Moore Posted April 14, 2012 Share Posted April 14, 2012 Cool idea for a thread! Spent early life as a barmen in my families pubs. Hated it and was eager to get out so at 16 took an apprenticeship as a L.A.M.E. Did that for a year after the apprentice ended, got married and moved to the USA. Spent another two years over there as an A&P. When we moved back to Oz my wife and I moved into Motel Management to spend a little more time together (mechanics and horse trainers don't see each other very often!!!) and have been running them ever since! Long term want to move into writing and one day dream of getting an instructor rating under my belt as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kgwilson Posted April 14, 2012 Share Posted April 14, 2012 1963 to 2012. This is what I remember doing. Anything I have missed must have been so bad I have erased it from memory. Paper boy Lawn mower (I pushed the mower & there was no engine) Window Cleaner Grocery delivery boy Looked after dead peoples money (Estates officer) Buggered off overseas for 3 years Farm worker (looked after a bunch of Gypsies in Marden, Kent, UK) Temp work like sweeping floors, removing furniture, cleaning, selecting records at night for distribution to record shops Builders labourer Electricians Mate Forklift Driver Industrial Engineering Technician Industrial Engineer Management Services Officer Systems documenter & trainer Systems Implementer Systems Analyst Systems developer User Services Manager Project Manager Senior Project Manager Information Services Manager Engineered my own Redundancy Managing Director (my own Aluminium & Glass fabrication company) Retired Aircraft builder (my own Morgan Sierra) SES volunteer 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guernsey Posted April 14, 2012 Share Posted April 14, 2012 STREWTH. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gareth lacey Posted April 14, 2012 Share Posted April 14, 2012 hear hear!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poteroo Posted April 15, 2012 Share Posted April 15, 2012 Have been incredibly lucky to be able to combine both my professions, agricultural scientist and flying instructor, over a 46 year span...and still enjoying both. Fortunate to have been in PNG through the 60's, and had training from some of the legends of PNG flying. The discipline of handling a loaded up Cessna 185 into some interesting strips, under interesting conditions, has stood me in good stead over a lifetime of flying. I'm now able to return some of my aviation benefits to the next generation of pilots. happy days, 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Toally87 Posted April 19, 2012 Share Posted April 19, 2012 Crikey, Good to see we all come from all walks of life. Here's my story. I joined the army at 17 did my trade as an avionics technician working on blackhawks and then on to MRH90's where i was lucky enough to be on the first of class flight trials where we developed ships helo operating limits for the type. When i got out of the army i went into agricultural electronics, calibrating grain moisture meters and the like. After that i got into selling grain dryers and aeration. Up til monday when i go back to working on the MRH90's YAY cheers Toally Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shags_j Posted April 19, 2012 Share Posted April 19, 2012 That's awesome Toally. I'd give my left nut to fly one of those bad boys. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boingk Posted April 21, 2012 Share Posted April 21, 2012 Nice stuff guys. I'm only 23 but have had a few jobs, notably: farmhand, pharmacists assistant, military disposal/camping store, postie delivery rider, ...and now bar manager. Currently I work 5 or 6 nights a week in at the bar and fly through the day when I can. I'm a few scant hours off getting my PPL and will most likely pusue the 200hr course to CPL by purchasing my own RA aircraft for hours in command and getting time in aircraft by either working for aerial surveyors or some other such role. Eventually I'd like to end up in the 'aviation industry', whatever that happens to be. Thats the rough plan at this point, anyway! Cheers - boingk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jencfi Posted April 22, 2012 Share Posted April 22, 2012 Commercial Pilot..RA-Aus CFI and a Mum! