This story goes back to August this year when I discovered that the Federal Government had introduced taxation for not-for-profit community groups in the 2023/24 federal budget.

I was encouraged to investigate the matter after one of the clubs that I am a member of, was assessed for a taxation payment of $6,000 for the 2023/24 year. Not-for-profit groups are now required to pay tax on any profits over $416 or any funding that is contributed for the direct benefit of the members. In the above case the group provided a small subsidy for the annual membership fees.

I commenced my investigation by contacting a number of groups that I am a member of, to see if they were aware of these new taxation requirements. To my dismay almost all had no idea that these laws had been introduced.

In 2023 a report was issued by Prof. Ian Hickey advising that collectively, volunteer contributions to Australia’s social prosperity were valued at $287.86bn, equating to 14% of Australia’s GDP in 2021.

During my investigations I received adverse reactions from a number of volunteers who have taken exception to the requirement to provide their myGov details to confirm their identity. Many have stated that they will simply resign. These new regulations require one person to accept responsibility for reporting and compliance for a community group which will almost certainly be managed by a committee.  It is suggested volunteers will find this ‘all too hard’ and we will see a massive drain from this valuable resource. These taxes will go down in history as being the greatest disincentive for volunteers that Australia has ever seen.

Further investigation took place and to my dismay the whole process of the introduction was an absolute debacle. I assembled the information that I had, and sent a copy of this to our local MP Dr. Helen Haines on 12th September. She assessed the content and then forwarded a copy to the Federal Treasurer Dr. Jim Chalmers, on the 16th September, asking him what could be done about the issues that I had raised.

After almost a month an undated response was received from the Assistant Treasurer, Andrew Leigh on the 18th October. This reponse did not address any of the issues raised which will have adverse impact on the community, but simply stated the details of the current regulations. It was simply a ‘go away and don’t annoy me’ response.

Following this I received some further information about the processes introduced by the Federal Government. The main issue that arose from this was the fact that there was no provision within the regulations to allow for an off-set of volunteer hours contributed to running these community support organisations, any fundraising that they may undertake, or the time required to comply with the new taxation regulations. My response to this is:

Whilst the Federal Government is holding out its hand for the revenue raised, there appears to be no offset allowance for volunteer hours contributed, even at the minimal rate as assessed by the Governments in each state, each year. Does the Taxation Department think that somebody waves the ‘magic wand’ and the funds mysteriously appear in the community group’s bank account??

Three weeks ago a report from a Senate Inquiry was released which highlighted the issues that I had raised in my original submission of 12th September. However, the Senate report did not include the issue of off-set time allowance for volunteer input to community support functions.

The situation is perhaps encapsulated in a comment made to me recently by a fellow volunteer who said,

“I have no problems whatsoever volunteering my time for the benefit of the community, but having been a taxpayer all of my working life, I will not, under any circumstances, volunteer my time to raise money for the Taxation Department.”

I have prepared a media alert, highlighting the adverse impact on the community and other issues created by these new laws, which will be released to key media outlets and Federal Parliamentarians over the next two weeks.

To be continued………………..

Barry O’Connor.
14th November 2024.


References cited:
​
Ms Kristen Tran, A/Professor Jo-An Occhipinti, Professor John Buchanan, Dr Sebastian Rosenberg, Dr Christine Song, Professor Ian B. Hickie (2023)  A Contributing Life: A Snapshot of the Value of Social Production  The University of Sydney Brain and Mind Centre

Sydney University News (15 March 2023) - 'Australian unpaid social contributions valued at $287 billion' ​

​In August 2024 I was contacted via the Benalla Family Research Group, by the Genealogical Society of Victoria to participate in a verbal survey that they were conducting for people who grew up in the 1950’s and 1960’s.

I was interested in the concept, so I agreed to a Zoom interview in September. There was a preliminary interview conducted, to go over the actual process for the recorded interview. I received a preliminary outline of the process and became aware that most of the questions were formatted towards somebody who had attended University. Such questions as, “Were you involved in demonstrations?”  

The interview time was set and the conversation centred around my early recollections of the suburb of Lalor. The interviewer had not heard of the history of the suburb, and during the interview I explained how the development of the suburb failed in the initial development due mismanagement. I later provided some documentary evidence of the process that saw the project originally commence and then cease.

She was very interested in the information that I had assembled for my family history during Covid in 2022. She was particularly interested in the work that my Mother and my Auntie did for the forces during the war. Both ladies were living with my paternal Grandfather in Flemington at the time. My Auntie worked at the munitions factory in Maribyrnong, and my mother worked at a facility in North Melbourne that made aircraft identification models and wall charts for the Airforce. Both were able to get to work via a short walk to the tram line and then in different directions to their workplace.

An interesting story evolved around the Maribyrnong facility. In later years I was working in the Commonwealth Bank in Moonee Ponds. The bank did the payroll for the factory and it was my job, along with another staff member, to take the payroll to the factory and distribute it to the staff as they come to the cafeteria for lunch.

Another area that she was particularly interested in was the work that I did with our local youth club and the work that we did with children with disabilities at the Kinglake West facility. The facility was a POW camp during the war. It was later repurposed to accommodate children with disabilities for weekend activities to give their parents a break. A group from our youth club would go to the camp for a weekend to assist the staff and provide supervision for some of the activities. These included mini Olympics, which catered for all levels of disability such as darts, quoits, balloon volleyball, boot tossing etc.

Whilst the children had disabilities they all had a mischievous streak, which kept us amused.  One of the children was twelve years old, but had not grown physically from the age of one. He was very small but could have an intelligent conversation with you. For a prank, the other children would put him in a suitcase and place it at the end of the table in the dining room. When one of the newer staff would approach the table, one of the children would kick the case, and it would suddenly start talking. They got away with this prank on a number of occasions.

The overall experience of recalling my early years was a very rewarding one, as the questions brought back many memories that had not been spoken about for many years, or had just passed into history.

Barry O’Connor
​October 2024.

