End of 14 months long service leave - end of 41 year career

[charleville]

“He was an old man who fished alone in a skiff in the Gulf Stream and he had gone eighty-four days now without taking a fish.”


Well, I won’t volunteer myself as being an old man although my kids might argue with me about that and my little Quinnie runabout is not exactly a skiff and I don’t exactly fish in the Gulf Stream but I do fish alone and although it is not 84 days since I took a fish, it has been a while since I posted a report here so lest people start to think of me like Santiago in Ernest Hemmingway’s Nobel Prize winning novel, “The Old Man and the Sea” it is probably time that I contributed to these pages once again.

The truth is that I have been pre-occupied with some other matters lately.

Many Ausfishers will recall my exuberant announcement in February last year that I was commencing 13 months of long service leave and that all I wanted to do was to go fishin’ in Moreton Bay during that time.

Well, so I did.

Up to six times per week. And I think that between us we had a bit of frivolous fun with my quirky reports on many of those trips. Well I did anyway! ;D I had an exquisitely wonderful time!

So much so that by the end of the 13 months, I had managed to tack on another month of annual leave. All that finished a couple of weeks ago. :(

But wait, there’s more......

I have now extended my leave “permanently”. :o

This week, I ended my 41 year career with my beloved company. Not that I could have been very good at what I did there - cause they paid me a wheelbarrow full of money to not come back! Hehehe!!! ;D ;D ;D

So at the ripe old age of 56 I am now retren...... - er- ah - retir... - ah - um - gulp - er - ah - a free-lance. ;D

I am not sure what I am a free-lance in but I guess that means that I can do more fishin’.

...and more writing of long, waffly, meandering, pointless, anecdotally irrelevant, smiley face filled, fishing reports in the Estuary Reports section. ;D

What am I gonna do besides fishin’?

Whaddya mean, “Besides fishin’??!!!” Stupid bloody question!

Oh you mean when it is raining - or blowing 30 knots?

How about sleepin’? No? Ah well - er - ah - er - well I might try my hand at a spot of writing since a few of you lot out there have been encouraging me to do that, especially Ausfishers like Beggsy. (Thanks mate - now look what you have made me do!) No one will want to read my loquacious waffle but what the heck, I am gonna scribble it down on a bit of dunny paper anyway! :)

Some bits of the journey over the past 14 months and the decision making process that lead me to where I am are shown below....

[gone_fishing]

goodonya!!!!
dont forget to go on a SKI trip


SKI -- spend kids inheritance

[Luc]

Good on ya!!

But don't let little Johnny hear you. Not allowed to retire and put your feet up.

Luc

[Chimo]

Well done

You like me, and many others, will wonder how you had time time to fit in work and do all the other esentials.
Once you get into the essentials, as you would have for the past year, you now know.
There is no way !
Enjoy

Cheers
Chimo (GOM and Lifestyle Consultant too)

[BilgeBoy]

I look forward to reading your reports mate...if they are anything like the previous they should be informative and put a smile on a dial.

Oh and don't spend all ya payout in tackle.....Save some for BAIT!!!!!

BilgeBoy

[kingtin]

Congratulations Bruce. May your retirement be as enjoyable to you as your musings have been to me. I look forward to more of your scribeings.

http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/36/36_1_11.gifhttp://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/36/36_1_11.gif

kev

[PinHead]

onya Bruce...let me know what you do to fill in the extra time.

[straddie]

Happy for you Charleville and I am looking forward to the reports.

Some suggestions to keep you busy for the next few years, find the key to harrys, wello, peel, tangalooma to cowan.

[blaze]

congrats, I to enjoy your ramblings. May there be many more years of rod bending.
cheers
blaze

[finga]

Get back to work ya blugger!!! ;D
I was saying to the cook on Monday about Charlieville going walkabout.
I just assumed you got the poos with the world going back to work
Now I know....you really got the poos with work bigtime eh. :)
Enjoy the best part of your life now work is over matey.

If you don't know what you want to freelance in there's a few things here you could try to see if you'd like to enter that career...some examples are changing the gutters, cutting the palm fronds down, washing the dog, racking the dirt (no need to mow :( ), polishing the boat...oh the list is endless :P

On one of those windy days come and say gidday and have some smoko. I might even make some sao's with tomatoe and cheese. Yumm ;D
Cheers matey
Scott :D

[revs57]

Congratulations Bruce,

I'm looking forward to the day i can join you. There comes a time where you have to say enough is enough and get on with the more important things in life. Bring on more tales of the "old man of the sea". I really love the tag line on Scotts post...may you discover great happiness

Cheers

Rhys

[Freeeedom]

Goodonya Bruce - I must say that your story has a familiar ring to it. When the wind blows 30 knots there's plenty of fresh water that can also provide some interesting action. Enjoy (like I do)
Cheers Freeeedom

[gunna]

Good on you Charleville. Its a decision you won't regret. What to do in your spare time ?? Firstly - you won't have any, if my experience is anything to go by. Secondly, get yourself a van. Gives you freedom to just pack up and head off for a few days any time you like. Add in a few games of golf and your time is pretty well covered :D :D . See you on the water sometime.

[dogsbody]

Congrats mate, i look forward to your posts i've missed them. Keep at the freelance you've definatly got something in your musings.

Dave. ;D;D;D;D

[Ryan.S]

Never met you m8, but congrats on a successful career. Kick back and enjoy it, you have earnt it. 43 years to go for me.
Cheers Ryno

[shayned]

What do you mean finally put some effort into your writing, you mean you haven't been so far? Does this mean your posts are going to get longer? Bloody hell I spend forever reading your short diatrabes I can imagine how much time I'll lose when you finally start putting some effort in to it.

