​​In my previous writings I have glossed over my work with the Victorian Producers Co-Operative (Stock and Station Agents), except perhaps my time at Wodonga.  I shouldn’t have done that, as this period truly covered approximately one-third of my working life.  It was where I had received my grounding in book-keeping, or accounting. 

To keep this memoir within limits, I will list the duties, with some reflective comments along the way.

Benalla 1950 – 1955
Regular book-keeping, banking and office duties.
Merchandise sales, including stock medicines, wool-packs and fencing materials.
Booking clerk for auctions at fortnightly sheep and cattle market, quarterly special sales of sheep, covering 6000 to 10000 per head, and occasional clearing sales when farmers had disposed of their property.
Delivery boy of livestock to holding pens, transports and railway trucking yards.  After dinner phoning advice to clients, giving their stock prices and when appropriate, their wool prices.  Friendly interaction with telephonists.
Preparation of invoices and account sales for all transactions.

​As seems logical to me, I believed that I was not reaching my full potential.  And I was on the look-out for other opportunities.

As a mature aged student in my late 30’s, I studied and qualified as a Certified Practicing Accountant (CPA).  I also studied further and became a Fellow in the Institute of Chartered Accountants (FCA).  I then worked in, then purchased a 50% share in a Chartered Accountancy practice, specialising in taxation.  I also became administrator of a Co-operative Housing Society group which financed 525 homes in Benalla.
​
And so, I believe that I eventually achieved my full potential.
 
Ray O’Shannessy
November 2025

"Ray, you have an aggressive cancer!"

"Aggression is measured from 1 to 10.  Your rate is 8".

I am quoting medical urologist, Mr Jeremy Goad, of Richmond, who addressed me in this manner on Friday 13th July 2012, in his Benalla surgery.

What were the circumstances and how did this situation ".....this too, shall pass."

In May of 2012 I had been randomly selected by my clinic to have a medical review.  This review included a blood test for prostate cancer, and culminated in a biopsy at the former Mercy Hospital in East Melbourne.

Mr. Goad phoned me to report on the biopsy, and advised me quite nonchalantly "Nothing drastic Ray, I want to see you next Friday at 5.30 in my Benalla office".

The 'nothing drastic' remark had taken me off-guard and I had certainly not expected to be told that I had an aggressive cancer.

How did I face up to this challenge?

I was to undergo radiation therapy for 40 daily sessions, over a term of some months, and hormone therapy for up to two years.

All of this treatment would be administered by Dr. Craig Macleod at the Wodonga Centre.  He gave me a frighteningly honest forecast of my life expectancy which I did not pass on to my family.  It was certainly a long trip home from Wodonga on that day.

Eventually, I snapped out of my dark thoughts and, in a moment of prayer said 'Thy will be done, O Lord".

I had been a member of Rotary since 1985 and was honoured to have 15 Rotarians volunteer to rotate with my family in driving me to Wodonga each day.

I had a bad reaction to the hormone therapy.  Dr Macleod decided it was too profound to continue with it, and so cut it out.

Radiation, then, commenced and eventually terminated on 20th November.

Onwards, I had regular consultations with Mr.Goad until 13th May 2013.

He then advised me that my cancer was under control, and suspended my visits indefinitely.  On questioning him, he confirmed that "the cancer is in remission."  And so, "this (the cancer), too shall pass".

The treatment had been very effective.  And expensive!  $28,500.

It was well worth while, because I am now free of cancer in October 2025, some 13 odd years since the first diagnosis.

I am, indeed, a very relieved man!


Ray O'Shannessy
​October 2025

​“IT WAS TIME FOR A CHANGE”…………of JOBS.
 
During my school years I can remember only one occasion where future employment was discussed. This was in one 40-minute school ‘period’ whilst I was studying for my Leaving Certificate.
 
Perhaps, had I gone on to study ‘matriculation’, there may have been a more concerted effort to prepare me for ‘life after schooling’.
 
The ultimate result was that, on leaving school, I had no idea what I wanted to do, by way of employment. Circumstances had ruled out the ‘farming future’, which was in my genes.
 
I finished my schooling and, having failed to matriculate, was living with my uncle ‘Toby’. He had taken me to see the Victorian Producers Co. (VPC), a farming associated stock and station agent in St. Arnaud, to see if a position was available. By chance the Managing Director was in attendance. He agreed to employ me as a clerk at the Benalla Branch office, commencing in February 1950.
 
I had no idea what this would involve. I didn’t even know where Benalla was located.
 
And so, I performed clerical duties for the next five years at Benalla, then five years at the St. Arnaud office, then three at the Wodonga office, then three at Head Office in Melbourne, where I was the assistant Branch Auditor. The Benalla office was experiencing internal difficulties and the branch manager, Kevin Donnelly requested that I be posted back to Benalla as office administrator. I had done the rounds, virtually ending up where I had started those 16 years ago!
 
I had long believed that I was not reaching my full potential and that ‘The time had come for a change’ of jobs.
 
At the time, there was a move at-foot for men of my vintage to take on life assurance jobs. The VPC had a subsidiary company in that field, and I transferred to it.
 
It didn’t take me long to realise that I had made a terrible mistake in changing jobs. I was a ‘fish out of water’. I was definitely not a salesperson!
 
I gave the insurance job 12 months when,in absolute frustration, I quit! No other job to go to! I was unemployed. ‘Time for a change…’ but to what???
 
Through my membership in the Lions’ Club I had befriended Jim Smith, a Chartered Accountant. Did he have a client seeking a clerical assistant? (The only job I knew).
 
Fortune smiled on me! Jim didn’t have a client seeking a clerical assistant, but he, himself, needed one!  His assistant had just resigned.
 
Kevin Donnelly, the VPC branch manager, gave me an excellent reference and Jim employed me without question!
 
As I have written elsewhere, I commenced studying accountancy, ultimately qualified as a Chartered Accountant and purchased a 50% share in Jim’s accounting practice. It became registered as Smith and O’Shannessy, Chartered Accountants.
 
I spent just on 30 years as a practising accountant and had, (to my mind at least) reached my full potential.
 
I had, rightly, taken the ‘Time to make a change’.
 
Ray O’Shannessy
September, 2025.

