U3A Benalla and District Inc.
  • Home
  • Benalla
    • Benalla
    • Benalla District
    • Who, What and Where? - Benalla Rural City
  • About
    • Our U3A
    • President's Page
    • Executive Committee
    • Policies
    • Convenors >
      • Convenors
      • Convenors A - Z 2025
    • Program Ideas
    • Newsletter
    • Website
  • Groups
    • Groups A - Z
    • Recent Groups >
      • Armchair History
      • Chess
      • Cooking Solo
      • Demystifying Psychology Course
      • Enjoying the Internet (S2)
      • Family Research Drop In
      • Sky's the Limit
    • Archived Groups >
      • A - M >
        • A Different View Of German History
        • Armchair History (British)
        • Armchair Traveller
        • Booker Reading Group
        • Bushwalking - Mid-week Walks
        • Comparative Religion
        • Facebook for Mentors
        • Family Research - Advanced
        • German - Beginners
        • Google Apps/TS Plus
        • History - An Introduction to Western Civilization
        • History - Moments in Australian History
        • Hot Topics/The News - Fact or Fiction?
        • 'In the Lap of the Gods'
        • Investment I (1996 -2015)
        • Jane Austen Book Club
        • Legal Matters (Short Course)
        • Meditation
        • Making the Most of the Internet
      • O - Z >
        • On Target - Learning to Shop Online
        • Opera
        • 'Over There'
        • Rail and Tourism
        • Russian Literature
        • Tech Savvy Apple - 'Pages'
        • Tech Savvy Apple Devices - Intermediate
        • Tech Savvy Community Projects
        • Travel Group
        • Wise Guys Book Group
        • Zoom Short Course
  • A-Ch
    • A-Ch
    • 'A Taste of Art'
    • American History
    • Art Appreciation
    • 'As Time Goes By'
    • Australian Shares and Stock Market
    • Be Connected - Android
    • Be Connected - Tech Advice
    • Birdwatching
    • Brain Games
    • Bushwalking - Easy Walks
    • Car Torque
    • Cards '500'
    • Chat n' Chew
  • Co-E
    • Ch - E
    • Coin Collectors
    • Collectors
    • Colour Mixing and Watercolour Techniques - Botanical
    • Come and Learn Croquet
    • Community Singing
    • Creative Writing
    • Demystifying Psychology - Discussion Group
    • Demystifying Psychology - Perception
    • Exercises for Fun
    • Exploring the Universe
    • Exploring Writing Children's Books
  • F-Pa
    • F- Pa
    • Family Research
    • Film Discussion
    • French at the Table
    • Garden Appreciation
    • Garden Team
    • German >
      • German Home
      • Lessons
    • Let's Talk Books
    • Lifeball >
      • Home
      • Lifeball Videos
    • Mahjong
    • Meet and Mingle
    • Music Appreciation
    • Page Turners
    • Patchwork and Craft
  • Ph-W
    • Ph -W
    • Photography
    • Play Reading
    • Politics & Current Affairs
    • Recorder
    • Singing for Fun
    • Spanish
    • Stock and Land
    • Sustainability
    • Tech Talks
    • Train Buffs
    • Ukes4Fun
    • Wine Appreciation
  • Join
    • Join Us
    • Membership Application/Renewal Form
    • Program Guide
    • Timetable with Dates
    • Venues and Maps
  • News
    • News Update
    • May Newsletter
    • 'What's On' Calendar 2025
    • Monthly Calendar
    • Website & Facebook
  • FB
  • Gallery
  • Links
    • Resources and References
    • U3A Network Victoria
    • Seniors Online Victoria
    • U3A Albury Wodonga
    • U3A Beechworth (Indigo U3A)
    • U3A Bright
    • U3A Goulburn Valley
    • U3A Murrundindee East
    • U3A Wangaratta
  • Contact

'Failure'

25/4/2017

0 Comments

 
Failure can be devasting! Depends on how you accept  it. But failure can also be motivating, and bring eventual success.

Failure was prominent in my life. Not only my own failures, but those of others.

The most significant failure in my life was that of my father, who, on my mother’s death when I was 4 years old, failed to prove to his sisters that he could look after his young family. The devasting result was that  my 6 year old brother and I were taken from him and placed in the care of nuns at Villa Maria in Ballarat East. This led to a somewhat unhappy childhood for both of us.

Notwithstanding, I had some success in winning a scholarship which provided me with 4 years secondary education at St.Patrick’s boarding college in Ballarat.