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pilotdave69 Posted April 22, 2012 Share Posted April 22, 2012 What a broad range of careers, yet we all come back to Aviation! Ive been an electrician for over 20 years, working at large commercial sites, Lithgow jail when built in 1990, apprentice with energy company back in 1987.. moved through many different smaller companies wiring houses, general electrical work, maintenance work. Joined Clyde engineering in 1991 and wired many locomotives for state rail and then Qld Railways, keep and eye on those Blue and white, Yellow locos, stating with 81- , possibly worked on them all! Moved back into energy company from 1998, been a dispatcher from 2003 , renamed Essential Energy as of last year, we cover a large area of NSW for electrical blackouts, also planned outages . Some people say its like working in Air traffic control, at some stages , just as busy and adrenalin rush when shit hits the fan! (storms ) . My love of flying goes back to young child, father always had me in planes , only began flying training in 2010, finally completing Nav endorsement in Jan.. Will be starting flying instructors course this month.. hopefully one day , will purchase my own plane! Dave 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kyle Communications Posted April 22, 2012 Share Posted April 22, 2012 I have been very fortunate in my working life...first real job other than packing groceries when being a teenager I worked making "Caper Cats" the sailing buffs will know what they are then I got a job working at the Ford assembly plant in Brisbane making XC falcons I was on the wet deck wet sanding the cars as they come out from undercoating then I trained to spray the cars and did that until I left after 1 year. I left because I got a apprenticeship as a electrical fitter mechanic with the SEQEB now called Energex I was lucky to spend time in all sections and got a job doing high voltage switching then I left that section and worked as a apprentice training school instructor at Rocklea. I left there to start my radio comms business in 1988 I did a 2 year bridging course to give me radio technician as well as the fitter/mechanic special class which means I did a industrial electronics advanced trade course to give me the special class thats why I only needed to do the 2 year course for radio tech. I have run my business since then and still do...my business life has taken me all over the world many times doing various jobs from designing and manufacturing and installing laser tag systems radio work in the Solomon Islands and work in very remote places here in Australia and much more. I have been very lucky but do also have to say hard work usually pays off never sit on your bum expecting a handout or to get something....hard work always brings rewards Mark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
planedriver Posted April 23, 2012 Share Posted April 23, 2012 I worked for 19yrs with the company who first developed and kicked off the photocell industry back in 1927 (I came on the scene later, i'm not that bloody old). Very interesting business to be involved in, as with interuption or partial obsuration of a beam of light, control is possible. The number of applications seemed only limited by ones immagination. We developed systems ranging from switching on street lighting at dusk, measuring smoke going up chimneys, fume detection in road tunnels, smoke/fire detection, I designed one for the Concorde Engine Test Bed at Farnborough, and some years later got a ride in one back from Bahrain while doing work for BA). The what was new back then freight teminal at Heathrow, built for BEA & BOAC prior to changing to British Airways had 20miles of automated conveyor network under one roof, largely controlled by photocell equipment. I was Senior Sales Development Engineer prior to migrating to Oz in 1978. Like many new arrivals, for a short time I became a Sydney taxi driver who took a few people on the Cooks Tour, before handing them the street directory. In those days, you paid 30 bucks to a so-called Taxi-driver Training Academy, had two lectures which only went for half an hour or so, and were then given a few sheets of paper to learn,which contained all the answers to all the questionsons for the RTA Test. Not being cut-out for that, I started my own business supplying and installing automatic gates, boom gates, and access security systems, including motorising aircraft hanger doors, and did that for the next 32yrs. I'm now retired, but still get asked to occasionally do a little bit of service work, or trouble-shoot a few problems after others have torn their hair out and made things even worse. Having designed at built an automatic garage door at the age of 17 which did't need a motor. Also designed a contactless ignition system using photoeletrics to replace the points, but in those days the components did'nt like the high temperatures.Many years later a customer of mine and myself came upwith the idea of motorised belts at supermarket check-outs which went on to be produced initially for an American company. My God how I wish we'd taken a patent on it, and get reminded everytime I do the weekly shopping. The plan of building my own aircraft as a retirement project got shelved, after funds for it, were gobbled-up paying for health treatment, and I think partly for partly buying my specialist his new Merc. Maybe we should have swapped jobs! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super Petrel LS Posted April 25, 2012 Share Posted April 25, 2012 25 years as a Property Developer in Australia and SE Asia (owner operator), professional speaker for 8 years (entrepreneurship topics). Now a farmer (cattle, 1000 acres on the Darling Downs) professional non-executive director on company boards (Chairman of 4 companies at the moment) and CFI/L2 and QRAA Club President at Warwick Airfield. Also have the Australian distributorship for the Super Petrel LS. