Goodbye Paint Shop.

13th March 2021 I finished work at the paint shop.

30th July 1990 I started my first full time job. I worked for Haymes Paint in their Ballarat shop. That would be 31 years ago this year. Haymes opened a new shop in Frankston and I got to move out of home at the age of 20 and move several hours away to work in the new shop. Unfortunately, that shop lasted 1 month short of 3 years and then I was retrenched. I was with them a bit over 5 years.

Over the years I worked in many other paint shops and some hardware stores. Including that ugly, big green shed called Bunnings. People love them for their convenience and the sausages but they are really just a typical, greedy, big business with little care for anything. An example, when Hayley was 10 weeks old she stopped breathing, 3 times in 1 week. Whether or not it had anything to do with what she went through over 6 years later? I doubt it but we’ll never know (The Summary Of Hayley’s Journey). We had an ambulance at our house 3 times in 1 week. After the first one, we got home from the hospital just before 3am. I called in sick the next morning and explained to my boss what happened. Her reply “If you don’t come in you don’t get paid.” I had a young family, I went in. I got there about 20 minutes late as a result and was docked 30 minutes pay. 2 days later, my wife rang me at work to say it happened again and the ambulance was on it’s way. The next day the big boss took me aside and told me that if I was ever to leave like that again then I was fired. The 3rd time, I was at work and so my wife didn’t tell me until I got home so that I didn’t get in trouble. That was a bit heartbreaking.

Anyway, back to paint. I did manage to get out and do other things but over that almost 31 years I would have to say that more than 28 years was spent selling paint. Not always full time, but usually paint.

In all these years I was always happiest when selling Haymes Paint. An Australian Owned Company. A family owned company. Every member of the family is a top person too. The favours and decency they all showed me during the time I was with them and even decades after. They remember.

Last July, the company I worked for changed the name of the shop to Haymes Paint Shop. I was very happy with that, except for the confusion as some customers then thought it became a Haymes owned shop.

So, if you live in Australia and want paint, get Haymes. Top quality and the only big paint company left that IS AUSTRALIAN OWNED. I saw an ad in the local paper for another paint franchise/group and in big letters it said Australian Owned Company and then listed the brands they sold which are ALL foreign owned. So the shop was Australian but they were buying from companies owned elsewhere. So beware of clever/dodgy advertising.

Late last year (2020), I made a decision. I started writing again. I was surprised that the words and story just flowed, no writer’s block, just writing. I now have a feature film script mostly written. Several edits and drafts have already happened and a lot more to come. So it was time to make another decision. I can’t make this film while standing in a paint shop. I had been there just over 3 years so gave my 3 weeks notice. Saturday 13th March 2021 I said goodbye to the paint industry. In that capacity at least.

I have launched my production company Boring Name Productions on Facebook and Instagram so please click on those links and click Like and Follow. Please send me good vibes as I move forward. It was time.

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Love to all, chat soon!