The Wog’S Diary

By Dinos the Greek

On Fathers Day, I hadnt received any calls from my kids. As I lay on the couch, my whole life flashed before me, remembering I left Greece as a young boy working on a ship as a captain cadet. I jumped ship in Australia and became an illegal immigrant. I write about my first job, first affair, going to Sydney, and my first job at the Sydney Water Board, highlighting the corruption. I also write about the job I got at Julia Creek and how the company went broke and the odyssey of four days trying to reach Sydney with no money. I talk about the job I had at Snowy Mountains Hydroelectric Scheme, highlighting the illegal gambling; the job I had at the CDW in Sydney; and my painting career. I write about the Australian culture and drinking at pubs every lunch time. I write about meeting my first wife and having two children and an unsuccessful marriage. I had a lot of affairs, and I did like the nightlife. The economy slowed down, and I started working at Ansett in the scullery section. I also talk about being a union delegate of the LTU (John Morris was the then secretary and labor senator). There was a lot of controversy, and I had to change sections after pressure from Ansett. I feared for my life, and I was forced to leave the company. I write about the seventies and eighties and the nightlife, entertainment, discos, bars, and piano bars, including the best of them allJulianas at the Hilton Hotel, the Americas Cup Bar, and the Centerpoint Piano Bar. I write about how I experienced the nightlife and the affairs. In other words, I did it my way. I write about divorcing my first wife; how I met my second wife, who also bore me two children; and the death of my wife at age forty-five.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris AU
• Release date: Jul 6, 2017
• ISBN: 9781543402070

Dinos the Greek

The author arrived in Australia as an illegal immigrant by ship in the 60`s and he`s penned a collection of real life stories about Sydney's nightlife, gambling, women and work life in different industries, highlighting corruption within the unions and government jobs.

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Copyright © 2017 by Dinos the Greek.

Library of Congress Control Number:   2017910209

ISBN:      Hardcover            978-1-5434-0209-4

                Softcover              978-1-5434-0208-7

                 eBook                 978-1-5434-0207-0

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

Rev. date: 06/28/2017

Xlibris

1-800-455-039

www.Xlibris.com.au

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Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

CHAPTER 1

I WOKE UP VERY early today, but I didn’t have the strength to get out of bed. I lay there, looking at the ceiling. It was too early for my daily walk. I felt so bad, I couldn’t move.

It kept coming to my mind that tomorrow is Father’s Day, and not one of my children bothered to contact me, even by phone. But I thought I should get out of bed. Otherwise, I might get very depressed, and that’s something I didn’t want to happen. I live in the Northern Beaches area of Sydney, which is where I walk and swim each day. It’s a short walking distance to one of the biggest shopping centres.

It was a beautiful spring day, and I felt better already just by getting out of the house.

That’s the secret – you stay in bed or you’re gone. This way, you’ll always avoid the depression. There were a lot of people on my daily walk that day. I felt so confident with myself, energetic and healthy (for my age) by doing this.

I feel like all these people are different from the rest, that is, those who never exercise compared with those who do. I work for about forty minutes, which makes me feel physically and mentally great for the rest of the day.

On my way back home, I kept checking my phone. I had a quick shower and went to the nearest shopping centre for my daily coffee, read the paper, and did a bit of shopping.

The shopping centre tends to attract a lot of people, especially the days leading up to Father’s Day. I sat down in the coffee shop reading my paper, and of course, every page I turned was about Father’s Day, so I couldn’t help myself feel very emotional.

The waitress’s voice of ‘your coffee, sir,’ snapped me out of it. ‘Thank you,’ I replied.

Maybe it was the right place to come. But then, where else could I go? The signs and the mood were everywhere, like ‘Happy Father’s Day’ signs and ‘last-day sales to buy your Father’s Day presents’ signs. I kept turning the pages without reading. My mind was somewhere else.

Suddenly, an old lady sat at my table. It was one of those tables with about eight chairs, seen in many coffee shops. She was very talkative, and she made some comments about Father’s Day, saying that she came early to get some ideas so she could advise her grandchildren what to buy for their fathers. Then she said, ‘Do you have any grandchildren?’

‘No,’ I replied, ‘but I have four children from two different marriages.’

‘Oh, so you must get ready for lots of presents tomorrow. And if you don’t mind me asking you, do you live with them?’

‘Oh no,’ I said, ‘the youngest girl and boy live together, and I live separately.’

Then she said, ‘I suppose you’re getting ready for the occasion then, and your wife must be a very busy lady tomorrow with all the cooking and preparation. Being in one of those days brings families together.’