In late 1959 or early 1960 I had occasion to visit a neurologist because I was suffering ‘nervous debility’.  I was working extremely long hours for Victorian Producers Co-op at Wodonga.  We were having markets every Monday (Pig & Calf Markets), Tuesday (Cattle Market), Wednesday (Sheep Market Albury).  Market days were generally long, but the nights were the concern.  Bookwork involved working after tea until approximately 11.30 pm every Monday till Thursday.  This was constant.  My days began at 7-7.30 am, knock off for a beer at 5.30 pm; have tea at the pub where I was boarding; return to work at 7.30 pm and consistently work until 11.30 pm Monday to Thursday, Friday was my night off.  I would go with Tom & Mick Flanagan to an Albury pub every Friday night. 
 
I experienced a persistent rash on my arms, was waking up intermittently at night as if in fright and not really sleeping. Dr. Grant of Wodonga made an appointment for me with a specialist in Baylis Street, Wagga Wagga.  I do not recall his name.  Tom and Mick, my two mates, took the day off work and drove me to Wagga.  The Specialist put me through a thorough gruelling and told me I was over-working.  His verdict – “nervous debility”.  His advice – “study accountancy and work for yourself”.
 
My employer was considerate and realised the seriousness of my condition.  I was transferred to Head Office in Melbourne and took on the role of assistant internal auditor.  This involved routine daily work, 8.45 am till 5.15 pm and regular in-hour visits to the company’s 14 country branches.  I registered with the Australian Society of Accountants to do a correspondence course but admit that I was an ordinary student.  I was easily distracted.  I boarded with my brother John’s family in Prahran and really enjoyed life for the next two years.
 
Out of the blue management offered me a transfer to the Benalla Branch of the VPC.  It was experiencing some difficulties and the manager, Mr Kevin Donnelly, with whom I had previously worked, asked that I be transferred to take charge of the office administration.
 
I must admit that in my 15 years with the company I had never found any real satisfaction with my job.  I could never see any future.  I continued in Benalla until 1966 and changed jobs.  On being married, I again changed jobs and worked for Jim Smith in his accounting practice.
 
Here was the dormant opportunity.  Study Accountancy and work for yourself.  In 1968 I renewed my interest in studying accountancy in earnest.   The Australian Society of Accountants was phasing out its examination.  To comply with its requirements, I would need to study 100 hours per subject to ensure a pass.  This necessitated 20 hours per week which I strictly adhered to.
 
November 1972 came around.  I had one subject to pass to qualify as an accountant.  By chance it was the termination of the Society’s exams.
 
In all my study years I had not known one student who had passed Auditing on first try.  The pressure was on!
 
The date for the examination came around!  I sat for Auditing for the first time!  60% pass mark!  58% was not good enough!  I failed! The Society was not conducting any more examinations.  I was in Limbo!
 
Then fate smiled.  The Society compromised with the Bendigo Institute of Technology, now La Trobe University, and it was agreed that I could do a 12-month course with the Institute.  This involved travelling three times per week from Benalla to Bendigo for the year, and then doing their final examination.  A strenuous year.  Fortunately, the examination was a breeze after my tutored year.  I passed with 87%.
 
“Study accountancy!”  Accomplished.
 
“Work for yourself!”  Still to come!
 
Then came the toughest year of all.  Qualify as a Chartered Accountant to become eligible for partnership.  With hard work this was achieved.  I borrowed money to enable the purchase of a 1/3rd interest in James H. Smith & Co., thence Smith O’Shannessy & Co.  I was working for myself.
 
Subsequently I was awarded a Fellowship of the Chartered Institute and increased my interest in the partnership to 50%.
 
Thanks to Neurologist Specialist (name unknown), Baylis Street, Wagga Wagga.   I had followed your advice!
 
“STUDY ACCOUNTANCY, AND WORK FOR YOURSELF”
 
 
Ray O’Shannessy, FCA., CPA

This story was originally written for the topic 'Turning Point' and presented in class on 19 April 2020

​I entered the work force in February 1950 as a seventeen year old clerk. My first mode of transport was a bicycle provided by my employer.

Driving licences could be obtained at age eighteen. Once I reached that age it didn’t take me long to realise that the first question a girl asked, when asked out on a date, was “do you have a car?”

My first car was a pale green Morris Oxford sedan, registration number UA 060, purchased for cash from the 300 pound inheritance I had received from my father’s diminished estate

Childhood Memories – My Early Childhood and Schooling
 
Presentation to Lakeside Probus, Benalla
 
 
“In asking me to speak to you this morning, Cathy has indicated that she would want something a little different from the usual profile. She has asked me to give reference to my early childhood and schooling. Well Cathy here goes…”
 
I was born the youngest of 6 surviving children in a small farming community called Swanwater on 9th May 1932.
 
On my mother’s death, when I was 4 years old, the family split and I was sent to Villa Maria, a combined residential and education institute in Ballarat.  Villa was administered by the Catholic Sisters of Mercy and was in an old homestead. The nuns were very strict.
 
There were 6 nuns and 25 boys, with me the youngest.
 
There were 3 dormitories, 2 extended bathrooms, 2 school rooms and a large dining room.
 
I was a poor eater and was forced to stay behind in the dining room while other kids were out to play.  Somehow, I found a pack of envelopes and used them to store any uneaten food. I would surreptitiously place them in the incinerator and go to play... until I was caught out!!
 
Winter was very cold in Ballarat.  I recall a kid placing a bottle of water in the classroom fire one day.  Can you imagine the damage the explosion caused when the water boiled and the bottle burst.  Can you imagine the angst of the teacher? In hindsight, it was a ridiculous thing to do, but boys will be boys.
 
With just 25 boys, aged 5 to 13 years, football games and sports teams were lopsided. Sister Brendan umpired the football, and when the whistle went, you never knew if it was for a free kick, or if you were out of position, the cuts.
 
The main Melbourne railway line ran adjacent to the Villa property, and there were numerous trains. Word went around the dining room “Save as much butter as you can” The senior boys had a brainwave.  Put butter on the railways lines and disrupt the train service.  And so, one dark wet night as we lay in bed in the dormitory, we heard a heavily laden goods train come along.
 
