Читать книгу JOURNEY TO CHILDREN OF BWOLA DANCES - AMAYA - Страница 6

One afternoon, after a long training session at the school swimming pool in preparation for an upcoming interschool tournament and selection for state competition, Robert and three of his close, swim friends, Ricky, Jonno and Dave decided to go to a Pizza Hut. Pizzas were cheaper because they could share the costs. It was also Jonno’s only few opportunities to indulge himself. It was a tradition for them to go there after training. Ricky reckoned it was a perfect place for bulking up. That wasn’t so much his mates’ problem, he was rather skinny and it did not seem to matter how much he ate. He was trying hard to maintain body weight to cope with the tough training regime.

“As sore as… I must’ve strained a shoulder muscle. Man! Arrrgh! That hurts!” as Bob tried once again to move his left arm in an anti-clockwise direction and arching his shoulders in and out, holding it for a few seconds to stretch the muscles.

“I told you to spend more time doing warm downs. But, naah, you couldn’t be bothered could you? aye? aye? Tucker is all you could think of… mo-o-ron!” teased Dave. The others joined in laughing.

If the truth be told, though, they were all very sore. The swim coach, Clifford Jones, was nicknamed – Sarg (short for Sergeant). And his training regime was called “Camp Rendition.” It was nicknamed after the scandal of the secret torturing of Al Qaeda agents in Arab countries where they were secretly sent (renditioning) by the Western allies because it was illegal in their own countries. One of the worst well-known torturing techniques was called ‘water-boarding’ where the prisoner was force to experience a sensation of drowning. After each of their training sessions with Sarg, the swim team felt like they fully understood what ‘water-boarding’ really felt like. They reckon Sarg Clifford Jones was secretly retrenched from the military for involvement in inventing the water boarding regime. He didn’t muck-about at training. He was mean as ever, taking no prisoners when training was on. No wonder, their school swim team was one of the state’s best, year in and year out since the Sarg took over the swim coach position.

As they set down to their regular selection of Pizzas, Jonno started enthusiastically with food still in his mouth. He had been bubbly all day and seemed rather positive and especially enthusiastic about life. Both Bob and Ricky had made a passing comment during different times of the day about Jonno.

“What have you been shooting up on Jonno?” Bob teased.

“Yeah! I need, I need! Can I have what you are on? ...gees, man! You’ve got the grins real bad, I mean. It’s got to be really, really good, aye? aye?” Dave ribbed him with his elbow and put both his hands out, teasingly and laughing. The Bob joined in with both hands out.

Jonno had been holding back his excitement because he wanted to tell the whole story to his mates. For him it was about a life changing experience that was going to take place very soon. He wanted his mates views, affirmation, and moral support because it would be a big decision. Like all good mates, at such times, you expect them to be there for you, just as you would expect to be there for them.

Now, Jonno often saw himself as one of those teenagers who was a deliberate contradiction. A deliberate contradiction, because he had decided against his cultural background to make a prosperous life for himself. Aboriginal people are a very communal people. He wasn’t ashamed of his Aboriginal heritage or even his family. He was just more realistic about the real world that Aboriginal people had to come to grips with. He had to get out of poverty first in order to help others who were trapped in that state of hopelessness.

His mother, Lizzy, a name given to her at an Aboriginal mission station where she was born, to a single mother. She, like many children of parents from the stolen generation, had had her sorrowful past. She had also lost her alcoholic husband, who died of pneumonia after falling asleep, drunk, outside on the verandah one wet winter’s day. Working as a secretary in a local government department, she was left to support two sons, the other Peter, now 8 years old.

Lizzy, had been determined that her sons would not be like her husband, and many other aboriginal men like him. She decided to pick her aboriginal models from the many success stories throughout Australia; the former Governor of South Australia, Footballers, Boxing and business leaders, tennis legend Yvonne Gulagong. She had always taught her sons from the earliest aged that they could understand, that financial prosperity did not mean alienation from one’s culture and people.

Sitting in the Pizza Hut, as these thoughts flashed through his mind his excitement heightened even more as he looked at his mates. He eyed each of them, to make sure they were paying attention to the grand announcement he was about to make which should blow them out of the aftermath of Camp Rendition feelings they were experiencing in their bodies at the moment.

“I am going to buy a unit next week! Mum’s going to chip in towards the legal fees and stamp duty. I have been saving money since I was 9 years old from all the odd jobs I could get. As well as working stacking shelves at Kmart and Coles.Now, I am turning seventeen this year. When dad was alive we struggled financially. He used to spend most of his money in the pub or with his mates. So mum told me to save whatever I could and make sure I became independent as soon as possible because she could not support me when I turned 18 years old. It was the scariest thing ever for a 9-year-old. Some of my primary school friends had to quit school and others became street kids because of neglect by their families.