​The story commences with me joining the Epping Football Club at the age of 13 to play in the under 14 side. At that time, I had grown tall and only played a small number of games in the under 14’s when I was bumped up to the under 17’s, as they did not have a ruckman at that stage. I played out my seasons with the under 17’s, when I then took up the ruck position in the seniors Second 18. The First 18 had two very competent ruckmen and I was not up to their standard, or playing experience.

In the Second 18, I was coached by one of two brothers, with the other younger brother, being my rover. Whilst I was very comfortable playing with the brother, the coach had some issues. He seemed to be unable to comprehend that if I was playing to the skill level that he demanded, I would be not be playing in the Diamond Valley League, I would be in one of the clubs in the Victorian Football League.

On more than one occasion I was the recipient of a severe tongue lashing, for my inability to perform to his unrealistic standards. Whilst I was unable to leap tall buildings in a single bound, I was doing my best and for many games, rucked for almost the entire game, as there was no other player in the side that was anywhere near my height.

The situation came to a head during a pre-match pep-talk prior to a home game. The coach was giving his instructions to the individual team members, when he came to me.

​“Barry, when you a resting in the back line, I want you to stick to the Full Forward as if he is your girlfriend. You know, as if you are joined at the hip”, and then he moved to the next player.
 
I thought for a moment and then responded, “I can’t”. The coach wheeled around and with a very angry look on his face retorted, “Why not?”  My response was “I don’t kiss men!!”

The rest of the team rolled around laughing, however the Coach was less than impressed. Needless to say the relationship between the Coach and I deteriorated even further, and at the end of the season I left the club.

Despite representations from my father, who was a committee member of the club, I simply said that if this person was to continue as a coach, I would be leaving the club to play elsewhere.

How did this shape me? Well from that point on, I would not accept insults and abuse from anybody, and if I found myself in a situation where I was not enjoying myself, I simply stopped doing it.


Barry O’Connor.
​September 2014.

​This is not so much a story of ‘found’, but ‘returned’. When my first marriage ended I ‘lost’ a number of personal items and historic photographs. I was led to believe that many of the original photos had been destroyed. It appears that this was not the case. Some 25 years later, my eldest daughter visited one day and presented me with an old photo album, which contained images and certificates from my early childhood, through to my later days at secondary school.

To my delight the album still contained many of the early photographs that had been taken by myself, and other family members. Of significant importance to me were two school certificates, one being my Intermediate Certificate and the other my Leaving Certificate.

​
Barry O’Connor.
​August 2024

During some periods in your life you feel like you are riding the crest of a wave. This was one of those periods. However, I was oblivious to the result that would see me ‘dumped on the rocks’.

It was during one of my ‘in between jobs’ periods, when I obtained a position as the Credit Manager at Gould’s Toyota in Northcote in 1985. I was to look after the Parts and Service departments accounts, along with following up payments from insurance companies for the work completed in the Panel Shop. I was successful in maintaining the accounts and was very happy with my five days a week job.

For one Saturday, I was asked to fill in for the regular salesman who had a family wedding on that day, so I agreed to cover his role for the day.

The ‘wave’ started rolling, when soon after opening on that Saturday morning, a family who had just received their lottery winnings, came into the showroom to order six Toyota Landcruiser Sahara wagons for the members of the family. Whilst we did not have all of the desired colours in stock, I took the orders and the deposit and scheduled the delivery for the following week. Whilst I got the sale and the commission cheque, the regular salesman was less than impressed.

Having seen my ‘sales ability’, the General Manager asked me to leave the Credit Manager role and take up the role as Fleet Manager, which meant establishing the Fleet Department from scratch. This was done and we were successful in establishing relationships with a number of fleet clients in the region. This activity caught the attention of another Toyota dealer, as we had obviously called on a number of their clients.

The Lane family, who had a number of different car dealerships, including Melbourne City Toyota, contacted me and made me an offer that I could not refuse. I was to take over their Fleet Department, as the previous Manager had moved on, and they were looking for a replacement. Initially the department consisted of myself and one salesman. As the activity increased we employed another two salesmen in order to cover the Melbourne metropolitan area adequately.

I was still riding the crest of the wave.

Sales flowed and the department was showing good results……………..until on the 1st July 1986, when Fringe Benefits Tax was introduced.

Sales did not just drop off, they stopped totally. Companies were unsure how the new tax would impact on them financially and simply stopped ordering replacement fleet vehicles, instead opting to hold them for another twelve months.

The Fleet Department was disbanded and I found myself ‘dumped on the rocks’.

There ended my ‘almost brilliant career’.

​
Barry O’Connor.
July 2024.
 

I am not normally a person who rebels, however when I see injustice, particularly where volunteers are concerned, I feel the need to expose any wrong doing and correct the processes involved.

At this time I was a CFA volunteer and the nominated Crew Leader on this particular ‘call out’ with responsibility for the operation of the tanker and the welfare of the crew.
Samaria Fire Brigade had a very busy period from 5pm on 15th December, until later in the morning on 16th December 2014.

After refilling the tanker with water later in the evening of the 15th, we stopped at the control point to check on progress of the possibility of a replacement crew. At that time we were told that they had been unable to locate any replacement crew from Samaria.  We had two crew members with commitments the following day. Myself, and the other two crew agreed to remain on the tanker overnight.  Following the release of the two crew members, the remaining three Samaria crew went back up to the fire ground to continue to patrol and black-out.

At 3am on 16th December we had located two small logs burning on the fire ground perimeter and stopped to deal with them. I was at the rear of the tanker when one of the crew rolled past me on the ground at the side of the tanker. I went over to check on him. I asked what had happened and he said that as he stepped down from the tanker rear deck, he missed the hand rail and fell. The crew member was carefully loaded back onto the tanker.  We radioed ahead to the control point advising them that we had a suspected broken leg. Upon arrival it was assessed that due to pain levels, it was possibly only a sprain, however we continued to treat it as a possible fracture, despite the fact that the crew member was still able to wiggle his toes and move his foot without increasing the pain.  He was very carefully lifted from the tanker to the back seat of a car for transfer to Benalla Hospital.

For most of the early morning the crews just monitored the fire ground situation until earthmoving equipment arrived at around 7.30am to make the area safe for crews to enter and extinguish the fire. Just as the area was made safe, a strike team arrived to relieve us. Samaria tanker was released from the scene at 9.00am on Tuesday 16th December. At this point we still had no update on the condition of our crew member.