CH….CH….CH….CH….CHZZZZZZZX
 
The train came to a grinding halt! The Villa boys had struck!
 
 
MAYHEM!
 
For many hours there was a lot of activity by railway officials. Eventually two high powered locomotives had been dispatched from the Ballarat terminal and shunted the offending train over the rise. There was a hula-balloo at Villa with railway officialdom taking over. Sorry, but the penalty I don’t recall. What a let down!
 
Speaking of railways, there was a considerable increase in goods traffic when the American forces entered Australia and the Ballarat camp in World War 2.  Many loads of military equipment were railed to other destinations. Yankee G.I.s with plenty of money in their pockets threw chocolates and fruit from the trains to the Villa kids. Great fun!
 
 
At weekends the G.I.s had leave and were regularly seen, with girls on their arms, wandering the woods near Villa. Some of us kids received sex education while secretly spying on the Yanks and the girls’ activities.
 
One day we had a visit from a former Villa student, decked out in military uniform. He was 14 years old and had put his age up for enlistment. He was serving in Darwin, but on leave. He told me the first crude joke I had ever heard. I still recall it!
 
December 1944 saw me completing primary education in grade 8. Four of us were to sit for our Merit Certificates at the Brown Hill State school, situated some short distance away. We walked to the school and as we neared the school grounds we were greeted by the State school kids chanting “Catholic dogs sitting on logs eating maggots out of frogs”. Somewhat intimidating.
 
Fortunately, we all passed the exam and that put ’finish’ to our primary education, or so I thought.
 
On the home front Dad had gone bust in the 1930s depression and the successive droughts. He was forced to sell the farm to pay off the mortgage. He became an alcoholic.
 
 
There was no money, so secondary education was out of the question. I was living with my Aunt Mary (Dad’s sister) and my uncle Ned Caine at that time.  I was deemed by my aunts to be too small to enter the work force, and it was decided to send me to a local state school for 12 months to enable me to obtain a scholarship.
 
And so, I went to the Swanwater North State School in 1945. The school was about 7 miles away, and I rode my horse, Denny. There were seven kids at the school, with me being the oldest. 1945 was one of the most severe droughts on record. During the dust storms it was near impossible to see in front of you. There were frequent heat waves, and I remember that on Thursday 1st November it was 100 degrees.
 
I won the scholarship which provided me with 4 years tutorial and accommodation at St. Patrick’s College in Ballarat. At St. Pat’s I was a relatively good student, each year being in the top 4 of a class of 50 in the October tests. Inexplicably, I failed my Leaving Certificate in an external examination, and so I did not get the opportunity to matriculate.
 
I commenced my working life with the Victorian Producers Co-Op in Benalla in February 1950 and continued with that firm in several locations.  In Wodonga I worked extremely long hours, consistently till 11.30 of an evening, 4 days per week. This had a detrimental effect on me and a Wagga Wagga neurologist counselled me to “study accounting and work for yourself”
 
I changed jobs in 1966 and went to the public accounting firm of James H.Smith and Co.. After familiarising myself with the income Tax Assessment Act and accounting procedures I commenced studying accountancy as the specialist had counselled. I registered with Hemingway Robertson Institute Correspondence School in 1968, setting myself a target of 20 hours per week study. (A bit over ambitious!)  It took me until 1973 to qualify as a CPA, and then till 1974 to become chartered.
 
I then purchased, on borrowed money, a half share in the business which became Smith O’Shannessy. And so, as the specialist had counselled…I had ‘studied accounting and worked for myself’.
 
I retired from the practice in December 2000.
 
Thank you
 
Ray O’Shannessy
May 2025.

My earliest failure of note was an academic failure.
 
My secondary education was available due to a scholarship which entitled me to four years schooling at St. Patrick’s College in Ballarat. This was to cover the classes of Sub-Intermediate, Intermediate, Leaving and Matriculation.
 
Over the time I was a little more than an average student, ranking in the top 5 of a class of approximately 50 students each year.
 
My failure came in the Leaving Certificate year of 1948. In an external examination I unexpectedly failed dismally. Being an external examination, held at the Ballarat Town Hall, I put the failure down to nerves, or stage fright, and set my mind to a second year in the Leaving Certificate class.
 
The results were published in early January 1949.
 
Uncle Ned Caine, my carer, was losing the fight against cancer (he died later that month), so my failure was not a significant issue with my carers. I remained at their place for the balance of the holidays, but that was the end of my tenure there.
 
The real issue, of course, was back at St. Pat’s, where I had let the school down and suffered the indignity of being a ‘second term Leaving Certificate student’.
 
I took it in my stride and, with no fanfare, spent 1949 redoing Leaving, passing as I should have in 1948.
 
The problem? This had taken up the fourth year of my scholarship.  To Matriculate would require another year’s study, for which there were no funds. And so, I had to forego Matriculation. Shame!!
 
Much later in my life, in 1973 as a mature aged accountancy student, I experienced another academic failure. I failed my final accounting subject and examinations had terminated. There was, however, a reprieve. The Australian Society of Accountants gained me entry to the Bendigo Institute of Technology (now La Trobe University), where I had to study the Auditing class. This was to take three trips per week for 12 months before qualification.
 
On qualifying, I approached my boss with a request for partnership. He heard me out but stipulated that I must be a Chartered Accountant!  I was only a C.P.A.!  Curses!
 
Undaunted, however, I pursued this idea and registered for the Chartered Institute’s ‘Professional Year’. This was successful and I then purchased a 1/3rd share in the business (on monthly instalments. I had no money). Having paid this off, I increased this purchase to a 50% share, again in instalments.
 
The firm then became Smith O’Shannessy and guaranteed my security. My failures were behind me.
 
 
Ray O’Shannessy
March 2025

​Following last month’s topic of ‘Relationships’, I believe that it is opportune for me to say that three of those with whom I’ve had relationships have also played a role as ‘Someone who shaped me’. In saying so, I refer to Rolfe Mann, Norm Matthews and my wife Bernadette.
 
Rolfe and Norm were both men of high integrity, honesty, sincerity and positivity. They also had strong family values.
 
I was working on a committee with Rolfe when his wife gave birth to a daughter with special needs. This event, while being calamitous, to my mind, brought out some of the best in Rolfe. He immediately became involved in a steering committee for the introduction to Benalla of an educational and housing environment for people with disabilities.
 