So I made up my mind that I would save enough money to buy me a unit. Last time when I was talking to mum about buying a house she was very excited to find out that I had been saving and that I had accumulated enough for a deposit and moving-in costs. The only problem was that I needed to get a job to pay the loan. A reasonable 2-bedroom unit with a single garage in our neighbourhood costs about 90 Grand ($90,000). With interest rates the way they are going that is about $900 a month loan repayment and rising. I was stuck, even with the first home-owners grant!”

“How did you solve the problem, mate? You’re still only stacking shelves aren’t you?” Dave quizzed, gripped at this incredible achievement.

For a moment, Dave dreamed about his own plight. He was already envious of his friend’s Mount Everest of a success. He had tried to save but failed miserably. His father has a Restaurant business and regularly gives him pocket money as well as special financial gifts on his birthday and at Christmas, even at Easter for good measure. But he always seemed to find that he needs to buy the latest pair of trousers, shirts and pay for movies. He cannot, for the life of him, neglect his social life. That’s just not cool for his richer circle of friends, he thought. Being a tight arse was just bad news if you wanted to be in the exclusive social network. Besides, you’re only young once and so might as well enjoy it, he convinced himself. Most of his other well-off friends did the same thing. Still, it would be great if he could move out to his own unit. He wouldn’t have to deal with all the rules at home. Even though his parents were very kind and loving, nevertheless, he was fed up already and wanted out ASAP. It’s part of growing up. The itching feeling and those itchy feet to find your own place.

Jonno interrupted his dreaming and went on to explain.

“Mum saw on the Tele about investment property strategies that one could take to own property. You buy the property, rent it out at a level of rent that either covers all of your loan costs or at least most of it. This way you do not have to be working full-time or in a high paying job in order to own property. She and I went to see an investment adviser at Andreessen, Arthurton & Associates and also attended a seminar during the summer holidays and we had a long chat with the guy who led the seminar. He’s called, Viktor Andreessen, one of the partners of the company. It was really cool! It all made a lot of sense and Mum was as convinced as I was that if we did proceed with buying a property and rented it out then, man! it would set me up for the future. How cool is that!?”

There was dead silence for a moment, while the group munched on what they had and digested the chunky meaty idea that Jonno just shoved into their ears. It took some swallowing, that was for sure. But their emotions were about to reveal very different perspectives on the idea that the poorest among them was actually going to be the first person to be a real estate investor and a convincingly man – manhood type of guy.

Ricky, however, was not going to be a sucker for no scam. His frustration and resentment poured out in response to Jonno’s false hoper plans. Jonno did not have the intelligence as far as he could see to pull this deal off and survive eventual bankruptcy. He felt angry that out of desperation he was taking an unnecessary risk, being fooled so easily by a snake-oil sales promotion. He felt duty bound to a mate, to save him from his foolish, ignorant self….and stupid mother. He had, however, to be careful not to be offensive. After all, this truly poor guy had worked his proverbial off to get this far and had invested a lot of emotions into this rubbish dream. So he presented his response couched in an example of his failed uncle, Ben.

“My uncle, Ben, was burnt on property investment in Perth, Western Australia when the Global Financial Crisis hit in late 2008. He had four properties in great locations around Perth. He was worth about $10.5million in 2007. He was such a generous bloke and paid for our plane tickets to visit his family! All four of us, mum and dad included! It was awesome! We had never been to Perth. We visited the beaches, and the movies and restaurants and fun parks.

But then the GFC hit, and because he was negatively geared and the property prices plummeted so quickly he couldn’t get rid of them. The banks were cruel and couldn’t careless. They seized three of his properties and sold them at a massive loss. Something like a $3 million loss! He also lost millions in shares when one of the companies he had a major holding in went bust. He is up for million dollars for compensation costs because he was sued by some investors and lost the case. He was so shattered he wanted to get himself killed in a “traffic accident” in order to save his family from financial ruin. His million dollar insurance payout would have bailed them out. He is a broken man now. Always on the grog and don’t mention property investment to him. He now reckons the banks are just setting people up so that they can make a huge profit from the mortgage insurance claim which completely covers them, the banks. Stuff the so-called customer is king rubbish. They are just in it for themselves, he swears”

“Mum’s also heard from a cousin who also lost a lot of money through property investments,” piped in Dave, still resentful at Jonno’s achievement.