On arrival back at the station around 10.00 am, we checked again with the hospital, who advised they were still waiting on x-rays.

Both the driver and myself were exhausted after being awake continuously for around 28 hours and operational for almost 17hours of this time. We both headed home to bed. I arrived home at approx. 10.45am to be briefed by my wife following a phone call just received. The X-rays had confirmed that our crew member did have a fractured leg and he would be taken to Wangaratta for an operation to have the leg pinned. The crew member was eventually released from hospital some days later and returned home, but was unable to return to work.
 
The CFA initially refused to pay ‘loss of income’ compensation to our injured volunteer.

In January 2011 legislation was introduced that considered all volunteers to be ‘workers’ and therefore eligible for protection under all the regulations that applied to the workplace.

This is when I started to ‘make waves’. The Kennett Government had passed legislation stating that loss of income compensation would not be paid to ‘workers’ over 65 years of age, because at that age they should be on either superannuation, or a pension. Our volunteer was over 70 and had regular seasonal work.

Following consultation with the volunteer representative body, Volunteer Fire Brigades Victoria, I compiled a report, and with a little assistance from a retired County Court Judge, a submission was made to the CFA pointing out that their policies were in breach of at least two Federal laws.

Compensation was paid, and the CFA amended their policy. They confirmed this to all brigades in written form, in September 2016. Loss of income is now paid to all CFA volunteers, irrespective of their age.

The response from the CFA set a precedent for all organisations in Victoria with a volunteer component.

This was all achieved ‘pro bono’ with no cost to the Volunteers of the CFA.


Barry O’Connor.
6th June 2024.

(Note - this is an edited version of Barry's 'Rebellion' story written in 2022.)

'You've travelled through time and encounter a younger version of yourself.  What life lesson (or lessons) would you share?'

This was a subject that I suggested, so I had better contribute something!

My life experiences have been varied, and during the process I have encountered some very helpful people and some very unhelpful people, some of whom turned out to be downright fraudsters. Fortunately, I was aware of the possible implications and avoided the losses.
 
My father was a Master Builder and I worked on sites with him at weekends from the age of 10 until around the age of 18 when I purchased my freedom, in the shape of an FC Holden Special sedan. One of the very early lessons that you learn on building sites is to watch where you are walking. In those days all homes were built on a timber sub-frame with wall frames, ceiling and roof structures all fabricated on-site. My advice to a younger version of myself in a similar situation would be to always look down when you are walking across floor joists, or foundation bearers. You only need to slip once, and the pain and the ‘barking’ of your shins will certainly ensure that you do not do it again.
 
The second piece of advice that I would impart would be to always go to an older experienced person if you need considered advice. Don’t listen to your mates, as they are as inexperienced as you are.
 
My third piece of advice would be to look upon anybody who suddenly befriends you with suspicion. My experience is that these people are general not interested in your wellbeing, but are more focussed on obtaining information that you have, or taking credit for something that you have contributed to your employer, or the community.
 
The fourth piece of advice I would share is the information that was given to me by a very wealthy Solicitor, who told me during a discussion about wealth creation, that you should never owe money on a depreciating asset. Not only are you paying interest, the item is depreciating in value. His logic was very clear, an asset appreciating in value, is not only providing an offset for your interest, it may in fact cover the interest cost and offer some form of additional return.  Real estate does not depreciate, unless you have purchased in the wrong location, such as a flood area, or you paid too much for it the first place.
 
Lesson five, is the realisation that you will make mistakes. What you do with these adverse results is to consider what went wrong, or how could you have done better with the issues that you were presented with. Making a mistake once is human, making the same mistake again is stupid.
 
And finally, enjoy yourself before you get married, after that it’s too late!!   
 
Barry O’Connor.
May 2023

Looking at a supermarket television advertisement for steak, it reminded me of a memorable event whilst in Manjimup, Western Australia in 1988. To this day, I have never again experienced the quality of steak that I had that day.

I had just refuelled the car and asked the attendant where a good place for lunch might be. He responded that if I liked steak, there was a little café run by two girls that was very popular in town. The instructions were to continue on the main street, take the next turn to the right, then go straight over the next street, and turn left into the second. The café is down about 200 yards on the left. I duly followed the instructions and arrived outside a classic 1950’s group of three shops, complete with verandah.

Walking into the small shop in the middle of the group, I was greeted with black and white vinyl tiles on the floor, laminex tables and vinyl chairs. A number of tables were occupied, with many patrons obviously enjoying their meals. I was advised by one of the girls, to take a seat at any vacant table and she would come over and take our orders. I duly ordered rump steak and the meal came out a short time later. The steak was exceptional, tender and almost melted in your mouth. Whilst I was consuming my meal, a number of other guests finished theirs and were very complimentary to the two girls as they left.

I finished my meal and as the shop was now empty, except for myself and my son, I motioned to the girls to come over to my table. When they arrived, I posed the question, “You do not get meat of this quality unless you know the butcher. Which one of you is going out with the butcher?” Both girls started to laugh, and a short time later the shorter, and it would appear the older of the two, responded. “I am married to him!!”, and the other responded, “And I am his sister!!” That explained the exceptional quality of the steak.

Whilst I could not remember the exact address of the café, I did a Google search and followed the original instructions and located 31B Rose Street, which is still operated as a restaurant today, however under another name. : Sales History: 2016 Sold $438,000 July 28, 2016. 1993 Sold $316,000 December 22, 1993. It would appear that the girls sold the premises in 1993. It now trades under the name of the Blue Tiger.

Barry O'Connor
​April 2024

Reflecting on the celebration of women in our community, I reflect on the contributions made by the female members on both sides of my family.

On my maternal side, there were women who stepped up and contributed ‘above and beyond’. My mother was the eldest in the family and was therefore assigned assistant home duties. All of her four sisters went into nursing.

On my paternal side there was only one female in a family with four boys. This must have been a challenge for my auntie, as her mother died when she was 19, which obviously left the bulk of the household duties under her guidance.