Largely, under his guidance, Ballandella (Benalla and District Mentally Retarded People’s Welfare Association) became a reality. He became treasurer and finance director of the Committee of Management and so had a huge impact on that committee. He was responsible for my becoming secretary, and we worked together for the next 13 years.
 
Once the Centre and Residence were constructed and had become functional, Rolfe took on the role of Chairman.
 
In the employment field Rolfe was the manager of the State Electricity Commission whose district office was in Benalla. He was very community spirited and was elected to the Benalla City Council, where he later served for three terms as Mayor.
 
He was, indeed, an inspiration!
 
So too, was Norm Matthews. My involvement with Norm commenced on the bowling green where he was my skipper. As well as playing bowls together, we served a lot of time in the administration of the bowling club. He also was responsible for the building of a fourth green and the refurbishment of the dilapidated green keeper’s cottage. He was by trade a carpenter, but all of this work was done on a voluntary basis.
 
Outside of bowling, Norm took an interest in the Cooinda Retirement Village operation. The fact that there is now a ‘Norm Matthews Wing’ speaks for itself. He encouraged me to join the Cooinda Finance Committee which role I held for 9 years.
 
In a business arrangement, we formed a land development syndicate and developed and sold 150 home building blocks in Benalla. Norm’s commitment was outstanding, and I must say that he was the best ‘thinker’ that I’ve ever encountered.
 
I believe that under the tutorship of Rolfe and Norm, my life was shaped. And so, I can say that they were people who shaped me, along with my wife, Bernadette.
 
No husband that I know would dare to write that his life had not been shaped by his wife!
 
And so, to Bernadette.
 
I had been an independent, beer drinking individual who was just “one of the boys”. I was enjoying my bachelorhood and lived in a flat alone. I was a member of a table-tennis team and a member of the Lion’s Club.
 
That was all to change! I courted and married Bernadette 57 years ago!
 
Bernadette ensured that I ate 5 veggies per day and became a moderate alcohol consumer. She has provided me with a loving home environment and has mothered our 4 children, 2 boys and 2 girls, of whom we are both justly proud.
 
Bernadette, too, is a community-minded person, having just finished her 51 years of delivering Meals on Wheels with a Council commendation. She has also retired as a counsellor with the St.Vincent de Paul Society, which position she held for many years.
 
I believe that Bernadette has played more than a significant role in shaping me.
 
And so, these three relationships have been fruitful and have helped shape me.  
 
 
Ray O’Shannessy
10 October 2024.

I wouldn't describe my career as brilliant, but am proud to write that it was very fulfilling.

After spending 17½ years in the workforce I changed jobs and went to a public accounting practice in Benalla on 30th June 1967. This action went the way to fulfilling  the advice given to me  by a specialist several years earlier, when he advised me to “study accounting and work for yourself”.

My first twelve months were spent familiarising myself  with the accounting practice and particularly the requirements of the Australian Taxation Office. On 1st July 1968, in pursuit of this  objective, I commenced, by correspondence, the study of accountancy.

Subsequently  I graduated as an accountant, and in  February 1974, at the age of almost 42 years, I was admitted as an Associate of the Australian Society of Accountants . At this stage, as a qualified accountant, I deemed it appropriate  to approach my boss  to become a partner in the business. He considered my approach favourably and agreed to invite me to become a partner with 33 1/3rd  % interest I in the practice, but…….wait for it…….. on the condition that I become a chartered accountant.

At that time, many people in the accounting profession  considered, rightly or wrongly, that chartered accountants were a superior race.

Anxious to fulfil my destiny, I agreed, and after the most arduous year of study, I was granted admission to the  Institute of Chartered Accountants in July 1975.

I had therefore fulfilled the condition  placed on me, and purchased, on terms,  a 33 1/3rd % of the business. In 1979, having paid off the terms, I increased this share to 50%, again needing to borrow funds to do so.

Also in that year, I was honoured by being awarded Fellowship of the Chartered Institute.

Business progressed well, and within a short space of time  we opened a branch office in Yarrawonga.

Our number one client was the Co-Operative Housing Society Group, for which my partner and I were the joint secretaries/administrators.

Over the lifetime of the Group we managed 15 societies and financed in excess of 500 homes in the Benalla district. I was in charge of the administration.

Other clients were businesses, farmers and taxpayers. We also conducted a number of audits, including the Benalla Hospital and Cooinda Retirement Village.

The practice prospered.

We employed 7 or 8 staff with an efficient office manager. However, in 1985 he became over zealous and defrauded us of a significant amount of money, principally Housing Society funds.

Fortunately, our insurance company came to the party and repaid the default, but not until three years had passed. I took responsibility over the litigation and, with the burden of the time factor and this responsibility, I experienced a major break-down. This limited my contribution to the future operations of the practice.

After this trauma, business continued satisfactorily until 1993 when we were hit by a flood, with water going through our premises at desk height. This caused a significant financial loss and the office was closed for three weeks. Insurance did not cover a large portion of this loss, due to the debatable definition of “flood water”.

Subsequently we continued to  operate satisfactorily until 1995, when, thanks to  succession planning, we sold out to my partner’s eldest son.

I continued as a consultant until the year 2000 when I eventually retired.

I am very proud to have been part of a successful business in Benalla, but again would suggest that it wasn’t what one could call a brilliant career.

 
Ray O’Shannessy. 
​
Originally submitted on 30/8/2017.and published on Ray's page then, this story has been submitted  by Ray, with very few tweaks, for the 'My Brilliant Career' topic in June 2024.

In 1966, after being in the workforce for 16 years, I decided on an employment change. I could see no chance for promotion in the company where I was, and believed there would be opportunities elsewhere. And so, I ventured into the life assurance field, as I had been encouraged to do.

My first mistake was to enlist with a fairly obscure life assurance company. But it was a subsidiary company of the employer with whom I had 16 years involvement, and so I had the opportunity to have numerous contacts.

My information was that one of the main attributes of being successful was to have plenty of contacts, and so I had covered this facet.  What hadn’t been explained to me was that there was a special technique in closing, or finalising sales. As a relatively quiet and unassuming type of person, I discovered that I did not possess this talent. That’s where the problem lay.