I stopped for a moment; my face had changed emotionally. I wanted to say something, but I couldn’t. She noticed that and said, ‘Did I say something wrong?’

‘No, no, it’s just that my wife died a few years ago, and as you can understand, I have to do everything myself. But it will be a pleasure.’

She looked at me, really upset. ‘I’m so sorry. I talk too much, and I ask too many questions.’

‘Never mind,’ I said. ‘It was a pleasure talking with you, and I wish you all the best.’

‘You too.’ She was a very nice lady, but there was something about her. She tried to look happy, but underneath, she seemed very lonely. There are a lot of people like her. Everyone has his or her problems.

I tried to read the paper, but I couldn’t concentrate. I got up, walked to the fish shop, bought some nice fillets and some octopus (which is my favourite food), did some more shopping, and then went home. I was very anxious and couldn’t relax. No phone calls yet, so I had a very quiet afternoon. I visited the TAB and had a bet, which was very entertaining for me.

Watching the races at the TAB helped distract my thoughts. I went home early, as I do most times. I’d like to go and have a drink sometimes, but by myself… no. So it was difficult for me to make friends, as men my age tend to stay at home with their wives. Also, I’m not a very big drinker and I am a non-smoker. I live a very clean, healthy life, and I have a very close friend, my wife’s auntie.

I just got home in time to watch the news and had something light to eat in front of the TV, my only entertainment. I checked my phone, but there were no missed calls. As day turned into night, I was getting more and more upset. It looked very bad, but I was still hoping, and I don’t know why. Probably because I believed that it wouldn’t happen to me. I watched TV until very late, still clutching my mobile phone. It was 2:00 a.m. when I got up to go to bed.

At my age, I’ve never been through something like this before, waiting for a call for affection from my kids, which never came.

I couldn’t sleep, tossing and turning. Who knew what time I fell asleep? But I was up at 7:00 a.m. I got up and went into the shower and stayed in there for a while, which relaxed me and made me feel better. I then got dressed and drove down to the beach for my daily walk. It just wasn’t hot enough to have a swim.

It was a beautiful day down at the beach that day. A lot of people were walking around – many mothers with prams and young and old people everywhere. All these people would go back home to celebrate Father’s Day, and by the looks of it, I would be going back to an empty two-storey house. While I was thinking about all those things, I checked my phone again… nothing. It was like I was alone in the whole universe.

Heading back to my car after my walk, I thought everybody was looking at me because I was alone. It was like they were telling me, ‘What are you doing here? Go home to your children and your grandchildren.’ If they only knew. I got into the car and looked at my phone once more, but still… nothing.

I arrived home with a heavy heart. It was still early. I couldn’t go out anymore today, as I felt embarrassed that the neighbours would see me alone. I didn’t even go to the shopping centre for my daily coffee and to read my paper because I feared I would be asked what I was doing there on my own. So I made myself a coffee, grabbed a book, and went to sit on my veranda. However, I couldn’t concentrate. Time was passing, and I felt so lonely and distressed. For a moment, I understood how people go into depression to the point of suicide, but not me. I have a very strong will, and despite my situation, I try to avoid depression.

I lost my smile often just staring aimlessly into space. I wish that someday, things would change. Because what I was going through now, you don’t even see in the movies. I lay down on the couch because I was tired from the anticipation. All of a sudden, in my mind’s eye, my life flashed before me.

CHAPTER 2

I FINISHED SIX YEARS of high school in Greece, and at the time, things were very bad. There were no jobs unless you were connected to someone with influence, for example, a government job, because everyone was looking for a public service job. I managed to get a job on a ship as captain cadet. The ship was waiting at the dock for a destination message. Until then, we were doing maintenance on the vessel, and we had no idea at this time where or when we were heading.

In a few weeks, we learnt that we were leaving. During my last Thursday night, all my friends got together in a tavern to celebrate my departure.

It was a beautiful and emotional night, and I still remember sustaining a cigarette burn at the back of my hand to remember our friendship. On Friday, I boarded the ship.

We received a message to depart that afternoon, which meant I couldn’t leave the ship even to say goodbye to my family.

First port of call was Italy and from there on to Canada to pick up wheat for the communist China. From what I remember, it was about a month’s voyage, and I recall suffering from seasickness for a few days, but later, I got used to it. As a captain cadet, I was doing everything – from washing dishes, making coffee, helping the cook, mopping the floors and serving meals to the crew – to spending time on the ship’s bridge, learning how to navigate, which was part of training. I understood from the beginning that the sea was not for me. Even if I became a captain, I would jump ship to another country so I can live my life and have my own job.

