Country No.4

I first visited Australia in 1988. It became the fourth country on the list of those I’ve visited. I was flown to Sydney on 16 November by Procter & Gamble for a series of interviews after being shortlisted for its graduate intake program. At the time I’d just finished the final exams required to complete my Bachelor of Management Studies at Waikato University. The US giant flew me and one other candidate across the Tasman to meet its senior executives and determine which of us would fill the single intake position on offer.

The company put us up in a hotel for three nights. We then endured two days of meetings, psychometric testing, and interviews at its Villawood campus in Western Sydney. I recall being taken for dinner at The Rocks one evening and enjoying a meal in one of the original sandstone buildings at Campbell Cove. It was quite the introduction to Sydney dining with the Opera House and Harbour Bridge as a backdrop.

I decided to extend my stay for another three nights at my own expense. I booked a homestay room with a couple living in Hunters Hill and spent my time exploring Sydney’s most iconic sights including Bondi, Manly, and the recently opened, Harbourside Mall at Darling Harbour. I also booked a day tour to Canberra and experienced my first taste of the Australian capital. I must admit that, given this all occurred in the pre-internet era, I don't know how on earth I managed to book a homestay.

Procter & Gamble offered me a sales role in New Zealand, rather than a graduate placement. I wasn’t surprised. During my final interview with the Managing Director, I’d expressed uncertainty about what I wanted to do with my career. At the time I decided I’d be honest about my motivation on the basis that if they hired me at least all parties knew where they stood.

However, I wasn’t interested in spruiking the benefits of soap and toothpaste to regional pharmacies. Instead, I flew home on 22 November ready to spend a year working full time on a friend’s dairy farm. My time on the farm ultimately set me on a path that saw me return to Australia 15 months later.

Little did I know that, as I flew into Sydney for a six-month training course in February 1990, my life would never be the same again. 33 years later I never could have imagined that my graduate interview would become the first of hundreds of flights I’d eventually make in and out of Sydney’s Kingsford Smith Airport. This blog only captures a handful of them.

Sadly, I didn’t take any photos during my time in Sydney. As a result, I’ve scanned a few old photos of me at university to illustrate this post. I can’t see this guy spruiking acne cream any time soon.