In the early stages of my employment, I was accompanied, in my search for customers, by a very outgoing and charming official of my employment company with whom I became quite friendly. He was able to procure sales which were credited to me, and we proceeded satisfactorily.

I did much research and self training, including  reading many sales motivational books. I followed up all the birth and death notices, but to no avail! I could not, on my own, clinch a sale. Potential customers were very polite, asking questions and agreeing with the benefits of life assurance. But I could not get them to sign on the dotted line.

In absolute frustration , after a period of 12 months, and although I had no other job to go to, I resigned.. My career had gone bung.

As I write/read this essay I hurt; I cringe at the memory of the anguish that I had endured, as I told my wife that I was a failure ;  ….I had no job!

As was my career in this field, this essay  is a flop; no chance of writing 500 words!
 


Ray O’Shannessy.
​September 2017

Originally submitted when the topic 'My Career Went Bung' was last offered in September 2017, Ray has chosen to resubmit it seven years later.

As one might expect, my earliest memory is of my mother, perhaps earlier, though, than most would really expect.  I recall my mother lifting me out of my iron framed cot and breast feeding me.  My cot was alongside my parent’s bed in the front bedroom of Erin Vale.
 
My last memory of Mum also involved her being in bed, but a hospital bed, some four and a half years later.  She had contracted cancer!
 
Aunty Molly Walsh, mum’s sister, had taken me on a visit to the hospital sometime in January 1937.  There was a hospital table straddling Mum’s bed and on it, a jar of black and white humbug lollies.  As a four-year-old I was interested in the lollies and kept eyeing them off.  Whether in exasperation or with motherly love, she exclaimed “alright, you can have one”.  This is the last memory I have of her.  She died on 31st day of that same month.
 
My brother Pat was 17-year-old and as a big brother, he spoiled me and bought me a red trike.  He also purchased an upright AWA radio for the family.  He had a beautiful thoroughbred pony called The Yodeller.
 
World War 2 came upon us on 3rd September 1939.  Pat, putting his age up, enlisted in the Army as a Sapper (Driver) and was sent to the Middle East.  Unbeknown to us he was injured and returned to Brisbane in 1944.  He called back home on his way through.  I was living at Meg and Mary Caines’s property (Mary was Dad’s sister) at Swanwater North and Pat called unexpectedly.  I was 12 years old and hadn’t seen him since 1937.  I didn’t know him, I wasn’t told who he was, and wondered why he was taking an interest in me.  It wasn’t until after he left that I became aware.   (Next to Mum’s death, this has been the greatest disappointment of my life).  Pat carried on to Brisbane undoubtedly wondering why I hadn’t greeted him with open arms.  I imagine he was as disappointed as I was!
 
On Friday, 16th March, 1951, while working with VPC in Benalla, we conducted a Special Sheep Sale.  It was a long, busy day.  On arriving home at my boarding house I was presented with an Urgent Telegram.  It simply read “Pat passed away suddenly this morning.  Funeral Monday morning” … sender JOHN (another brother).
 
On Monday at the funeral I held Dad’s hand, unknowingly, for the last time.
 
On Christmas Eve of that same year I travelled to St Arnaud, to be met at the bus-stop by Aunty Kath and Toby.  They told me that Dad had passed away that same morning:  I suspect of a broken heart.  He had never come to grips with Pat’s death.  I was taken to the mortuary where I saw him lying, finally at peace.
 
In 1972 Aunty Kath and Toby’s oldest son lost his wife to cancer, leaving him with six children, the youngest, Alyson, being only 8 months old.  Bernadette and I fostered her for approximately three years.  She was a loveable child, and we were anxious to adopt her.  Her father, however, remarried and reclaimed her.  We were distraught when she left our care.  It may be some consolation to say that we now have four children of our own.  Depends on how one looks at it!
 
And so, my demons have been expunged!
​
 
Ray O’Shannessy,
5th May 2024

​​Kathleen O’Shannessy was the elegant and dignified matriarch of the O’Shannessy dynasty.  She was married to Tom (Toby) O’Shannessy, the charismatic, rotund youngest son of Patrick and Honoria, who in the early 1860’s migrated to Australia from Ireland.
 
Kath was the proud queen of the manor at Swanwater Homestead and the Swanwater Station.
 
She was my aunt and was the one and only person of the O’Shannessy clan who ever showed me any affection.  I loved her!  She had the extraordinary gift of making one feel special, and I had the temerity to imagine I was her favourite.
 
In my younger life I was 12 years away from Swanwater, spent in boarding schools in Ballarat.  I had very little contact with Aunty Kath.  However, between the time when I finally completed my schooling in November 1949 and commenced work at Benalla in late February 1950, I lived at the Homestead.  It was a memorable time for me, and the relationship blossomed.
 
Toby was a violinist in his own dance band, The Spitfires, and there were regular musical evenings.  With Toby on the violin and Aunty on the piano, these were wonderful times.
 
Toby was responsible for getting me my job with the Victorian Producers Corporation (VPC) and he and Kath helped me to settle into my new environment in Benalla.
 
Time marched on and I eventually married in January 1967.  Toby and Kath honoured me by sitting at the bridal table.
 
Happy times!  Until the tragedy in June.
 
Kath was in hospital in Melbourne and Toby was alone in the Homestead.  Somehow or other, in the depths of the night, a fire destroyed the Homestead.  Toby died in the fire.  I heard the news on the radio in our flat the next morning.
 
I don’t remember the details, but somehow Kath was returned to her son’s home, also in Swanwater, remaining there for some time.
 
Kath was, now, a much more subdued matriarch, having lost her beloved husband and the Homestead.  The Heritage organisation made it nigh on impossible to rebuild the Homestead.

Kathlene Mary O'Shannessy

She has been the old family matriarch,
for nigh on, seventy years.
She joined in with all the laughter,
​Gave comfort, in times of tears.

To all of her large extended family,
She was, our guiding light.
Always there to advise us on, 
Difference, between wrong and right.

A fine lady that was community minded, 
Supported all, for much of her life.
It was never a problem to her,
To lend a hand in time of strife.

She raised a fine family of four,
With twenty grandchildren, too.
A group of fifteen great grandchildren,
She always knew, just what to do.