Best of luck with the next phase of your life, i hope it goes well for you.

Now that you have this extra time available, I reckon I know of a fish stocking group that could use a man of your considerable talents!!!!

[bushbeachboy]

Congratulations Charlie. May your retirement be long, prosperous and fishy.

[Silent]

Few weeks ago I started wonder where's Chareville's mid report, honestly I love read yours while I work...Forwarding your many reports near future...

Many congratulations and now enjoy your retirement... Chareville!

[charleville]

Thanks for all of your best wishes, fellas. :)

I have enjoyed being off work for my 14 months on my long service leave and was really struggling to come to grips with having to go back to what was a pretty punishing routine, involving interstate travel every week, a solitary life at night in hotel rooms and very long hours.

If you want to be the Pope you have to live in Rome and in some companies like mine, if you want to move up the tree a bit you need to live in Sydney or Melbourne or commute down there a lot. (No lectures on telecommuting please - I know all of that stuff and yes, it works for some jobs but not the sort that I was in.)

All that business of flying somewhere every week is kind of exciting when you are a young man but it gets very tiring in your fifties after doing it for decades. I actually found myself feeling unwell on the few occasions that I had to visit an airport in the past year or so, so much was I dreading returning to that lifestyle. Forget the wanky stuff that you see in travel programs on TV, five star restaurant cooking doesn't come anywhere close to being as good as a home cooked feed in my book when you have it every night.

This is not to say though that I am not feeling a bit sad about leaving a company which I joined when I was a 15 year old and which I feel is in my DNA. But I have no contemporaries there now. My mates have all gone in one way or another.

People think that in my situation I would be jetting off around seeing the world with all of my spare time. Well I do have a half million Qantas frequent flyer points sitting at my disposal at the moment but if I personally never use them, I would be pretty happy. I just use them to fly my kids around a bit sometimes. Besides which I have seen enough of the world to know that it can be damn uncomfortable getting there, even in business class. :( It also helps that Mrs Charleville is scared of flying and does not want to do any more travel than the one return Sydney trip that she has done in her life.

Nah - I just want to go fishing and gardening (oops! Cannot do that for a while.) and write long waffly fishing reports after my mid week outings.

Oh - and maybe a few afternoon snoozes. :D

Actually, that sounds like a good idea right now ....;D ;D ;D

[2DKnBJ]

Good onya Charleville.
After being with the one company for the whole of your working life it is only fitting they give you an early retiremen oops freelance and some spending money to go with it.Get out there and enjoy the bay.Look foward to reading more of your reports.

Cheers Dazza

[Dirtysanchez]

Geez Charlie, I know what you mean, hadn't thought about it until I read your post... eek ! I have been to Sydney 3 times already this year and I hate it !!
Know what you mean about the food too, last time I got a terribly upset belly

All the best to you, it sounds like a good plan, I agree with the comment about getting a caravan or similar, I have a camper van and love going down to Tallabudgera for a weekend.. Standing on the bank of the river with a cold beer in one hand and fishing rod in the other

Have a ball, and keep those posts up

Russell

[top ender]

on ya mate well im lookin foward to the day myself wen i can say to myself......i dont know what im guna do today?........ahh mite asswell go fishing.

[sid_fishes]

mate i wish i was in your shoes, all those years in one place, you deserve a medal, but hey do you and the missus a favour, have a look at the motorhome deal, lots of poeple doing it and making a dollar at the same time. go see what the country has to offer, enjoy your time , make new friends and fish till u drop cheers sid

[ChuckBacker]

:D Congratulations Bruce,
Life is too short to wonder "what if" from work. After Forty-One years I reckon you have earned your extended fishing trip..........;D ;D
Steve

[charleville]

Thanks Guys. :)

I had to hand back my company car last week and I bought a brand new Falcon with a heavy duty towbar but the instructions say that I should not tow something as heavy as a boat until I get to 1500 km on the car's odometer. :-/

Bugger! At the rate that I am driving at the moment, I might not get the boat out for five weeks! :'( Damn! I might have to go touring this week to run the car in. :-/

That is the difference between a company car and one that you own. I never had that problem with the company cars that I used to have. ;D ;D ;D

[finga]

Sounds like a trip to Charlieville again.
That'll get the km's up.
Don't forget to take some bait though.

[chief]

Congradulations Bruce, Great decision, and myself and garrett are looking foward to those mid week reports . Cheers

[finding_time]

Bruce

you might remember that at one of Jaybee's days i said you were a better man than me if you could return to work after 14 months off, well it's nice to see how alike we are;D Enjoy mate!!!! plenty of time now to master the placy's!! And take Brian with you , now there a man that looks in need of a break!!:-X


Ian

[Argle]

Congrats on your extended long weekend Charlie, look forward to seeing the reports flow during the week (when ALL the best weather is) and your comment re afternoon naps has really struck a chord, is there anything better after a mornings fishing to lay back on the lounge and bzzzzzzzzzz
Enjoy you lucky bugger!

Cheers and beers
Scott

[Reel Nauti]

Congratulations on the retirement, and I can certainly appreciate your comments about regular travel, motel rooms and food. It all sounds very glamourous until you start doing week after week after week, month after month, and year after year. I would love to be in your shoes right now Bruce! and I am sure they will be very comfortable for a very long time!

All the best

Dave

[juju]

Im just waiting for my lotto numbers to come up so i can do the same....