In China, I was impressed with the discipline, although it appeared that they were being confined by a political situation. But at the same time, that discipline may have saved them from destroying themselves. Everyone worked, and they all had the same colour clothes.

One day, I was crossing a ferry. I was smoking, and something that took my attention was that people were staring at my mouth. When I went to offer them a cigarette, no one took my offer. When I finished the cigarette, I threw the butt down. Shortly after that, somebody picked it up and smoked it, which was something I could never understand.

The China of then and now has a vast difference. There were no silos in the ports, and they were extracting the wheat from the containers with machines they brought from England. You would see hundreds of workers working in the containers with shovels, and within a very short time, they would have it all unloaded. Other things that surprised me were new ports, docks, and roads, which made me think that the future belongs to them. At that time, for a sailor, it wasn’t a pleasant place to be. The sailor, at that time, was dreaming about Japan with 100,000 cabarets with geishas. After the war, prostitution in those days was the biggest industry. There were hundreds of passing ships waiting in the Japanese harbours, which were waiting to stop and refuel in the ports to unload and load.

Between the big ships, there were many small Japanese boats selling many electronic goods, mainly the electronic transistor radios. And they did a good bloody business.

Other countries where sailors liked to be were Brazil, Cuba, and Russia. The old sailors knew all the tricks. When they would go to Russia, they would make sure that they had a lot of women’s nylon stockings because they didn’t have these in Russia, as they were extremely expensive to buy there.

Once in Japan, we stopped for fuel. Everyone went out that night, except the ship’s watchman and myself. I had to stay on board to transfer food from another vessel to our ship and finished this task at 1:00 a.m. I was extremely tired, so I had a quick shower and then went out to the shore. I went to a hotel to find a woman. I located a hotel that was full of people in the Motji district. She took me to her room, and I nearly missed the ship because I overstayed my time with this woman and earned a punishment for my tardiness.

I would like to make a statement here. These types of women in Japan at this particular time, although they were being paid, would treat you like a boyfriend or a husband. Having said that, I personally hate paying a woman just for sex; it doesn’t do anything for me. These women were completely different, as they made you feel like they were your girlfriend or your wife. It was a friendship and an honest attempt to make you feel that they belonged to you and only you at that particular time. She would ultimately please you as much as she could, so you would leave happy not just sexually but also because you made a new friend and it made you feel like you would wish to visit her again.

There were many folks around the world who experience much hardship and difficulty and who either accept their plight and predicaments or become intolerant and rebel against the establishment.

I left Japan with the best memories. As we were leaving, the ship received the fax that we were now to head for Australia. I went crazy, and I couldn’t wait to get there. It was something that I was waiting for a long time. There were rumours every day that some of the boys considered to ‘jump ship’. Although my name was mentioned, the captain didn’t believe this to be true, as I was going to be a captain.

The first person to ‘jump ship’ was myself. The foreman helped me throw my belongings onto the dock from the ship. With three other people, I caught a taxi to a seaside suburb, where one of the guys had relatives. We stayed at someone’s place that night. The next day, we met more Greek people who were living there for many years and who had their own houses and businesses, like milk bars and fish, chips, and hamburger shops.

Walking down to the beach, with a bag of fish and chips that I bought from the first shop, I stopped to look at the seaside and noticed that it was so beautiful with surrounding trees and countryside, like in a resort. I couldn’t stop admiring it.

It was like a dream. I’ve been dreaming about this country for a long time, and now I was here. While I was in awe of the surroundings, I then noticed the beautiful woman lying on the beach with her beautiful body. Altogether, there were the beauty of the beach, the scenery, the beautiful woman, and the opportunities for a bright future.

It was one of the best economies of that time in Australia – no wars or troubles and with a very bright economic future. Australia had a lot of mines, with the biggest exports at the time being commodities and animal products. I remember that everything was so cheap at that time and the wages were very good. I was working seven days a week on the ship, making eleven English pounds per month. In Australia, it was five days a week, making twelve Australian pounds per week. The Greek-owned ships at that time were always crying. They never made money, but in the end, they finished up with billions of dollars.

They were using the Greek sailors for years. A lot of shipping companies at that time had substantial food shortages. Many ships were very old, bought very cheaply so whenever any of these ships sank, where people drowned with the ship, the shipping company would receive the full insurance.