To the many nieces and nephews,
She provided a holiday home.
Treated all as part of her own family,
No one ever left, to stand alone.

So I as one of many lucky nephews,
To have spent time, with an aunty so grand.
Wish to say thanks for her guidance,
Now that the lord, has taken her hand.

A lucky nephew.
Peter Worthington

Being in my 92nd year I imagine that nobody would be surprised to hear me say that I often ponder on my eventual demise, on deity, and on the “after life”.
 
I have had a comprehensive Catholic education and have been a lifelong weekly church attendant.  It never occurred to me to doubt the existence of a God.
 
I have to admit, though, that in the light of recent publicity of the Israeli, Gaza, and Ukraine atrocities.  I have questioned myself “wherever is God?”
 
I have been in contact with many priests over a lifetime and the one who I hold in the highest regard seems to predominantly refer to “Your God”.
 
Rather than blaming God for my misfortunes, I like to acknowledge his assistance in my better fortunes.
 
And so, here goes.
 
 
I was born, the youngest of seven children, and mum died of cancer when I was 4 years old.  My father was an alcoholic and his sisters determined that he couldn’t care for his family.
 
What was my future?
 
One of my aunts was ‘Mother Augustine’ in the Sisters of Mercy Convent in Ballarat.  She held a position of authority.  The Sisters ran a school/cum home for primary school boys – Villa Maria on the outskirts of Ballarat East.  Villa was to become my home ….  Off the record, I always regarded it as an ‘institution’.
 
And so, my primary education and living arrangements were covered.  (My good fortune.)
 
On finishing my grade 8 and obtaining my Merit Certificate I escaped Villa.
 
The future?
 
My aunts decided that I was too small to enter the work force.  At age 12 I weighed about 4 stone!  I was a midget!
 
Staying with Dad’s sister Mary-Anne and husband Ned Caine I was only 6 or 7 miles from the Swanwater North State School where, at the school years end, I could sit for a Government Scholarship.  So, another years’ schooling and I gained the scholarship and was eligible for a secondary education and accommodation at St. Patrick’s College, also in Ballarat.
 
How fortunate!
 
 
I spent four years at St. Pat’s and then returned to my Uncle Tom O’Shannessy’s farm, also in Swanwater.  He scouted around a number of Stock and Station Agencies to see if he could obtain employment with for me.  To no avail.  Then on visiting St Arnaud he decided to call on the VPC (Victorian Producers Co-operative).  The managing-director from Head Office happened to be in attendance on a routine visit.  How convenient!  He interviewed me and appointment me to the position of junior clerk at the VPC Benalla office.
 
I was blessed to obtain board at the home of Frank and Eileen Elliott in Benalla.  I became acquainted with another boarder, Bill Keenan, whose girlfriend was Marg Hernan.  Bill invited me out to Marg’s parents’ farm at Winton and after a short time, the Hernans virtually adopted me!  Over a while I proposed the toasts at 21st birthdays of each of their seven children and acted as Santa at their Christmas celebrations for many years.  I enjoyed a family environment which previously had been denied me.
 
Still boarding at Elliots’ in February 1951, I had an encounter with a bush fire.  It was a very hot day; the fire bell was ringing; people running everywhere.  I was not a member of the local fire brigade, but every available male was ‘on call’ that day.  I joined with two farming brothers whose home was in the path of the fire.  We drove to the face of the fire, a timber church beside us, dry paddocks all around.  The fire intensified; the church caught alight and soon became a smouldering ruin; the fence posts were burning.  The fire immersed us as we stood on the road in the shelter of the Ute.  The fire roared overhead: we were unscathed!  Miraculous!
 
I reached my 21st birthday in May 1953 while still boarding at the Elliots’.   A friend arranged to meet me at St Joseph’s Hall on Saturday night to take me to a country dance.  I arrived at the appointed time and to my amazement a band was playing; all my friends were there greeting me with birthday wishes.  The Elliotts had arranged a surprise birthday for me!  How wonderful!
 
Years go by; transfers in my job; I find myself in Wodonga, working my butt off till 11.30 pm Monday to Thursday; normal hours Friday.  I succumbed to the pressure – nervous debility!  I visited a neurologist in Wagga Wagga and was counselled – “study accountancy and work for yourself!”
 
I transferred to Melbourne Head Office and visited my brother John, with the “Age” newspaper under my arm.  I explained that I was seeking an advertisement for accommodation.  My sister-in-law replied with an outburst, “You’ll do no such thing, you are staying here!”  Even though they had a household with five children.  The next two years while living there were two of the happiest years of my life.  “Your God” was working overtime.
 
In 1962, still at my brother’s, I was critically injured in a motor accident.  Severe internal injuries, fractured skull and brain damage.  I survived and am still hale and hearty at 91 years plus.
 
Still working at Melbourne Head Office, I was advised that the Benalla branch was experiencing internal difficulties.  The Benalla manager requested that I be appointed Benalla Branch Accountant.
 
I returned to Benalla and became reacquainted with Bernadette, who was to become my loving wife.  (We now have four wonderful children and 11 grandchildren.)
 
After some two years I felt that I was not working to my full potential and disastrously changed job.  So disastrous that within 12 months I quit without another job to go to.  Simultaneously, a vacancy occurred in Jim Smith’s Chartered Accountancy practice, and as luck would have it, I had just asked him if he knew of any vacancies.  Remarkable timing.  Jim offered me the job.
 
Having just married earlier in the year, housing was a consideration.  We were living in a flat in Church Street and had purchased a building block on the outskirts.  We had little money, but finance became available through the Co-Operative Housing Society which Jim Smith was managing.  Am I stretching things too far to suggest that “your God” may have been responsible?
 
In the course of events, I studied to be an accountant.  I was studying to a time schedule which expired with me being one subject short.  I was in Limbo!  Through negotiations with the Bendigo Institute of Technology (now LaTrobe University), I was able to pass that subject and become qualified.
 
I was able to do a deal with Jim and purchased a half share in his practice which guaranteed me a stable lifestyle.
 
In my private life, in the mid ‘80’s we benefited from a windfall.  This enabled us to purchase a small percentage in a land development corporation.  150 building blocks were developed, and the financial reward was significant.  “Our God” was working for us and we now have a comfortable retirement.
 