To continue the story, we need to move forward to the 1940’s. At this point in time my mother and my paternal auntie were living with my paternal grandfather in Flemington, having moved from north western Victoria in 1940. At this point my mother was in a relationship with my father, who was at that time serving overseas during WW2. They did marry on 20th May 1944 whilst my father was home on leave.

My maternal Auntie’s all went into nursing with three going into general hospital nursing, and one into psychiatric nursing.  This Auntie did serve in the military during WW2 and returned to her normal nursing duties at the Bacchus Marsh Psychiatric Hospital after the war.

During WW2 both my mother and auntie stepped up to contribute. My mother worked at a facility in North Melbourne making aircraft identification models for the services. My auntie took up duties at the munitions factory in Maribyrnong. Both continued in their positions until the war ended.  My mother then took on the task of raising a family and dealing with the issues that the war had inflicted on her husband.

My auntie later married but did not have children, however she and her husband successfully operated news agencies and sub-post offices for many years.

I am sometimes asked ‘Who runs the world?’.  After some considerable deliberations over many years, I would submit that it is, banks, insurance companies and women……not necessarily in that order.
​
Barry O’Connor.
10 March 2024. 

16th February 2023

On this day I received a phone call from my eldest Grandson to alert me to the fact that I was to become a Great Grandfather in August. As predicted, Loui Timothy Laffan, arrived on 17th August at 9.09 am, weighing 2.49 kg. and 46 cm tall. Since his birth he has developed to be a very healthy and placid young man.

Given that he is our first Great Grandson, he may come in for some special attention in future years, however we need to take care, as we have eight other Grandchildren who may add to the number of Great Grandchildren that we may be able to enjoy.

It is great to see the family expanding; however the O’Connor name will vanish from history within a generation. Whilst there is only my brother and myself remaining in our branch of the family, my brother has three daughters and I have two daughters and a son. My one son has two daughters, thus the male branch of the family, and the name, will eventually pass into history.
__________________________

I did have a previous contribution prepared; however it was far too long and was a further development in the search for the history of my Great Uncle, Lewis O’Connor.

20th October 2023

On the 20th October 2023, I received an email with an attachment from my relative, Pamela Dexter. She had found a note that had been written at the time of Lewis’s death and gave some insight into his whereabouts, during the fifteen years that he had vanished from the Electoral Rolls. The information from this email did supply some validated information about Lewis, who appeared to have been operating as a bookmaker at various horse and greyhound racetracks around the state. It also confirmed that he did in fact still live with his wife, and was involved in a number of financial ventures with family members. The email also included two images of Lewis, one as a younger man (about 40) and one taken on the day of his 80th birthday. I did some research based on some information in the document and located Lewis’s ledger book and a blank betting ticket, which are held in the MCG Racing Hall of Fame!! Did the information provide the missing evidence? No, it simply added to the mystery.

The expanded and updated history on my Great Uncle will be presented at the Family Research session on 23rd November.


Barry O’Connor,
November 2023

I have been fortunate to have grown up and lived in small rural communities for over 55 years of my life thus far. The early experiences in small communities shaped my broader attitude to life and fellow community members.  Whilst I did leave the smaller communities for the ‘big smoke’ to further my career ambitions, I have always kept in mind the community spirit and self-help co-operation that exists in the ‘bush’.

My father was a master builder, and whilst I had a very early grounding in the building industry, the corporate world paid a lot better, and there was no capital outlay. I have successfully managed multi-million dollar divisions of large international corporations.

Many of my management roles required me to restructure the organisation to return it to a profitable operation. This almost certainly required change management, in which over the years, I became very experienced. I always took the ‘carrot’ approach rather than the ‘stick’. Change management requires that you incentivise staff in order for the desired result to be achieved, and maintained.  These incentives may be a simple, “Thank you, great job”, or a more mercenary incentive of tangible rewards. In any case, all staff must feel like they are contributing equally to a better workplace environment.

In the years since my ‘retirement’ I have been able to inject some of this experience and expertise as, and when, required. Country people don’t appreciate those who go around boasting about their achievements, and I have been well aware of that. I tend to maintain a low profile until I see a situation progressing into an area that may cause some adverse consequences for the organisation, or the broader community. This is where I will generally make a quiet suggestion to key decision makers of the community, to consider what the consequences may be if they do not ensure that the benefits will flow to the broader membership, not just a few selfish, self-centred individuals.

On 1st January 2012 the whole structure of regulations surrounding community organisations changed.  The new Government regulations placed volunteers under the same regulations and work place requirements as paid employees, or workers as they were described in the legislative changes. One of the hardest aspects of this change was to have the mind set of longer term community volunteers accept the new regulations. I have however, been reasonably successful in bringing about change, which will serve our community organisations into the future. One of these organisations was the Country Fire Authority.

​
Barry O’Connor.
2nd October 2023

My first employer was the Commonwealth Bank. During my first four years I was assigned to a number of branches with a variety of accounting systems from totally hand recorded records, through accounting machines and then computers. As soon as I had a car I was seconded to Relieving Staff, which meant travel to branches all over the state, including many branches in suburban Melbourne.

In 1967, on one relieving assignment, I was sent to the bank branch at East Brunswick, located on Nicholson Street. The branch was located at the tram terminus in Nicholson Street, at the corner of Blyth Street.  The branch was closed many years ago, as part of the bank’s restructure program. (From internet images it appears that the building that originally housed the bank, has been demolished and replaced with an apartment building.)

The assignment to East Brunswick was for four weeks, as one staff member had to attend a training course, and another was going on annual leave. During my time there, I was filling in for one of the tellers, when to my surprise, Pat Carroll and Olivia Newton-John came into the bank. They were at this time performing as a duet under the name of Pat and Olivia. I had seen them on television, but never expected to see them in person. They were in the bank, because this was in fact their local bank branch. They were both living within walking distance of the branch. I accepted their money into their account, and could not wait to get home to tell my family and friends that I had met both Pat and Olivia. I received the usual reaction from most friends, “Yes, pull the other leg”, but my parents were suitably impressed.

I believe that during my time at East Brunswick branch, I spoke to them both at least three or four times, as they came in each week, or when they had cash payments, to do their banking.

