It was in 1994. I was 36yo and my father had recently passed away. I had two daughters6 and 3yo and had been unemployed for 2 years. Xmas was looking bleak, we were poor and I found it impossible to find work. I was good with handyman work though and my mind went into mania mode...I found a way I could give my girls a great xmas.
I designed the perfect cubby house. It had dormer windows, was portable and painted bright colours. Pink with grey and green with cream. Or any colour they ordered. I built one and took it to a town show and kids wouldnt get out of it. Mums had to drag them out. I knew I was onto something.
This idea was my temporary saviour. Because my marriage was on the rocks and I had little idea of my mental illnesses. All I knew was I was going downhill fast.
I withdrew our last dollars to buy more floorboards and advertised in the trading post. Two weeks later I had orders for14 cubbies all to be delivered xmas eve. I frantically began to build and borrow more money to buy more materials. I toiled for 19 hours a day.
Xmas eve arrived and at 4am I woke to a "town" of brightly coloured cubbies on our backyard where my daughters had played for the last few weeks. One by one they were delivered all over the Victorian state towed by my old trusty Ford Zephyr.
19 hours later I had the last cubby on the trailer bound for Melbourne 2 hours away. I was spent, exhausted but I was estatic. My pocket was full of money...around $8000 of which $2000 was to be repaid in materials. I delivered the cubby. The parents of that lucky girl got me to eat santas carrot cake and in front of this couple I burst into tears totally overcome and exhausted.
I drove home and a few kilometres from home I realised I'd forgotten to buy my daughters a xmas gift. All our money had gone into building materials and I was so busy delivering cubbies- I'd forgot. I drove another hour to arrive at a service station at a town named Kalkallo on the outskirts of Melbourne, the only place where gift could be purchased. The only "gifts" were $3 beach balls. And so two were purchased.
I got home at 3am. My wife did have two xmas stockings she filled with nick knacks and we wrapped the balls in xmas paper. Our children woke and they loved their beach balls and stockings.
There has never been a better xmas. Two weeks later we got a new fridge and filled it and the pantry with food.
Two months later I got a job.
I've believed ever since....that you can make your own luck in life.
Merry xmas
Tony WK
Hi Geoff,
Well after the cubbies, my old back injury returned having had to man handle the cubbies too much. So I pondered how to make extra cash. I had an old ride on mower. So set about making a locomotive. It looked like Thomas the tank engine and it still was required to mow the lawns so looked amusing for others to see a loco mowing lawns. I made two open carriages and a red caboose. The caboose had its traditional steps and rear verandah. In all it cost me only $700 plus the mower worth around $1000.
Under the roof was a small gas bottle and compressor under the hood. A water cock handle controlled the whistles found from a steam train shop in NSW. The type kids blew thru like flutes. The loco was of course bright blue.
I made hundreds of dollars a day at shows. That whistle brought the kids from everywhere. It didnt need tracks of course so would ride around ovals. But I had one problem. My then wife, due to the friction between us, refused to take bookings. Also there was a union called the Showmans Guild. To be a member of the guild one had to be a third generation showman or be recommended by a family of showpersons. I was turned away at shows. Eventually I sold the train to a showman for $7000. Being so financially strapped the money was suppose to be a blessing. I returned home that day and told my wife. She said "you could have got a lot more for it than that". Here was a partner that wouldnt take bookings etc Then she blew a smoke ring in my face. After 11 years of abuse it was the final straw.
I left.Mentally there was no other option.
Yes, I still do all handyman work at home. Am building a man cave in the shed now for my future wood working projects, where its warm in the cold winters here in the hills. I tinker with my VW trike.
Jess. Yes, I have several photos of my cubbies. not of the 14 sold that xmas though...was too busy to think of that. I recall my largest I made. It was 2400x2400x1800 high. It was a traditional Victorian shape with fairy curtains and laced verandah.
Cant post them here so we'll let that go. However after leaving my first wife I did then build my own home from a kit. It took 8 months. It was a quaker barn.
At our current house with the help of my wife of 4 years (known her for 29 years now) we built a 6 metre diameter rotunda elevated 3 metres off the ground. It overlooks a golf course. Red sunsets at the moment are amazing. Tony