“She reckons you have to have rocks in your head to get sucked in by these rip-off merchants. I would get a second opinion from someone who has taken a major hit from the recession. At least they will expose the so-called fine print of these scammers. You gotta be very careful, mate! Don’t risk all those hard earned dosh, mate!”

Dave reached out and slapped Jonno on the back lightly, like a caring mate should. Deep down, though the agenda was all about hoping to scare Jonno into not proceeding so that he wouldn’t have to feel bad about his own failures. After all, even though Jonno was one of his closest school buddies, it was obvious that he, Dave, was from a more privileged background and a more educated family and they ought to know better about all types of investments.

While Ricky and Dave were busy rubbishing Jonno’s achievements Robert became very angry. Robert was angry, not at these two guys but at his own life. Angry that his parents had not made him or educated him to see past his own foolish lifestyle of earn and spend all, immediately. His mind flashed back at the thousands he had squandered over the years on parties, restaurants, holidays, trendy clothes and the latest gadgets that became obsolete within six months. Oh! And those mobile phone bills! The thought of it pained him and made him even angrier at his own stupidity. That he was such an idiot! He was about to explode in response, then a passing though suddenly stopped and stared at him. His dad, Ashwyn, has been trying to make him see his folly of a lifestyle. More importantly, he had already told him that he had been putting some money aside so that when he, Bob, had woken up to his investment senses then perhaps his dad could help him get started.

Suddenly, a rush of love and respect for his dad flooded over him deflating that highly explosive anger. The major problem, though, was that his mates caution to Jonno, were valid and he was too ignorant about any type of investment. Even though he was the smartest of the four buddies, he felt the most financially illiterate by choice. By choice because his dad had tried on a number of occasions to have deep discussions with him as the eldest about financial literacy but he was just too shallow and couldn’t be bothered to do the hard work of research and learning…who wants to do that as a teenager after all. Too young to be thinking of such things.

It was like starting kindergarten all over again. It made him feel like a financial retard. And the fear of borrowing large sums of money made his heart race.

“Good on you, mate for having a go,” he muttered. “You’re a better bloke them me, I’ll say.” He paused to calm his nerves and taking a deep breath sighed and added resignedly. “I haven’t had the guts to be practical even though my old man has been talking to me about investing in general.”

He then went into a tirade against his generation. “Our generation are real losers” he declared bitterly. “We spend like there is no tomorrow on rubbish. We borrow like we own the bloody oil fields! Yet in reality we are mortgaging the knowledge that our parents will bail us out if we get into financial trouble. Rubbish! Man! Rubbish! Our thinking and unrealistic lifestyle really, really sucks! If the world goes into a deep recession and our parent’s homes and investments lose a lot of value than so the called insurance we have from them will be down the toilet. Then what!?” He continued angrily.

“Somehow, I must become more independent financially given that with the aging population and people living longer my parents may end up spending all their investments and we will inherit their retirement home debts! I think too many of us young people haven’t got the foggiest idea of the financial Tsunami that is set to wipe out our false security by the time we are old and qualified enough to start raising a family. Man! Life sucks!” Sigh!

There was again that awkward moment of dead silence as the terrifying likely scenario Bob just spewed out hit them like a ton of filth. It was stultifying filth. It was like filth covering their fantasy future. Dave, particularly, was made very uncomfortable by this possibility. His mind quickly reflected on the current family’s overall wealth and he felt some comforting emotions wash over him. However, there was still this knot in his stomach because of the prospect of his parents either losing their wealth because of major recession or living forever until they have spent most of the money at a retirement village. Worst still, his mum has been planning to go on an extended global holiday for possibly a year to make up for their years of hard work and missing out while many of their friends have travelled numerous times overseas. She, in particular, wanted to see her native country, Argentina. Her sisters and mother had visited them twice already, but there are still countless relatives who have been pleading for them to visit the motherland before they died.

Ricky’s mother arrived to pick them and drop them home. As they walked to the car each person was lost in their thoughts as the massive dose of reality Tsunami-ed them.Not much conversation was to be had on the way home either, much to Ricky’s mother, Mary’s, surprise.

“You guys are quiet today. Something wrong with the pizza? Or did the coach work you all too hard? Wusses!” she teased smiling.

“Naaah” replied Ricky, forlornly.

Before Ricky could explain, Dave couldn’t resist the temptation to inflict revenge on Jonno for his plans. He wanted Ricky’s mother to give Jonno an earful and convince him to give up. That would be such are relief for his own ego, he comforted himself.

“Jonno, is soon to become a property mogul. He is going to buy an investment property with his mum’s help towards the legal fees. What do you reckon, Mrs Fieldsworth?” Dave interrupted, enviously.