For a young lad of 19 I was very impressed. In later years I do tend to forget certain incidents in my life, however the recent publicity surrounding the passing of Olivia, brought back a flood of memories.

​​
Barry O’Connor.
September 2023.

​Barry O'Connor
August 2023

In 1993 I took up a position with UD Trucks, or Nissan Diesel. My initial appointment with UD Trucks Oceania was as Southern Regional Manager. This position was based in Melbourne, and covered the dealer group in Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania.

In August 1994, I was transferred to Sydney to take up the position of National Parts Manager, however upon arrival the General Manager informed me that I was also the National Marketing Manager for both trucks and parts. I did enquire as to the possibility of two remuneration packages, however that request was met with a fairly negative response. I dutifully performed in both roles increasing sales and market share.
​
In February 2002 my wife and I purchased ‘Condarra’, a 570 acre property in Samaria. The property was leased out, with the longer term view of moving onto the property when we retired.

In May 2006 I was asked by the Managing Director to complete a ‘due diligence’ report for Mack, Volvo and Nissan Diesel, Australasian operations. This was completed as part of the impending take-over of Nissan Diesel Japan by Volvo, and involved a complete assessment of staff and manufacturing capacities, distribution/dealer network, market penetration, sales and profitability, along with market projections for the next five years.

Following the proposed company take-over by Volvo extending to Australia, the sudden death of a close friend, and forecast changes within the structure of our respective companies, my wife and I decided to take early retirement.

We moved to ‘Condarra’ in August 2006 and became active in a number of community groups. I spent my formative years, and have spent around fifty five years, living in small rural communities.    I am very familiar with the community support structures that exist in the ‘bush’. As a former farmer, and a successful manager in the corporate world, you tend not to be idle for any length of time.

​In Swanpool there were seventeen community groups for a population of only six hundred people. I rejoined the CFA in 2007 after a break of fifteen years. In 2009 I was approached to take over as Chairman of the Swanpool and District Community Development Association. I initiated a number of programs that supported and acknowledged the contribution of volunteers within the community.  We hosted the Bald Archy Exhibition from 2013 to 2017 and attracted record crowds. We put significant funding back into the community organisations that participated.  In 2018 we were not allocated dates for the Bald Archy Tour, so I created the Swanpool Creative Recycled Art Prize, or SCRAP. I wrote the initial Community Plan for Swanpool in 2011 and the later update in 2018, ‘pro bono’. I also wrote business plans for the Swanpool Cinema and Benalla U3A, both ‘pro bono’.

During the initial period of ‘retirement’, I became involved with the Benalla U3A and two of the local history groups.  I have written a number of history books on the region, the latest being the history of the first Engineer for QANTAS, who was born and had his early education in Benalla.

I often stop and ask myself, “How the hell did I ever have time to go to work?”


Barry O’Connor
July 2023

In the late 1970’s and early 1980’s I was working in a management role for a large international vehicle manufacturer. I was performing well in my role, and did in fact attract the attention of the American Managing Director, of the privately owned company. In the early 1980’s the world was going through another of the cyclic ‘financial crises’, when the division that I was managing, and another division in Canada, were the only two divisions of the company world- wide, that were making a profit.  This resulted in the MD making a trip to Australia to meet me during his round of other business meetings.

Following this visit, it was announced that we were going to have an Australian MD, instead of the traditional American one. What followed was somewhat of a shock. The company operated on the fiscal year and my salary and bonus structure were set during the first calendar months of the year. My base salary and the bonus criteria had been set and signed off.

The new Australian MD decided that mid- year (September), he would change the bonus criteria, which would result in a substantial drop in the bonus payment. It not only impacted me, but all of the senior managers within the company. I was told that my bonus structure would be amended and that I would be paid based on the new criteria. After some deep and meaningful discussions, the new MD agreed to pay my bonus payment based on the original criteria, as I had already exceeded the fiscal year targets agreed. Following this discussion I handed in my resignation, as did another six senior managers in the company.

Looking back on this action, it became apparent that what the new MD was doing, was ridding the company of anybody who might prove a threat to his position in the future.  The company did continue to function, despite the negative and regressive attitude of the new MD.  

​
Barry O’Connor.
June 2023.

During my time with this group I have written about a number of lessons learned from my past. I will not repeat any of these writings, however I will state that a number of instances from my past have made me very suspicious of ‘shallow’ friendships that have presented in my past.

On a number of occasions I have been befriended by people who may not have my best interests at heart. On the other hand I have been contacted by certain members of the community who require my expertise to assist certain community groups with special projects and activities. Having spent 50 years of my life so far, growing up and living in small rural communities, I am well aware of the ‘self-help’ and ‘community support’ philosophy that exists within rural communities. I have always been willing to participate in any activity that will be of benefit to the broader community, and it has always been done ‘pro bono’. Unfortunately there are a very small number of people in the community who participate in these activities, with their own personal benefit being their priority. I have learnt through experience, over many years, to be somewhat suspicious of any person who puts themselves forward in a forthright manner to become involved in any such community activities.

Over the years I have also been the target of baseless and defamatory rumours about certain community activities, however upon investigation, these rumours have been initiated by the very people who are involved in these activities for their own benefit.

Needless to say, that over the years I have developed a very cynical approach to people, until they prove themselves worthy of my trust. I trust nobody, until I am satisfied that they share my passion for supporting the community by way of voluntary contribution, not self-gain.  Many may find this ‘probation’ offensive, but that is the way it is, and if you don’t like it, then you best leave, because you will not fit the desired criteria, and will most likely not show the desired commitment and passion for advancing the benefit for the broader community.

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Barry O’Connor
10 May 2023. ​

The Peter Lalor Housing Cooperative

This story originates from the family history that I wrote in 2020. Lalor was my first known ‘community’ for eight years, until my parents moved to Wollert in 1956. I do remember many of the residents, and events where families would share meals in their homes, and also the functions that were held in a Nissan Hut, on the land near the railway station. Many special events were held there, such as birthdays, Christmas and other community get-togethers, with almost all of the community attending.  I do have vivid memories of the tables groaning under the weight of the food that everybody had made especially for the event. I also have vivid memories of the masses of crayfish that were obtained by members of the community. I am not sure which family had the contacts, but there was always more than an ample supply of crayfish at every event.

