Hawaii or Bust!

It didn't take long for the Gold Coast to pick itself up, and dust itself off after the '74 floods especially when the then, Premier of Queensland, Bjelke Petersen,

 abolished all death duty taxes throughout our State.

We knew that a boom was arriving when the big developers moved in.  Practically overnight the skyline of the 'gold strip' had changed.  Huge cranes were towering over high rise buildings that were growing out of the ground like mushrooms.

                                                

There was an influx of people coming to the coast including many investors, who were buying apartments 'off plan', and then turning them over before and after completion to make the fast 'buck'.

The Esplanade in Surfers Paradise circa 1976
featuring orange mini and now demolished popular bar called
Top of Ten

the beach in Surfers heading towards Broadbeach early 1970's

Many elderly people were brought up here by their families to invest in properties

 with money gained by selling their homes of thirty or forty years. This way their inheritance was all safely invested before their parents died,

 without having to pay any Death Duty Tax.

Home supply centres, furniture stores, anything and everything needed for the 'home' were thriving in this boom. 

 During this time, I was working as part of the interior decorating team employed by one of the local furniture stores.

It was a pretty good set up to work from really, because we not only had access to the furniture at hand, but also we had the soft furnishing workroom right on the premises.

Each morning we would all get together and go over our designs and schemes, from samples and color charts. We would place our orders with our suppliers, and book the various trades people.

We were 'buzzing' and I loved it!

the newly developed Paradise Waters canal estate just north of Surfers early 1970's

Remember the peddle-cabs? Just in front of ILUKA Surfers 

                                                                              

      One day my work colleague and friend Paul,

 rang me and asked me to meet him for lunch. We decided to meet at the Pizza Hut in Surfers on the corner of 

Cavill and Orchid Avenues. They served great pizza, and it was the most friendly and trendy meeting place in town!

 Paul and his partner Geoff had been together for quite a few years. Geoff was an Air Traffic Controller, and Paul an Interior Decorator. We had become good friends, and most weekends we would all get together along with others and have pool parties, danced and drank champagne!

We always had an absolute ball together.

They were, and still are my very dear friends.

          When I arrived at the Pizza Hut the usual lunch time rush was on. I looked around and couldn't see Paul, so I claimed an empty table and sat down to wait for him.

All of a sudden he appeared and slapped some brochures down on to the table in front of me. 'Here! This is where you are going for your holiday!'

I stared at the brochures, and looked up and said 'What?...... Hawaii?..

'Yes! Honolulu, Hawaii!...I have just come from my Travel agent Ken and I have told him to book you in!'

'Paul, I can't do this! I can't spend that kind of money! I have a mortgage and a daughter still in school, and anyway, I  can't go to..Hawaii?

'Yes you can, do all of that! Janelle is a teenager now and she can stay with us while you are away and anyhow I have already booked your ticket and organised accommodation at
 'The Waikiki Gateway'.

 I have stayed there and it's fabulous!  My work is done!   All you have to do is see Ken and pay a deposit to hold the booking! Ten days in Hawaii is just what you need. 
 It will be fantastic and you are going!

I was so stunned I nearly choked on the ham and pineapple pizza.! I was conjuring up in my mind all of the reasons why I could not do this! I had never thought of myself as, a 'going overseas' type of woman, and besides I really shouldn't spend the money.

 Aren't I saving for the 'dreaded rainy day'!

Paul was reading my thoughts and picking up his glass of wine said. 

'Here, have a sip of this, it will calm you down!'

                                           

That night I couldn't sleep.
 I had quietly read through the travel brochures. 
Hawaii and Honolulu looked absolutely gorgeous! 
I wanted to go, but I felt that I shouldn't, 
and besides I was scared to take the plunge of 'going overseas'
....by myself?

 I finally drifted off to sleep, after deciding to go and see Ken first thing in the morning and cancel the whole thing.

When I arrived at work the next morning Paul was waiting for me.

' Ken just rang. He said that you had been in and cancelled your booking!'

'Yes, I did.  Paul I can't do this!'

'Well I think you can! And what's more I have re booked it!' 

 With that, he picked up an armful of carpet and fabric samples and hurried off to his early morning appointment.

As soon as he had gone I rang Ken and cancelled again.

For the next few days,  I would cancel and Paul would re book!

Finally he said to me, 'You may as well give in. 
  You need a holiday. Janelle will stay with Geoff and me, she will be fine.  I will not take no for an answer!  So, please don't cancel again because I will only rebook.... O.K.?'

           I gradually became used to the whole idea. 
 I had four weeks to prepare for my first overseas trip. 
Both Paul and Geoff kept close contact with me, making sure I wasn't cancelling the trip.   

They kept asking 'Have you started to pack yet?'

           We were getting together for dinner regularly as always. 

 Some evenings we would play backgammon
 and occasionally after a few drinks Paul would say

'Come on lets play 'Spirit of the Glass'! 
 And he wasn't talking about gin or vodka!

The paper cut out alphabet letters would come out and we would make up our own homemade 'ouija board'.
  The two questions which always sprung to my mind were:
 when would I win the lottery and when would I meet
 the 'man of my dreams'?  In that order!

One night, we were all sitting around the table
 each of us with one finger placed on top of a glass
 that was centred within the circle.  
The words 'YES' and 'NO'  sitting opposite each other within the circle of letters.  
 The glass started to zoom around the table uncontrollably.......

 I started to feel excited, but also a little scared.

Destination Diamond Head

'Salubrious' Waikiki Gateway Hotel

Waikiki Gateway Hotel entrance (today)

the view from my hotel room...not quite beach front!