Gold Coast, Australia
New stories update on 23 November 2008
New stories update on 23 November 2008
CLICK on a button on the right to
go to a web page to read stories:
A Work In Progress website offers real life stories to inspire on
relationships, love, overcoming grief and loss, giving, living a simple
life, happiness, being thankful and at peace.
Quick Links to Stories:
Love is Stronger than death how love is timeless and forever
NEW My Wildest Dream reaching for the sky and achieving goals
Overcoming Challenges when truth becomes freedom
Snorkelling Adventures living with passion
A Note for You from Graham and Bev
First Class Relationships you deserve the best in life
For Richer, For Poorer - Wedding Vows commitment and rising above challenges
Leave your Mark our enduring worth
Living in the Fast Lane sometimes, less is more
A Note for You
...from Graham and Bev
These real life stories are a personal message to inspire, give hope and
courage to all to have patience and endurance in difficult times for
they do pass and to embrace the good times which always definitely
follow.If we can learn to laugh at ourselves together
as we travel through the one life we have to live
on this earth and beyond.
Life has an ebb and ...
click here to go to web page 7 to read on...
Tell us your story. Click on above tab to email us with your thoughts after reading a story.
My Wildest Dream
...reaching for the sky
and achieving goals
As a scruffy kid, aged 15, with Timmy, my loyal dog beside me, I looked up at a plane
flying overhead and wondered who was in it and what were they thinking
and I dreamed my wildest dream. I said out loud: One day, one day, I
will do that all the time. I knew with a certainty from somewhere
inside. A passing moment.I went to Secretarial Business College after High School. Mum pulled strings to get me in. In High School, English was great but it was replaced with Algebra x, y, z and I was lost. With no overseas travel plans, languages were confusing though eating French pastries sounded fun. I loved wildlife pictures in Biology and beautiful paintings in Art and if Maths explained how to keep a budget, I'd have seen that light.
I'd no idea of what to do after school, so College was a last hope. Thankfully, I enjoyed it. Initial hurdles were shorthand which I couldn't seem to follow. In talking to my teacher, she encouraged me, said it's a language and will become clear. Next day it did and persistence paid off. English classes focussed on words and put foundations underneath us again. Learning typing and competing with myself to go faster is still a buzz.
I graduated at year end and repaid the College Principal's faith when on the stage she smiled, said some lovely words and handed me a Diploma. In realising these were life skills, I'd worked hard and was finally successful.
I quickly lined up a job in a Bank, was promoted and ended up in a great team of fun, hardworking, supportive blokes. We were on the cutting edge of new technology but that's another story. New horizons called so I went to work for a Senior Partner in a legal firm for a couple of years. I learned discipline. He often worked me through lunchtime and at Christmas I was doing "urgent" work while everyone was in the Boardroom party (sob! sob!). He was a tyrant and it felt good when he went through 6 staff in the month after I left. I took the positive with me and put him behind me.
At 22, an interview came up working for a Federal Minister in the Australian Parliament, based in Adelaide but flying to Canberra each week I had good references and skills and the fight I won learning shorthand was important in this job and many others. After the first interview, I was excited. At the second interview, chairs were in a semi-circle for the Press Secretary, Senior Private Secretary and the Minister with me sitting out front while these men asked questions. I did my best, walked out and hoped for the possible. Sue from the agency phoned and said: Oh Bev, I'm so sorry. I was devastated and said: Well, that's the way it goes. Thanks anyway. Then she said: I was kidding. You got the job! Yahhooo! We both yelled! We did it together.
I packed for my first trip - we would fly to Canberra on Sunday nights, fly back on Friday nights and spend weekends at home. We were collected by Commonwealth cars and driven to and from airports and Parliament House. We worked from 8.30am to about 6.00pm in Canberra and when Parliament would rise (take a break) we would wizz out for dinner, wizz back and then work until around 11.00pm. It was a lifestyle and I loved it. The Federal Minister had a portfolio of Administrative Services, the Federal Police and Minister Assisting the Minister for Defence. I learned lots and met interesting people.
Professional standards were a priority and I learned "golden rules": never drink alcohol at business functions and swear words were unacceptable. The girls I worked with taught me about great hairdressers and buying well-priced, good quality, designer mix and match clothes as first impressions were important.
One highlight was during an airline strike. With legislation and voting commitments at Parliament House, they flew the Prime Minister's BAC 111 jet in to Adelaide and then flew us directly to Duntroon Military Air Force Base in Canberra. I was asked into the cockpit and was sitting between the pilots when landing in Duntroon. I nearly fell on the dash we landed so quickly. We trotted down the stairs with briefcases (like supa-stars) with the Minister saluted (us too?) by the Air Force guys at the bottom. We jumped in our cars and roared off to our hotels. In researching, I discovered the RAAF 34 Squadron who flew the BAC 111 that night also flew my father on trips to Woomera Rocket Range in my early childhood so I was in first class company.
One day, on a flight home, the memory of my wildest dream came back to me and I realised I was living it. Somehow, it snuck up and it was me flying overhead with someone maybe looking up thinking: One day, One day I will do that.
In work life, key people have encouraged me and, through hard work, helping others, avoiding office politics (is that possible?!), keeping mutual trust with first-rate people, I have been fortunate to be on the inside circle of great projects.
From small beginnings as that scruffy kid, to having lots of adventures - If miracles can happen for me - What can you do? ... BRING IT ON!
Forgiveness of others and especially
ourselves is
a foundation-stone
of peace.
It removes our
fear of mistakes and
dissolves bitterness.
DISCLAIMER:
The information on this website has been made available for general personal use only and is provided without any express or implied warranty.
The information on this website has been made available for general personal use only and is provided without any express or implied warranty.
Email contact address is:
bev@aworkinprogress.com.au.
© 2008 Copyright www.aworkinprogress.com.au. Stories by Bev D. Photos by Graham D. Website by Bev D. The Authors assert the moral right to be identified as the authors of this work. No part of this website may be published without the prior written permission of the authors. All rights reserved.
© 2008 Copyright www.aworkinprogress.com.au. Stories by Bev D. Photos by Graham D. Website by Bev D. The Authors assert the moral right to be identified as the authors of this work. No part of this website may be published without the prior written permission of the authors. All rights reserved.