Suddenly, a thought came to my mind, and my facial expression changed. I realised I was an illegal immigrant, and I would have to be careful so they could not catch me and then send me back.

I sat down and continued to dream that I had to put all my energy into finding a job.

Australia was just coming out of recession. From the ship, I took five pounds, as I had almost ran out of money. Hence, I had to move as fast as I could to find a job, leave from the house I was in now, and move into a place of my own. Looking for a job, I asked all the Greeks. At the end of the second week, somebody who worked in a factory told me that they were looking for labourers. With my poor English, I went for an interview. One of the men helped to translate. They were satisfied with me and asked me to start at six the next morning. I said yes and was very excited and overwhelmed.

They welcomed me, shook my hand, and said a few words in English. I replied with words in Greek, but we did not understand each other. They were good, honest, and patient people (no bullshit), happy to teach me the job and also to help me understand English better.

My wage was twelve pounds per week. With bonus and overtime, it became thirty pounds per week. I was so happy and excited. I felt like going outside to scream at the top of my voice, ‘I’ve got a job!’ My happiness was so great that I went out to thank with all my heart the person who introduced me to the job. It was like winning the lotto.

Now I had to pull myself together for the job because the beginning would be very hard until I learnt the job. Now I had to find a place to live for myself, because I wasn’t very happy there.

‘Well, Costa, what are you going to do now?’ my friend who brought me to the factory said.

‘I want to go home.’ He then went on to explain which railway stations I needed to get to work and wrote them down for me.

When I found myself alone, I then realised it was the biggest event in the history of my life. There were no words to express how I felt at the time. Very lucky, I managed within two weeks (before my money finished) to find a job with extra overtime and bonus. In the corner of my mind, there was one little thorn – I was illegal, which is why I had to be away from hotels because there might be some trouble there, where they might ask me for papers and so on.

I must make a statement here. Even now, I could not explain it. They asked me for my name and address and nothing else. But I told them my real name, as it was proof for me that I have a job here. When payday came, I was uneasy until I got the money in my hands. I wasn’t thinking of anything else at that time. It’s very hard to explain my feelings. For the labourers that already worked there, it was just a normal day; for me, it was an epiphany.

I felt so liberated when I received my first wage in Australia. With my head high, I could now pay all my expenses on time, buy some nice clothes, and live a better life like all the other youngsters my age. I was then twenty-one years old, full of strength and appetite for a lot of work. When the time had come to get paid, I opened the envelope and started counting the money. I was supposed to leave one small note as a memory of my first pay in this beautiful and hospitable country.

Within two weeks, we found a Greek household, better than the one where we were currently staying, which included our own kitchen. This allowed us to do our own cooking, which was great for us because one of the guys was a chef, plus I loved to cook as well.

In the beginning, we would cook every day. The food was plentiful and healthy.

Once a week, we used to go shopping. In the meantime, the owner of the house had two daughters, and my friend was interested in one of them. They started negotiating with the parents, but it never came to fruition.

Time was passing, and my English was getting better at work, which helped with my promotion. I had to put the right chemicals in the barrels to mix the rubber.

From the barrels, the solution would then be distributed into the presses. This operation had to be done from a split-level platform, which I had to do on my own. Only the lady from laboratory was allowed to come up to check the correct level of the solution. One day, I made a very big mistake – I got the mixture wrong, which meant the rubber had to stop the flow of rubber into the presses. The people from the laboratory came to the platform and couldn’t solve the problem. It took me a long time, but later I remembered the mistake I made. It was missing one chemical. Once I let them know, they were able to resolve the problem, and we could then restart the process.

In the meantime, I began a friendship with a European woman from the laboratory, who showed a lot of interest in me. She was a beautiful woman and impressed me a lot. She began to visit me more often, and we talked more or less about different things from our work.

My friend Tom, a young Aussie boy my age, came up to me. With a smile on his face, he said, ‘So you’ve just come to this country, and you start taking our women?’

I replied jokingly, ‘Come on, Tom, we are just friends.’

‘Yes, I saw how you looked at her, but I noticed that she liked you too.’

‘Something else, Dinos. From what I know, she’s separated.’

‘Oh, now I am really interested!’

When I finished work that day, I went to the house where I used to live and picked up the mail from Greece. One of them was from my father. He was very angry, and it showed a lot in the letter because I jumped ship and stayed in Australia. He said that my future was to become a captain, but I didn’t want to do that and spend all my life at sea. What’s the point? What life? What future? I became very upset; I couldn’t sleep. I