I have a very special Golden Object that travels with me now and has done for nearly fifty years. It is very precious to me, valuable both monetarily and sentimentally, since it is ‘One of a Kind’. And it’s mine.
Back in 1973, I was a Truck Driver, still single, living and working from day to day. It was early December, time to start writing my Christmas cards to family and friends. I pulled up near a Newsagent, went inside and bought a packet of twelve Christmas cards, with envelopes. I never had that many friends in those days. I drove to a factory to load the truck for the afternoon delivery. It was lunch time for the staff when I arrived, so I had my lunch sitting in the truck and wrote my Christmas cards.
I sat quietly eating my lunch, writing my Christmas cards and listening to the radio. I had nearly an hour to do this, so there was no rush.
When I had finished writing my cards, I found I had an extra envelope in the pack.
At the same time there was an announcement on the radio telling people to write their name and address on the back of an envelope, send it in to the station, to be in the running to win a nice watch and also go into the draw for a cruise.
Why not, I thought, I’ve won an envelope, I could win a watch or even a cruise.
Time went by. I was visiting some friends one day and their young daughter said “I heard your name on the radio the other day”. I said “Oh, yeah”, she said “You won a trip or something”. I said, “That’s news to me… oh yeah, I remember filling out an envelope for something like that”. We left it at that.
A few days later, I got home from work, it was my birthday, 23rd December 1973.
I went inside and Mum, who was standing in the lounge, said, “Here’s your mail, but I want you to open this one first”. She handed me a letter which she was holding in her other hand behind her back.
Yes, it was from the radio station. Now I was excited.
I opened the letter and read that I had not won a cruise or even a watch.
But I had won a Gold Nugget with an Eighteen Carat chain.
All I had to do was visit the Radio Station in the city, prove my identity, show the letter and I could collect my prize.
Which I did in the New Year.
They told me, if I went down the road to the Australian Bullion Company, they would authenticate my nugget for me.
I did that, my nugget was stamped on the back with the letters ABC. It was authenticated.
It just goes to show how, by having that extra envelope, and not many friends, you soon tend to make a few extra friends very quickly.
Back in 1973, I was a Truck Driver, still single, living and working from day to day. It was early December, time to start writing my Christmas cards to family and friends. I pulled up near a Newsagent, went inside and bought a packet of twelve Christmas cards, with envelopes. I never had that many friends in those days. I drove to a factory to load the truck for the afternoon delivery. It was lunch time for the staff when I arrived, so I had my lunch sitting in the truck and wrote my Christmas cards.
I sat quietly eating my lunch, writing my Christmas cards and listening to the radio. I had nearly an hour to do this, so there was no rush.
When I had finished writing my cards, I found I had an extra envelope in the pack.
At the same time there was an announcement on the radio telling people to write their name and address on the back of an envelope, send it in to the station, to be in the running to win a nice watch and also go into the draw for a cruise.
Why not, I thought, I’ve won an envelope, I could win a watch or even a cruise.
Time went by. I was visiting some friends one day and their young daughter said “I heard your name on the radio the other day”. I said “Oh, yeah”, she said “You won a trip or something”. I said, “That’s news to me… oh yeah, I remember filling out an envelope for something like that”. We left it at that.
A few days later, I got home from work, it was my birthday, 23rd December 1973.
I went inside and Mum, who was standing in the lounge, said, “Here’s your mail, but I want you to open this one first”. She handed me a letter which she was holding in her other hand behind her back.
Yes, it was from the radio station. Now I was excited.
I opened the letter and read that I had not won a cruise or even a watch.
But I had won a Gold Nugget with an Eighteen Carat chain.
All I had to do was visit the Radio Station in the city, prove my identity, show the letter and I could collect my prize.
Which I did in the New Year.
They told me, if I went down the road to the Australian Bullion Company, they would authenticate my nugget for me.
I did that, my nugget was stamped on the back with the letters ABC. It was authenticated.
It just goes to show how, by having that extra envelope, and not many friends, you soon tend to make a few extra friends very quickly.
Phil Hughes
March 2023