My Story - Part 2
I was coming to the end of my full-time 8 week diploma and I now needed to decide where I wanted to work as the course offered guaranteed employment. As I was older than my young student friends I seemed to be a little more focused on the career aspect and less on the party locations, although I had been part of a few bar-top dancing escapades. If you have seen me dance you would find that hilarious and disturbing!
Hayman Island was at the time considered one of the most exclusive island resorts in the world. Not wanting to aim too high I asked my teacher if I could apply to Hayman. Her response wasn’t exactly encouraging but I pressed on with determination. I was given a 2 week trial which led to a permanent contract living on the island.
My first job was working in the world famous pool bar, which was situated on an elevated island overlooking a pool that was seven times the size of an olympic pool. Picture this - on one side there were fifty to sixty half naked, rich and mostly European women with the backdrop of this magnificent pool, and on the other side you had the Whitsunday Islands and ocean. I could have been on the moon and not been further away, in my mind, from the life I had been living up until a few months ago. No higher education, no wealth and no real qualifications, just an ability to work hard and a desire to learn is all that is required to make it in an industry that can take you to places like that. The guests of this island pay several thousand dollars for the privilege and I actually got paid to be there?? One room was $4500 per night plus an extra $2000 per night for a butler.
While working at Hayman Island I took advantage of the hotel systems that encourage cross-training, work experience, good orientation procedures & work hours in multiple outlets. Hotels are a wonderful place to learn but as I have come to realize over the years, they actually inhibit the personal expression of individuals and aim for consistency rather than greatness. Hotels provide a consistent product to travelers wanting to know what they are going to get when they arrive on their holidays. I would not change my work in hotels for anything and they taught me so much but I could sense that I would struggle with the red tape and politics. There is a distinct difference between personally owned restaurants & hotels that make their money off room sales. I started to think past Hayman.
I heard stories from the other staff about crazy restaurants around the world. I hung out with chefs who filled me with stories of passionate, crazy bosses that they had worked for. As I spent more time on the island I started to become drawn to the restaurant side of things. The tips we would earn, the bottles of wine we would open, I wanted this to be my life! This was to be the start of me defining my career.
Alas, I met a hot blonde and fell in love. The island, the romance, the sunsets, it all seemed perfect. Logically…. I left the island to be with the blonde. All that romance that you have just read, about how I had found my career, my passion and my life… yet the second I hook up with a hot blonde - see ya later! So I guess it would be fair to say that when it all comes down to it, I am just like any other bloke on the planet. Put the career on hold - I’m off to have some fun!!
Brisbane, here I come…………………….
FYI; while on Hayman I was fortunate enough to serve the likes of Robin Williams, Janet Jackson, Metallica, Muhammad Ali, Keith Richards and more. Metallica were actually kicked out of the staff bar by a supervisor who didn’t recognize them but noticed they were wearing singlets. They returned in about 20 minutes in the appropriate attire and partied with the staff all night!