My father (Allan Murray or ‘Bill’) and his eldest brother (Austin James or ‘Jim’) were experienced woodworkers and carpenters. After the war they became involved with a project involving returned servicemen who were tradesmen.  The group formed themselves into a co-operative, and with assistance from the Government and the local MP, they commenced a project to build each other’s homes.

The co-operative was the brain child of Frank Purcell. Frank Purcell was a member of the Australian Labour Party and planted the first ‘seeds’ for a special committee to assist with the rehabilitation of returned service personnel. The PLC evolved out of a number of years of ‘wheeling and dealing’, which Frank was known for. Whilst he did not hold an executive position in the PLC when it was formed, he remained the public relations advocate for the project. He took over the role of Chairman in 1947, when the current Chairman, Peter Russell, stepped down.

The project commenced in a paddock located on the eastern side of the railway line between Epping and Thomastown. Initially the streets were unmade, the water had been reticulated, but the electricity was not to come until 1952. The lack of electricity added a considerable amount of time to the completion of the early homes, as only hand tools could be used.

The name for the area was chosen by the men themselves. The new suburb was named after Peter Lalor of the Eureka Stockade, who later went on to become a parliamentarian. (Just a note on the pronunciation: The older and original residents always called it La(w)lor. The newbies call it La(y)lor).

An area of the suburb Lalor, near the railway line, was allocated for War Service Homes, within which returned servicemen and women could secure finance to build a home. My father, was the nominated builder on these homes, however the owners were to do as much of the work themselves using local specialist tradesmen, with Bill supervising the work.
 
In 1954 there was an issue with the finances of the Peter Lalor Co-op. Whilst Jim and Bill were the nominated builders on the project, they did not have any early involvement in the management or the finances of the organisation. At its peak at the end of 1947, the PLC employed 153 workers. They had a factory set up to make prefabricated walls, which were then transported to site. The plan was to build 1000 homes. The plan was not achieved due to the PLC being placed into voluntary administration in 1954.
 
The Administrators findings are some 30 pages of legal technicality. The bottom line was that the executive of the PLC accepted deposits for land and houses, did not keep an accurate record of the terms of the deposits, did not place the funds in trust, but used them as general revenue.  The exact number of houses that had been built by 1954 is unknown, but from records it appears that there were around 200 homes and a total of 388 rateable properties in Lalor at that time. The failure of the PLC was attributed to a number of additional causes. Some being the fact that early homes were sold for around £400 ($800 or 25%) under the construction cost; there were constant material shortages including cement, roof tiles and timber; decisions were being made on compassionate grounds rather than actual costs; and the obvious lack of support from Whittlesea Shire Council and other Government Departments.
 
The PLC did own some of the land, however the administrator sold it to Coolnong Estates Pty. Ltd. who quickly on-sold the land at an even bigger profit. A search of company records suggests that Coolnong Estates was a company of NSW based investors. It is most unusual for the administrator to have sold the land to people who profited, when many of the shareholders in the PLC actually lost money. It was reported that the PLC held deposits of £25 each for some 800 blocks, which had not yet been built on.

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​Barry O’Connor,
15th April 2023.

The precious objects that I will detail in this story are normally kept in the ‘emergency’ briefcase. That is, the briefcase containing important items such as personal documents, passport, computer backup hard-drive, and other items of importance such as my 30 year service medal from the CFA, my National Medal, and the citation from Benalla Rural City Council for my Citizen of the Year in 2014. The briefcase is the one that you grab when you have a need to urgently evacuate the house.
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The container that I have brought along today is one of the items in the evacuation briefcase. It contains a number of historic items that are very special to me:

The first badge is the membership for the Wollert and District Youth Club which I joined when I was 14. The club only had two rules; Rule 1. We do not discriminate against anybody based on race, colour or creed. Rule 2. There are no more rules. The club was the oldest in the Victorian Associated Youth Clubs at that time.

The second badge with the VAYC logo on it is the Keystone Award, which I received in 1966 at the age of 18, for my work with youth in the community. The Keystone Award was the highest award in the VAYC and awarded for exceptional work for youth in the community. The container is the one that this award came in, and it has never been removed from its case.

The next badge is my old Keon Park Technical School badge. The moto is ‘diligence and integrity’. I was indeed fortunate to have attended this school, as many of our trade teachers were tradesmen who had returned from WW2 and decided not to go back on the tools, but took up teaching. This was very special for the students, as these teachers did not learn everything they knew from a text book, but had firsthand experience in the workplace and could relay tips and tricks that they had experienced firsthand.

The final item in the collection is the medallion from my days as a Shire Councillor on the Shire of Kilmore for six years, 1979 -1981 and 1985 -1987.  I should point out that during my first term as a Councillor; I was also managing one of the largest Kenworth Truck dealerships in Australia at Footscray. During my second term I was the owner/operator of a Mitre10 store in North Essendon. I was also on the board of Mitre10 Southern Pty. Ltd. which was at that time, the store owner operated co-operative that controlled the Mitre10 organisation.  The controlling interest in Mitre10 is now held by Metcash.

On joining the Shire of Kilmore Council, I was elected Chairman of all of the sub-committees, with the exception of Town Planning. It was deemed inappropriate to have a monopoly. In the initial period there were some financial and operational irregularities detected and the result of this was that the Shire Secretary and the Shire Engineer were both subsequently dismissed, and a CEO appointed. Kilmore was the first municipality in Victoria to take this step.

The CEO was appointed on a performance contract, and this process was later extended to all senior Council employees.  I was involved in introducing a Development Infrastructure Levy which came about after ratepayers had to cover the cost of upgrading supporting infrastructure, following a number of residential developments within the shire. The levy ensured that the developers covered these costs, not the ratepayers.

​I also introduced ‘program budgeting’, or cost/benefit analysis, which was a program designed to give Councillors full details and financial impacts of projects/programs both for the initial cost, the ongoing costs, life expectancy of the project, and the number of ratepayers/residents who benefited. We were criticised on a number of occasions for not taking up Government Grants. When assessed, these grants were for short term political gain and would not meet Kilmore Council’s long term cost sustainability targets.