During that education, although an achieving student throughout the school year, the external examinations at year end proved to be my undoing. Arguably, because of nerves, I consistently failed these, with the result that I never studied for matriculation.

On entering the work force as a clerk with a stock and station agent, I diligently applied myself to the job in hand, to the extent that while in Wodonga I was in the habit of working until 11.30 at night for 4 days per week. I suffered from nervous debility and a neurologist in Wagga Wagga advised me to study to be an accountant and to work for myself.

I was promoted to be assistant auditor and worked in the Head Office of the company in joint charge of the company’s 14 branches’ accounts.

However, I was not happy in my job and felt that if I had been given a talent, I had buried it.
I left the firm and commenced working in a public accounting office, as the Wagga neurologist had suggested. I commenced, at age 36, studying, by correspondence, to be an accountant. This was to be a very daunting experience, over a period of 5 years and 20 subjects, (4 per year).

I experienced my failure in subject number 20, Auditing.

Consequences were dire! The Australian Society of Accountants who conducted their own exams, with a pass mark of 60% , would do so no more. I was in Limbo. One subject away from qualifying and nowhere to go!

With the aid of the Society, I was able to negotiate a deal with the Bendigo Institute of Technology, now LaTrobe University, to study Auditing for 1 year to secure my qualification. Travelling to Bendigo 3 days a week over a period of 12months, I found the course, with a pass mark of 50%, relatively easy and so passed, and obtained my accounting qualification.

However my next failure was in applying to be entered into partnership. ASA qualification was not high enough to be accepted. I had to be a “Chartered” accountant!

So began the most difficult year of study. But there was motivation and I passed, qualified, and purchased a 50% interest in the Accounting firm which became Smith O’Shannessy & Co.


Ray O'Shannessy
April 2017

0 Comments
    Our Stories

    Ray's Stories

    .

    Picture

    Categories

    All
    '(...) Adventure'
    'A Friendship Tested' - The Stockman's Lament
    'A Memorable Holiday'
    '(A Musical) Adventure'
    'A Precious Object'
    "As Time Goes By.."
    'Aunty Kath'
    Benalla Cooperative Housing Society
    'Bucket List'
    'Car Stories'
    'Childhood Memories'
    'Crash'
    'Failure'
    'Fish Out Of Water'
    Good Vibrations
    'I Broke It'
    'Ideas Piggy Bank'
    'If Only I...'
    'I Grew Up In...'
    'Influences On My Life'
    'I Used To .... Back In The Day'
    'I Was There' - 1951 - Bushfire
    'I Was There' 1988 'The Arsonist Had Struck Again!'
    'I Was There' 1993 'Benalla Was Awash'
    'I Was There' 2013 'At Government House'
    'Life Changing Moment'
    'Lost In Music'
    'Making Waves'
    Musings During The Pandemic
    My Brilliant Career'
    'My Career Went Bung"
    'My Gap Year'
    'My Other Life'
    'New In Town'
    'Odd One Out'
    'One Moment
    'One Moment In History'
    Order Of Australia
    'Out Of The Blue'
    'Over A Lifetime'
    PJ (Jack) O'Shannessy
    'Rebellion'
    'Relationships'
    'Retirement'
    'Right Here
    'Right Now'
    Right Now'
    'Ritual ... Coming Of Age'
    'Sense Of Place'
    'Someone Who Shaped Me'
    'Stock And Land'
    Swanwater
    'Taking The Plunge'
    'The Season I...'
    'This (Blessed) Life'
    'This (...) Life'
    'This (Long) Life'
    This Year'
    'Too Hard Basket'
    "Traveller's Tale'
    'Tree Stories'
    'Triggers'
    'True Confession'
    'Turning Point'

    Archives

    March 2025
    November 2024
    October 2024
    September 2024
    August 2024
    July 2024
    June 2024
    May 2024
    April 2024
    March 2024
    February 2024
    November 2023
    October 2023
    September 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    May 2022
    March 2022
    September 2021
    August 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    October 2020
    September 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017

    RSS Feed

We acknowledge the traditional owners of the land on which we meet and pay our respects to their elders - past, present and emerging.
Picture
News
​Newsletter
Facebook Page
​
Program Suggestions
​CO-VID Safety

U3A Benalla & District Flier 2025
Membership Application/Renewal 
​
Semester 1 Program Guide 2025
Semester 1 Timetable with Dates 2025
Developed and maintained by members, this website showcases U3A Benalla 
​Photographs - U3A members; Benalla Art Gallery website; ​Weebly 'Free' images;Travel Victoria and State Library of Victoria