So, there is a summation of my life which portrays that, although I was disadvantaged in many ways, so too I was blessed.
 
Thank you, Father Des Welladson, for teaching me to appreciate “Your God”.
 
 
Ray O’Shannessy,
March 2024

There was a day in June 1967 that was life changing for me in obtaining secure employment.  The venue was 118 Bridge Street, Benalla at the office of James H. Smith & Co., Chartered Accountant.

Twelve months earlier I had resigned from my long held (17 years) clerical position with the Victorian Producers Co-op (VPC).

I had sought a change because I felt that I was not reading my full potential in the work force.  I had transferred to a position with an associated Insurance company, Producers and Citizens Co-op.

This turned out to be a dreadful mistake as I was to find that I was totally unsuited to that profession, and had placed myself in an extremely stressful situation.

In desperation, after some 12 months drudgery, and without another job to go to, I resigned!!  My attempts to find another job were fruitless.  As a newly wed, I faced the daunting task of telling my bride that I was unemployed.


Some years earlier, in my single days, I had joined the Lion's Club and got to know Jim Smith, a Chartered Accountant.  So, I considered it appropriate to ask him if he had a client who was looking for a clerical assistant.  He told me to give him a week to find out.

On calling back in 7 days I was told "I have no such a client, BUT a vacancy has arisen in my firm.  Would you care to accept the position?"

- - - - THE LIFE CHANGING MOMENT - - - -

I gladly accepted!  I commenced on 30th June 1967, at a salary of $60 per week.

There had been no mention of qualifying as an accountant, but 12 months later, after familiarising myself with the requirements of the Income Tax Assessment Act and general book-keeping procedures, I registered as a "mature aged student" with the Hemingway Robertson Institute for a correspondence course.

Parallel to this course, I travelled weekly for 6 months to Melbourne (6pm to 10pm) for instruction; three sessions per week for 12 months to the Bendigo Institute of Technology (now LaTrobe University) to study the Australian Society of Accountants Auditing course; after some years, 12 months of monthly 9am to 9pm courses at Albury for the Chartered Institute's "Professional Year" and finally, "the weekend from Hell in Sydney".

After a total of 7 long years I was now CPA and a Chartered Accountant, advancing to "Fellow" some 4 years later.

I was now qualified to practice as a Chartered Accountant and could enter a practice with Jim.  I would need to buy a share in Jim's business.  BUT ..... I had no money!

The going price for an accountancy practice was (and I think, still is) dollar for dollar for fees earned in a year.

Jim was responsive to my needs, (and also his own), and we negotiated a deal where I initially purchased a one-third share.  When the debt was paid out, this would increase to a one-half share.  This was achieved by monthly instalments.

And so the Chartered Accountancy practice of SMITH O'SHANNESSY became a reality!

The LIFE CHANGING MOMENT had materialised.


Ray O'Shannessy
5th February 2024

On Tuesday, 20th June at 7.50 am we were confronted with a burst hot water service at a very inopportune time, and there-in lies a story.

It goes like this:

On 15th June, Bernadette celebrated a birthday.  At our time of life all birthdays are special.  Bernadette did not consider this one so, but our family evidently did.  They gave us a big surprise!

Working through Peter (our second son), it was arranged for us to fly to Sydney to view the Disney show, Beauty and the Beast, and to spend the night in overnight accommodation.  Jacki, our daughter, was to pick us up and drive us to catch the plane in Albury.  

That was at 8 am - we had discovered our faulty hot water service at 7.50 am!

In very heavy fog we drove to the airport.  This was to be the first flight for either of us in many years.  Anyway, we flew from Albury at 10 am and arrived in Sydney some time after 11 am.  A chauffeur picked us up and took us to our accommodation.  To our surprise we were booked, not into a motel, but into the Sebel Quay West Suites overlooking the Opera House, The Bridge and the Sydney Harbour.  We could see all this, near-by, from our balcony.

We were booked into dinner for 5 pm (I have never before seen a "Parma" like mine!)  The chauffeur, 'Sam', of Chinese descent, picked us up at 6 pm, producing a box of hand-made chocolates for Bernadette.

Sam was very chatty, and seemingly very family oriented.  He was complimentary of our family for giving us this surprise and told us that he was going to treat us as "special".  He drove us to the Capitol theatre and ensured that we were there in plenty of time to see the show.

We had excellent 'aisle' seats in the theatre, with another outlet just in front of us, so that we had a wonderful view.

​Beauty and the Beast was a stand out stage show and we were thrilled.

There was, however, a minor glitch, as the show blacked out at the very climax when the beast was being set upon.  However, patrons were very patient and the show resumed in about 5 or so minutes, when the Beast was saved.

Sam, the chauffeur, picked us up from the theatre, and, on driving us back to the Suites, queried what we had planned on being discharged at 10am in the morning.  He proposed that he pick us up and drive us to see the Sydney sights to fill in time before our return flight to Albury. 

And so he did!  Not only did we see the sights, he took us to his 'office', which was situated in the same building as Krispy Cream Do-nuts.  He provided us each with a coffee and a box of a dozen mixed do-nuts.  He also promised to provide a limousine for us when we returned to Sydney to celebrate my 100th Birthday, in May 2032.

On saying "good-bye" to us, Sam gave us both a big hug, with a special kiss for Bernadette.  And so we were left at the airport for our return flight.

We arrived at Albury at about 4.30 pm and were met by son Peter and grand-daughter Evie, for the drive home.

We arrived at a little before 6 pm, to discover that a new hot-water system had been installed, with the old one waiting to be taken to the tip.

And so... "...One moment this year!" started at our back door with a burst hot-water system at 7.50 am on the Tuesday morning and ended with a replacement system in place at 5.50 pm on Wednesday 21st June, after so many .... many ..... many very pleasurable moments in between.  

JUST HOW GREAT IS MY FAMILY!!!!!!!


Ray O'Shannessy
November 2023

September 25, 2023

Would you believe it?  Right here and now we are still living at Clarke Street, Benalla in the house which Bernadette and I had built for us in the year in which we were married some 57 years ago.
 
