In 1965, I was selected for a programmer-in- training course. From memory, this involved 20 weeks of full time class work and 20 weeks of closely supervised practical work. We learnt different program languages, basic computer hardware and architecture, and systems analysis and design and if we passed, were guaranteed an automatic promotion at the end. This time I was motivated and passed. 1966 involved a lot of travel around State offices chasing computer time and because of this and the fact we had discovered golf, I decided to retire from Rugby. In fact, although I never stopped loving playing Rugby, I hated training on Canberra's cold winter nights. I can still remember the feeling of ice forming in your lungs as the forwards plodded up and down the paddock providing training for the backs. This decision was reinforced by the birth of our son in 1968. Our daughter was born in 1972.
In 1973, I was outposted to a user area to work closely with them to build systems. I had a falling out with my computer managers because I believed they were giving wrong advice to the users. The result was that when I was offered a transfer out of the Computer Branch to the Corporate Services Branch, I took it. The rest of my career in the ABS was in corporate services areas mostly in Canberra but included several relieving short periods in State offices.
In 1989, I transferred to the Department of Veterans Affairs to work on Industrial Relations. The major challenge was to look after the people aspects of transferring the Repatriation Hospitals from Commonwealth /to State Government control and if that couldn't be achieved to convince private enterprise to take them over. Union cooperation was essential to a smooth transition and this could only be achieved if they were convinced that their members were being looked after. In late 1993, this had been accomplished and the unit was largely disbanded. I then had 3 years in the Melbourne Office Corporate Services Branch and 4 years in the similar unit in the Sydney Office.
In 2000, there was a major push to downsize corporate services units and I was made an offer to retire that was too good to refuse. June was by then in a senior position in the State office of another Commonwealth Department and worked on for a couple of years while I played golf almost every day. When she retired we moved to the Southern Highlands in 2004. This placed us within 2 hours of both friends in Sydney and our kids (no matter how old they are, they are always our kids) who were both in Canberra at that stage. In 2009, we discovered Chihuahua and became Ozzyjack and Ozzyjune.
Life has been kind to us.
I'd like to take this opportunity to wish all forum members the very best over the holiday season, however you perceive it to be, and the very best for the new year.