Today I wanted to write about why we at the shopping centre are fighting so hard the decision of the defence department to move those houses, I will walk you through one
families story so that the people who have been watching us fight this and think that we are whingers and say that we are lazy or perhaps rich business owners know once and for all why this means so much.
One Families Story
I remember back about 16 years a couple in their 50’s thought they would buy a business so that they could work the hardest they could and try to better for their retirement at the time they both had jobs with the government and large business and were reasonably happy in their situation, but they thought with some hard work and some sacrifices they could have a better retirement.
This couple spent many months searching for the right business to buy, they researched each business and looked into everything very carefully, after all they did not want to loose everything they had saved up until that point.
Then one of the businesses in the Winnellie shopping centre come up for sale so the couple spent 2 weeks sitting out the front of the shop watching the customers and watching the business, they checked the neighbourhood and then made their decision based on the fact that with the RAAF houses and the Narrows so close, this business should be able to survive any eventuality.
So this couple asked their kids who were in their 20 and thirties if they wanted to help if they bought this business saying you will have to work very hard “bit of an understatement in hindsight” and the kids agreed after all they had always been a close family and it was agreed .
The Buying Of the Business
The couple went to various banks with no luck back then it was very hard to get loans they stumbled upon a bank that would talk but they said we need more property, so they got somebody they knew to guarantor the loan after all banks will not loan you money until they have a way to recover 100 percent of that loan at any time. They begged and borrowed until they met all the requirements needed for the loan .
Once everything was in place the deal was done for the first 6 months the family worked 7 days a week from 6.30am to 8 pm , actually it was sometimes earlier and latter at all times they paid themselves the standard wage with no overtime or penalty rates and for a normal 40 hour week. Then they settled into a routine and slowly learnt the business all the time paying the bank.
The first 6 years went by in a blink and in that time not one member of the family had had a holiday they changed shifts etc so that they could get the odd weekend here and there. I won’t bore the readers with the next nine years suffice to say that in those 9 years the working hours have been between 50 and 60hours including weekends and in all those years the couple have only had 2 holidays a total of 60 days this incudes their latest. Of coarse they had a week here and there for sickness and the kids had slightly more but not much all the time paying themselves no more than the standard wage of 40 hours a week.
In all that time they watched as defence changed the base and disrupted their business from time to time without a peep even at one point having the runoff from earthworks at the Base flood their business but they did not complain, no mention was made, that’s how important that base and houses was to them
Now it is impossible for me to put here everything that went on or the ups and downs of those 15years but I will tell you that this year was the couples second holiday 30 days, because that’s how much they care about their business all the time beholden to the Bank.
This year the 15th year the couple in this story are in their retirement age of 65 to them the last 15 years has been working towards their retirement, Then they find out with absolute horror that half their business, the people in the suburb of EATON are to be moved and all the houses and community destroyed for what Damien hale described as a top secret reason.
So Nearing their retirement years the couple is looking down the barrel of a massive drop of in business and the destruction of their little business their nest egg.
What Does Julia Gillard , Damian Hale and Paul Henderson Think of This
Well up until now we have not told any body the story of this family we have just told people our businesses would be destroyed, so I suppose us being vague has not helped Julia Gillard , Damian Hale or The Defence department understand what this decision means to us, it means that instead of a reasonable retirement earned after 15 years of very unhealthy working habits the couple retirement nest egg the Business has been destroyed. This letter will be sent to Julia gillard and we will put her response if any here.
Insert Julia Gillards, Damian Hales and / or The defence departments Response………
So there you go readers that’s why we are all upset, that’s why we are whinging and that’s why we are fighting, because to us it is the death of our business, every business here has its own story but it does not matter, how much the stories differ in the end if they Destroy Eaton they destroy us. If you read this story and you want to help heres how you can help