We had purchased a cheap block of land on the outskirts of Benalla for $750, and with the aid of finance of $8100 from the Benalla Co-operative Society we paid Ken Grant, our builder, the sum of $10,100 for the erection of a 12.2 square brick veneer home.  A garage cost us an extra $250, and we moved in on 31st December 1967.
 
This was the one and only childhood “home” of our four children.
 
In the mid to late 1970’s we added a new family room and also purchased the block of land directly behind us.  We later added a swimming pool.
 
In 1985 we had considered building a new home, but that idea had been scuttled by the actions of a fraudulent office manager.  We settled for a refurbished kitchen.
 
RIGHT NOW, we are both fortunate to be healthy retirees.  We have satisfied our travel appetites and COVID has put a halt to any further ideas.
 
Bernadette is still a playing member of the Benalla Golf Club and loves gardening and mowing the lawn.  After a stint of 51 years, she has retired from delivering Meals on Wheels, and also her ‘Vinnie’s’ counselling.  Being now in my nineties I am not so active.  I ceased playing lawn bowls after fracturing my pelvis in 2014, after 60 odd years of competition and more than 700 games of pennant bowls.  I am a ‘life member’ of the Bowling Club.  My main activities are now Probus and U3A membership, where I am a regular in the ‘Singing for Fun’ group and the ‘As Time Goes By’ memoir writing group.
 
Also, being in my nineties, I am taking the time for reflection on the following:
 
I have regrets that I lost my mother to cancer when I was 4 years old, and so, have no knowledge of the love of my mother.  At the same time, I generally lost contact with my five siblings and so did not grow up in a family environment …
 
In early 1940 my brother Pat enlisted in the army for World War 2 and went overseas to the battleground in the Middle East.  He returned to Australia in 1943 and was discharged, medically unfit, in September 1944.  He had visited me after his discharge, and to my everlasting regret, I did not know him and treated him as one would a stranger …
 
I also have regrets that, in my twenties, I boarded in country hotels and, to my detriment, succumbed to the ready availability of alcohol …
 
On the brighter side I recall that, through my hotel connections, I commenced playing lawn bowls at a young age, and have spent a very rewarding 60 years in that field …
 
From my early working life, my lot has been made brighter through meeting with the Hernan and Elliott families who both gave me the family life of which I had no prior experience …
 
In my late twenties, I became re-aquainted with my second brother John and his family and lived two of my happiest years with them …
 
1967 saw me marrying the love of my life, Bernadette, and commencing our own family of four children (of whom we are immensely proud) and our eleven adorable grandchildren …
 
In the late 1960’s, while working in Wodonga, I had occasion to visit a specialist who counselled me to “…study accountancy and work for yourself’.  I am forever grateful to him, and, although some ten to twelve years later, I graduated, firstly with the Australian Society of Accountants, and secondly as a Chartered Accountant where I also obtained a ‘fellowship’...
 
I am also proud to say that these qualifications led to my business partnership as a Chartered Accountant …
 
Further to these two qualifications I have been awarded an Order of Australia Medal (OAM) for ‘Service to the Community of Benalla’ ...
 
And so, RIGHT HERE and RIGHT NOW, I feel contented and satisfied with my life.  As I face the ultimate demise I do so at peace with the world and within myself.
 
 
Ray O’Shannessy
October 2023

​Over a period of almost 10 years, FCJ College Year 7 students have worked with the elderly community to provide a musical mingling of youth with older people, and to eventually stage a concert for the public of Benalla.

The college initially chose to work with Cooinda Village, providing wonderful companionship for the residents, until 2021.

Then, of course, COVID intervened.  Cooinda was “out of bounds”.

The college, buoyed by the successes of the earlier relationships and concerts, sought an alternative partnership to continue.  Approaches were made to U3A, the membership of which is restricted to retirees, and to grandparents of the college students.  I was qualified on either score, so enlisted for what was a fulfilling musical adventure.

In the next year, which was 2022, we had a group of 22 adults and 45 Year 7 students (FCJ was selective, and the students had to be volunteers!)

Rehearsals in the FCJ College hall were held over a period of 10-12 weeks, with the songs chosen by the students. Such titles as ‘Listen to me’, ‘Africa’, and ‘This is Me’ were popular with the schoolies. As you may imagine, these songs were not within my repertoire, so I was continuously relying upon the music sheets.

Over the period of the rehearsals, a considerable mingling between the students and the elderly occurred. The students had so obviously been primed to make conversation with us and I was regularly greeted with the question “How did you fill in your week?”

I found that I was familiar with the surnames of most children that I met, and each week the kids would seek me out.

In addition to the singing, I, as the oldest of the group of adults, was singled out for an interview, the result of which was also to be featured in the upcoming concert. I and my wife Bernadette were interviewed by a very impressive Year 10 student, whose ambition was to qualify in Medicine.

All of this culminated in a concert in BPACC on 23rd November 2022. There were approximately 300 people in attendance and the show was very well received.

When the topic ‘FCJ concert’ was again mentioned in early 2023 I was very responsive

This time, all year 7 students (more than 80 of them) were compulsorily enlisted, and there were 26 adults. We were well and truly outnumbered, and the background noise at rehearsals was unimaginable.

Nevertheless, the camaraderie, again, was outstanding and memorable. At each rehearsal I had “Eddie” and “Angus” seated either side of me and we became great friends. At the concerts’ end they both gave me a big hug.

Although we rehearsed for 12 weeks, “Suspicious minds”, ‘When I grow up” and “The Eye of the Tiger” were outside of my range.  I continually had my eyes glued to the music sheets.
.
This year we held two concerts: one for the Year 7 students from schools at Euroa and Mansfield, and the main presentation for a local Benalla audience of parents and the community in general.

The venue for these concerts was not BPACC as last year, but FCJ’s own hall, where we had rehearsed. There were capacity crowds of over 300 people, and we received excellent reports.

Both years’ concerts were orchestrated by a very capable and engaging FCJ teacher, Catherine Burton, assisted by top music teacher Adam Toms. The accompaniment was a band entirely of FCJ students.

I look forward with anticipation to singing in the group again next time.

What a “WONDERFUL (MUSICAL) ADVENTURE”!

Video Source:  FCJ Facebook Page accessed 24 July 2023

Ray O'Shannessy
​July 2023