My seventh decade begins

And just like that, I turned 60. Last Saturday, Garry and I hosted a party for 35 people in our apartment (we had at least four last-minute dropouts). Garry has been secretly beavering away for months, preparing for the big day. While I was privy to some details, he’d successfully kept me in the dark regarding much of what ultimately unfolded.

 
Matt and Shelley, and Hamish (who’d just returned from Europe a few days earlier) flew in on Friday evening. I collected them from the airport after work. They stayed with us over the weekend before flying out again today. As Hamish noted, this is the first time all three brothers have been together in Sydney. 

The weather forecast was perfect. Saturday dawned warm and sunny with a predicted high of 31°C and an overnight low of 19°C. However, temperatures were forecast to be around 22°C at midnight (which they were). It was perfect weather to host a party outdoors on our rooftop balcony. And what a party it was!

Hamish was assigned the task of keeping me out of the house while a team of friends and family prepped the apartment. This included Matt and Shelley, who were roped into helping with the set-up. Garry transformed our apartment into the most extraordinary venue in less than seven hours. I’ll let the photos speak for themselves. I was absolutely blown away by what greeted me when I arrived home at 5:40pm.

 

Hamish and I kept ourselves busy from about 10am by walking into the city to venture up Sydney Tower. It’s been a decade or two since I last visited this landmark attraction. As part of our excursion, we made a last-minute decision to do the Skywalk experience. This involved putting on a harness and walking around the outside of the tower’s observation pod more than 268 metres above the street.

At first, Hamish was a little dubious about the hour-long experience, but came away glowing. Afterwards, we walked down to The Rocks, wandered through the weekend market, and took the Argyle Cut through to Barangaroo. We completed our city excursion by walking along Darling Harbour and catching a tram from Chinatown back to Moore Park. I did try to tempt Hamish into the Lord Nelson for a boutique beer, but he was having none of it.

Hamish went directly up to the apartment while I changed into my party clothes at a friend's apartment. Earlier in the week, Garry and I had gone shopping for new outfits to ensure we looked our best for the occasion. In essence, the plan was for me to be as surprised by the transformation of our apartment as our guests were.  And surprised I was!  I was genuinely stunned by what I encountered as I walked up the stairs last night.

Hamish was under strict instructions to ensure I didn’t eat a big lunch or knock back too many beers. As a result, we arrived home sober and hungry. I’m glad we did. Garry booked a private chef, two waiters and a barman for the party, thus releasing the two of us to host our guests. The evening kicked off with canapés and champagne, before a sumptuous buffet dinner was served. As a gift, our friend Bee created a towering birthday cake decorated to match the black, white and gold theme that Garry had envisaged. Again, I’ll let photos do the talking.

The evening was a roaring success. The crowd was a wonderful blend of friends, old and new, plus family members, young and old. The longest-standing friendship in attendance was Adam Benson, whom I met in 1994, while the newest friends were Stu and Sally, whom Garry and I met in Tonga earlier this month. We also had guests attending from Ballina, Newcastle, and New Zealand.

Apparently, the City Council’s Noise Abatement Officer made an appearance around 10:30pm. We were politely asked to turn down the music; otherwise, if he returned, our stereo would be confiscated. I had no idea this had happened until Matt revealed all at breakfast on Sunday. Now that's what I call a party!

Hamish delivered an impressive, heart-warming speech before I launched into a pre-prepared monologue (queue groans as I pulled out my sheet of paper). I wanted to acknowledge the bond that united everyone in the room, beyond just family ties. In essence, those attending all share an innate curiosity about life and an annoying habit of pushing the boundaries. Each, in their own way, was an entrepreneur of some description, personally or professionally. Someone taking risks in life, giving everything a go, and rarely accepting 'no' for an answer. 

I also took the time to list some numbers beyond just 60 that have meaning in my life. Numbers like 35, the number of years since I migrated to Australia; 10, the number of years Garry and I have owned Artiwood; and, of course, 2, representing the two mothers we lost last year.

As the cake cutting and speeches concluded, purely by chance, the skyline lit up with fireworks over the harbour. Garry and I farewelled our final guests around 3:30am. It really was a night to remember. I couldn’t have asked for a better celebration.  I think it may have even topped my 40th birthday weekend.

Welcome to my seventh decade!