Barry O’Connor.
March 2023.

My working career started at the age of 15, when my father informed me that his building business was not currently able to support me pursuing a senior technical education towards a diploma in aeronautical engineering, or mechanical engineering.

My first employer was the Commonwealth Bank where my real education actually began. I was fortunate to have worked in a number of areas of the bank. I worked in branches where everything was completed by hand, larger branches where accounting machines were used, and then onto computers. During a staff training session, I put forward a suggestion that the bank should consider getting into home and contents insurance. At this time I was working at Moonee Ponds branch as the lending officer, and was somewhat bemused by the fact that our home loan clients would need to obtain a certificate of currency for their home and contents insurance every year, and lodge the certificate with the branch where their home loan was held. I suggested that if the bank was to offer home and contents insurance, they would have accurate knowledge of the currency of the insurance and the premium could be added to the monthly loan repayment.

The product was introduced six months later. Whilst I was not directly rewarded, when a new sub-branch was established at Meadow Fair Shopping Centre, in Broadmeadows, I was offered the position, at the age of 24, without it being advertised amongst the staff in the normal manner. This position was indeed a challenge and the branch business grew over three years, to the extent that it had to be upgraded, with double the current staff. This meant that the new position would be offered to other staff members, based on the bank’s seniority criteria. My options were very limited. I would have to take a side move for around four to five years, until a suitable opportunity came up for further advancement.

At this time my first wife and myself, had purchased a dairy farm at Beveridge from a relative, and it was being run by a share farmer. Unfortunately the costs were increasing and the production was falling. I decided to leave the bank after eleven years, and take on the dairy farm myself. In addition to the dairy, I also ran an agricultural contracting business. This proved successful and worked well until the Milk Board decided to dispense with whole milk contracts in 1977. This change made the operation of the dairy on ‘dry’ land, with only butter fat returns, unviable.

I returned to the workforce, whilst initially still milking morning and night, until the herd was ‘dried’ off. The initial position as Credit Manager was obtained with General Electric Electrical Wholesale Division in Richmond, and after sorting their credit department issues and introducing system changes, I had worked myself out of a job.

Just as I was finishing up, I was approached to take over a similar role with their National Catering Equipment Division. The same processes were introduced to this division, and I had worked myself out of a job, yet again.

I soon obtained a position a lot closer to home in Brunswick, with a scaffold hire company. Again, after analysis of their systems and processes, introduced a self-reporting  computer system that could be managed by the Accountant without the need for a Credit Manager. Out of a job again.

A job was advertised with Kenworth Trucks in Preston. I applied, and at the interview had my plans somewhat shattered, when I was advised that they were moving to Footscray.  I worked for them for five years, starting as the Credit Manager and then Branch Manager, producing profits and increasing market share. During my time at Footscray, I developed a computerised inventory management system that later went worldwide with the parent company PACCAR, and was later licenced to General Motors in America. Senior management changes saw a number of senior managers, including myself, leave the company in 1983.

The next move was into a hardware business. This became a new franchise branding, for a small local type hardware called Village Hardware, within the Mitre 10 group. During this period I was approached to take up a board position with Mitre 10, which I held until the business was closed in 1986 due to an excessive, and unjustifiable, four fold rent increase.

Following closure of the business I was approached by a friend to ‘help out’ for a couple of months, in his large industrial plumbing business. I worked as a Project Engineer ‘to help out’, however a couple of months turned into two years. It was time to move on, as my friend was anticipating selling the business and retiring.

Subsequent employee positions were held with Komatsu Earthmoving Equipment and then Nissan Diesel. Analysis of the systems and processes in both companies saved many millions of dollars in inventory investment and direct operating expenses, whilst improving customer service and market share. 

Whilst having no formal degrees or diplomas, I was never idle for any length of time, and at no stage during my working life, have I ever applied for the dole. I believe in the philosophy that if you have a job, you do it, and then move onto the next challenge. I found in later life, that my reputation was sufficient in obtaining senior executive positions with international companies. The key to success, I believe, is to be a good listener, analyse what processes can improve the business model and be flexible in your approach to change management, which is inevitable in any business restructure.


Barry O’Connor.
November 2022.
 ​

I have always had a fascination with flight, having built and flown model aircraft for many of my younger years. I did at one point during my secondary education; aspire to pursue a career in aeronautical engineering; however this was not to be.
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My story begins with afternoon tea on the back verandah at our property ‘Condarra’ in the Samaria Valley, 25km south of Benalla. Our mail usually arrived mid-afternoon, and on Wednesdays the delivery also included the Weekly Times and the Benalla Ensign. This particular Wednesday afternoon, in late October 2012, we opened the Benalla Ensign to the headline, ’Benalla Rejects the Bald Archy’. Both my wife and I looked at each other and then contacted some key people including local decision makes and the Director of the Bald Archy Prize, Mr. Peter Batey. The background to the story was that the exhibition had been offered to Benalla exhibition fee free, as Peter Batey had his early education in Benalla. The key factor was that the Benalla Art Gallery had already committed to exhibitions for 2013.

In an effort to retain the exhibition within Benalla Rural City, key Swanpool people were contacted, included some committee members of the Swanpool Community Cinema, which would be in recess during July and August 2013. A general consensus on lodging an ‘expression of interest’ was achieved and a meeting was held with Peter Batey at the Swanpool Memorial Hall in November 2012. He did express some concern about the lack of hanging space and exhibition lighting, however he was assured that all would be in order, if we were to be awarded dates for 2013 which coincided with the cinema winter break. Two weeks later we received confirmation that we would have sixteen days in the July/August period.

Next came to process of recruiting volunteers, researching the lighting and securing additional wall space. The recruitment of the volunteers entailed visiting with representatives of all seventeen community groups, including our three local fire brigades. Whilst some community members thought that we were ‘off with the fairies’, there were 66 members who stepped up to support the concept.