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pudestcon Posted April 25, 2012 Share Posted April 25, 2012 25 years as a Property Developer in Australia and SE Asia (owner operator), professional speaker for 8 years (entrepreneurship topics).Now a farmer (cattle, 1000 acres on the Darling Downs) professional non-executive director on company boards (Chairman of 4 companies at the moment) and CFI/L2 and QRAA Club President at Warwick Airfield. Also have the Australian distributorship for the Super Petrel LS. What do you do in your spare time Kelvin? Pud Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super Petrel LS Posted April 25, 2012 Share Posted April 25, 2012 Pud, my wife keeps reminding me I am supposed to be retired! I warn everyone about retirement.... you end up busier than when you were working full time and you thought you worked hard then!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eightyknots Posted April 25, 2012 Share Posted April 25, 2012 Pud, my wife keeps reminding me I am supposed to be retired! I warn everyone about retirement.... you end up busier than when you were working full time and you thought you worked hard then!! Great to see you're a site supporter, Kelvin. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
facthunter Posted April 25, 2012 Share Posted April 25, 2012 Still researching the remote possibility that one can survive financially after retirement. Nev Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guernsey Posted April 25, 2012 Share Posted April 25, 2012 Commercial Pilot..RA-Aus CFI and a Mum! How many hours have you logged up in each category ???? Alan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pudestcon Posted April 25, 2012 Share Posted April 25, 2012 Pud, my wife keeps reminding me I am supposed to be retired! I warn everyone about retirement.... you end up busier than when you were working full time and you thought you worked hard then!! Well I turn 60 this year Kevin, and for the first time in my life I'm not that keen on another birthday. I think it's the realisation that 60 something sounds a whole lot worse than 50 something. Still, I'm looking forward to spending time with my Grandkids and family, looking forward to spending time on the road in this great country we have, and of course, doing as much flying as possible. These activities will be ramped up when I finally retire sometime in the next 5 years. Like a lot of people here I suspect, tussling with the idea of no steady regular income after retirement is taking up a far bit of thought. I'm looking forward to being busier than ever though, it will be on activities of my choosing, not something I have to do. Pud Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bacon Posted April 25, 2012 Share Posted April 25, 2012 Im a boilermaker by trade, currently working for australian shaft drilling, We drill 6m diameter vent shafts for underground mines, do a bit of everthing driving excavators, loaders, cranes and drill rigs, do a little bit of boilermaking but not much which suits me perfectly was getting sick of it. And just got promoted to a supervisors postion. I fly in and out on a 1 and 2 roster and am dreaming of building my own plane to fly myself to work, get away from the busy airports Jamie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyerme Posted April 25, 2012 Share Posted April 25, 2012 I am a qualified automotive mechanical engineer, but made my living working for E.T.S.A(rural electricity meter reader),unfortunatly ,I had to quit and become a full time carer for my intire in-law family..Mother in law(passed away cancer aged 48-last year) her son(brother in-law - with aspergers) and my grandfather in-law(elderly -body only ,mind a wealth of nollage)..so hence why Im home 98% of the time. and my grandfater in-law (PA) is my biggest aviation supporter...he has just completed a 250 mtr strip for me and is talking about a hanger,in case the weather turns nasty .. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eightyknots Posted April 25, 2012 Share Posted April 25, 2012 Still researching the remote possibility that one can survive financially after retirement. Nev I have heard from many that surviving financially after retirement often does not include any high-cost hobby such as aviation . I hope that this is not the case with you, FH. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
facthunter Posted April 26, 2012 Share Posted April 26, 2012 Unfortunately it is looking that way 80 k. certainly at a high participation level. If I lived somewhere else where it was more intensive and I could get into instruction again it might be different.. Pity as things are looking up a bit at the moment, (as I see it). in the U/L scene. Ive held on to the Fisher for a while but I think it may have to go...Nev Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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