The event ran for sixteen days from 10th to 25th August and attracted a crowd of 3,378 over the sixteen days, a record for the Bald Archy Prize exhibition.  At the end of the exhibition a function was held to thank those volunteers who had supported the event, and over $22,000 was distributed to their nominated local community groups.

Given the enthusiasm and commitment of the Swanpool and district community members, an extraordinary result was achieved, and the members were left in no doubt that for a combined effort of a positive and enthusiastic group of people, ‘The Sky is the Limit’.


Barry O’Connor,
​23rd October 2022.

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Barry O’Connor,
September 2022

At various times throughout life, we are presented with circumstances offering options, which require careful consideration. Some are not so important as perhaps, “What do I wear today?”  However, others need some careful consideration, as the wrong choice may not be beneficial to yourself, or your family. Yet others, present as the lessor of two evils, which one will have the least adverse impact?
 
Such an option was presented to me just a few years ago. At this time my wife and I had both retired from our corporate positions in Sydney and moved back to Victoria to be closer to family. Our destination of choice was a farming property located in the very fertile Samaria Valley, just 25 kms south of Benalla.
 
We had updated the rainwater storage and reticulation system and had plans drawn up for an extension to the house. Whilst completing some basic plumbing maintenance it was noticed that the pressure pump was coming on at times, when there were no taps on in the house. This can sometimes be attributed to the hot water feed tank located in the ceiling, as it refills after the hot water has been used. However, the stop/start process continued, so it was possible that there was a leak somewhere in the system, however there were no obvious signs. The house being brick veneer had a number of steel vents located in the lower brick foundations to supply ventilation to the sub-floor area. A couple of these were carefully removed and it was discovered that there was in fact a small leak under the house.
 
It became apparent that when the main cold water distribution line was originally installed, it was in galvanised steel and had simply been laid along the ground, and not saddle clipped up under the floor bearers as normal. This resulted in the pipe being in contact with the ground, and over time it had rusted from the outside in, creating a small, but growing, leak. The options were to try and work within the very limited sub-floor space and attempt to remove the pipe, accessing it through the holes where the sub-floor vents were, or ripping up the floor to access the pipe. Option one was chosen, as my wife was not at all attracted to the idea of having the floorboards in the house lifted.
 
Now the sub-floor option would require some very strict planning, to ensure that the house was not without a water supply for more than a day. Prior to the leaking pipe being removed, there was a trip to Benalla to get high pressure PVC fittings and lengths of pipe to the dimensions of the pipe to be removed. The vents were removed and in one location a couple of extra bricks were also removed to allow access to a pipe junction which had to be unscrewed. Fortunately, the take-off points were located near where the vents had been positioned. The removal of the vents allowed my arm, up to my upper arm, to enter the subfloor cavity and unscrew the copper take-off pipes and slide the length of leaking galvanised pipe out from under the house.  Once removed, the steel pipe was laid out on the ground and the PVC pipe assembled to the same dimensions, with the take-offs matching the original positions.  
 
Next came the subsequent set of options. Whilst assembling the replacement PVC pipe, I looked over towards the house to see the tail of a black snake disappearing through the vent hole into the sub-floor area.
 
Whilst contemplating what the next move would be, I completed the assembly of the reticulation pipes ready for reinstallation. Now my thought process was not assisted by the request from my wife, on what the time limit would be before water was restored.
 
My options were, to take my chances with the snake during the underfloor installation, or incur the wrath of an unhappy wife, who was inside the house, without water.  Again, option one was chosen.  I inserted the main sections of the distribution lines, then reached through the vents to reattach the take-off’s, making as much noise as I could, hoping that the snake would retreat to the other side of the house sub-floor area.  
 
Well, it seemed to work.  The take-offs were reattached without incident, while the vents were replaced after allowing a couple of days for the snake to reconsider its ‘options’.
 
Barry O’Connor
August 2022

My sense of community started at a very early age. When I was only 8 years of age my parents moved to Wollert, which was then a small mainly dairy farming area, 28 km. north of Melbourne.

Being a very small community, everybody knew everybody, and it was very much a community with everybody involved in community activities.

From about the time children could hold a tennis racket, there were tennis lessons for the youngsters to provide the future senior players for the tennis club.

The Primary School had a good number of students, with many using different ways of getting to school. In my case, it was a relatively short walk for myself and my brother, but others used bikes, and in one case four members of the one family would ride one horse to school. Many others rode their ponies. There was a paddock at the rear of the school building for the horses and ponies to graze during the day.

From the age of 14 you were eligible to join the Wollert and District Youth Club. I was involved with the club for a number of years in official positions including President and Treasurer. This club promoted interaction between the younger members of the community and involved indoor sports such as volleyball, badminton, and at times ‘mini Olympics’.  The club also organised outings, and I can remember going to Kooyong to see the tennis, and when they were in Melbourne, the Harlem Globetrotters. We also visited operational factories in the evenings, such as Tarax, Carlton United Breweries, and the Herald Sun. On the evening excursions we would stop at a café in Northcote and get hamburgers etc. on the way home. The club had two rules. Rule 1. We do not discriminate against anybody based on race, colour or creed. Rule 2. There are no more rules. At the age of 18, I was awarded the ‘Keystone’ award from the Victorian Association of Youth Clubs for my work with youth in the community.

At the age of 16 you are eligible to join the local fire brigade. My memories of those days, was that there was usually a fire somewhere after the school bus had dropped off the children, who smoked and then started a fire, or in the summer months, steam trains were often the culprit. The replacement crew situation at Wollert was simple, but effective. The first crew would go out as soon as the fire was detected usually around mid-afternoon. Those working out of the district would return home around 5.30 or 6 pm, and the five or six replacement crew would then take a car to the fire, so that the early crew could go home to milk the cows.

I have been fortunate for around fifty years of my life thus far, to have grown up and lived in small rural communities. At different times during my rural life I have been privileged to have been involved with some extraordinary people who have combined their talents and enthusiasm to achieve some extraordinary results for the benefit of the broader community.

One thing that I have benefited from by living in small rural communities, is the fact that they keep you ‘grounded’, and focused on what is important, not only to yourself, but also the broader community.


Barry O’Connor
​May 2022.