What's your background? (you mean there's more to life than blinky?!)

djgra79

djgra79

My name is Graham & I love flashing lights!
Global moderator
Joined
Dec 27, 2011
Messages
2,199
Location
Cranbourne West
We all have blinky passion in common - but maybe we have more hobbies or jobs in common??
So for a bit of s&g's I thought i'd start up this thread to collate what your current or previous jobs have been, and what some of your other hobbies have been or are. Who knows, it could be the start of even more beautiful friendships outside of ACL!!

I'll kick off. As my name suggests, I am/was a DJ, mostly mobile work for around 22 years starting in high school. I have done some regular pub/club work (9 month stint every Saturday night Bridie O'reilly's Chapel Street.) I have recently moved away from public gigs as i've kind lost the passion for it. I still love all things music and regularly watch heaps of youtube videos of the big festivals. Love my "EDM" or dance music, top 40 & RnB. And I love lights in general, moving heads, lasers and how they actually work too.

Then I've also been a drummer since pretty much since my dad passed away when I was 4, so picked up where he left off. I haven't really gigged much, more just jamming with mates, but recorded a couple of demo CDs a few years back. It's a good stress relief to have a bash on the kit after a challenging week at work.

Speaking of work, I'm a Replenishment Specialist for new & refit stores at Kmart AUS/NZ Head Office. Been here for 12.5 years. Prior to this was a store manager at Optus selling mobile phones & plans for 3.5 years, and prior to that I was working on the shop floor of Kmart for about 3 years. Yes, I'm a retail guy!

As for random jobs, I operated a roller/compactor for a clean fill site for about a month. I helped my uncle wash/polish supermarket floors overnights for about 6 months. I operated the lights at Twister (backroom in St. Kilda) for a few weeks, and operated lights for a male review show in a club the city for a few weeks. I've run sound mixing for various small local events, and completed Certificate IV in Sound Production at RMIT University.

OK, over to you :)
 
I have a varied work history.

Near the end of high school started work at 'Magic Mountain' a place that had waterslides, bumper boats, dodgem cars, shooting gallery etc. Loved that place, and also met my wife there (CrazyCatLady)

After high school I went to TAFE for a Architectural Drafting Associate Diploma, then worked as a drafter for a short while, realising I hated it.

Spent the next few years doing lots of short courses (mostly office work, IT type things) but never got any employment...

Then went to Uni to do Graphic Design... hated the structure of it, then left to go to TAFE for same thing. Never completed it, as It became too costly living out of home and not working.

Started work in print, then ended up working at a Laser Engraving place, spent five years there... then left for another engraving/signage company and stayed there 12 years. Now I am back at the original Laser Engraving place (They poached me back).
 
Okay, I will have a go, he says reaching for the latest copy of his resume. Left school in 1976 after completing Year 11 in South Australia.

1979 - 1987 South Australian Police Force - Police Officer
1987 - 1989 Many and varied jobs, sold life insurance, drove trucks, built industrial sheds, dug ditches, anything and everything to earn money.
1989 - 1990 Cellarhand, worked at winery in Barossa Valley.
1990 - 1993 Worked at General Motors Holdens on the production line building Commodores.
1993 - 2002 Royal Australian Air Force - Avionics Technician. Ex-wife used to describe me as auto-electrician only worked on P3-C Aircraft. Also worked in avionics workshop fixing aircraft components, down to circuit card level.
2002 - 2006 Worked at Defence Security Authority.
2006 - 2007 Quality Inspector for AUSTAR installations.
2007 - 2016 IT System Administrator, network administrator, worked for business doing all aspects of their IT work.
2016 - Now Resume says "Freelance IT Services/Web Design"

Was made redundant in November 2016. Finding it hard to get a job at my age, trying to apply for anything. As prospective employers do not like to see unemployed on resume I tell them that I am doing Freelance IT Services and Web Design. It is not a lie, I do look after some web servers for my previous employer, as he has no idea on using linux web servers. I also play with websites in my spare time - at reasonable rates.
 
Somewhat similar to @pookie O_O Left school in god I'm old after completing year 11 in SA then joined Air Force as an Avionics Technician
worked in MLB, ADL, Perth, Newcastle mostly "in avionics workshop fixing aircraft components, down to circuit card level.", then left Air Force and went back next day as a contractor. After contracts dried up, left that and started working in IT. Doing IT support these days for health related company.

Never made it as a muso or dj, but knew a few pub bands in ADL, some of which I did a bit of lugging for. Even built some very basic stage lights for mates 'party' band, many many years ago.
 
Not too flashy on paper, but I am similar to others as well.

1987 - 1989 - Royal Australian Navy - Air Tech Communications - (radio fitter Mech) - HMAS Nirimba as an apprentice technician
1989- 1991 - HMAS Albatross - Avionics - Specialising in the Dipping Sonar for the Seaking Helicopter.
1991-1997 was at RAAF Wagga teaching electronics and air craft maintenance. (Might have taught a few on this forum between those years)
1997 to present - NSW Police Force - Various posting over the state.

Been doing Xmas displays since 1997
 
Hi All, I'll put up my "CV" as well lol.
So left school after year 10 in 2001 and completed a TAFE course Manufacturing the following year. 2003 Started electrical apprenticeship with Mercer & Luck doing mostly appliances repair work. 2008 was looking for a change so worked for Easternwell as a leasehand. 2009 Back doing electrical work for Troy Markey Electrical mostly new homes and Solar. 2010 Express Electrical again doing new homes and Solar. 2011 Started as a trainee with Ergon and completed AD in Electrical Engineering in 2014 started on Bachelor after that but put on hold so the good wife could finish her studies. Still at Ergon (Energy Queensland) in Asset Management but work alot in developing Web Apps, scripting and automation. Love electronics and new techy things as well as motorbikes, golf, music (played trumpet/cornet during and after school as well as guitar in our "garage band") and more recently blinky things!

Only started doing lights last few years but was always intrigued as a kid.
 
Bloody cops are everywhere .lol.
I attempted to join the airforce. 3 times, the first time I was too young, then the next time was told there were alrady some thousand on the wait list and they weren't putting any more on it, the next time I was too old!
I left school at 15, tried to get an apprenticeship in electrical / electronics but so did 5000 other school leavers, so ended up working at Dick Smith electronics for 5 years.
moved to Darwin and got an apprenticeship as a TV technician
then worked at Darwin university as technician for 6 months (was bored out of my skull)
moved back to Perth and jumped from job to job for a while before spending 12 years at another tv repair place, where I became an expert in rear projection then plasma tv repairs. ie pigeon holed.
Left that and took a leap of faith about 12 years ago and started my own business as a handyman!
I now do everything from gyprock work to fencing to complete house renos.
not pigeon holed anymore :)
This hobby just gives me the release I need to play with electronics and stimulate the grey matter.

Other hobbies include speedway, pit crew for a mate that races sprintcars, have raced a bit myself in go karts, speedway stock cars and wingless sprints.
Fishing, when I get the odd day off and its sunny, I love to put the boat in and go dangle a line.
 
Mine is pretty simple compared to a lot of peoples here
1986-present - Employed in the Electricity Generation industry in NSW. Started at Electrical Apprentice, gained electrical and mechanical Engineering certificates, worked for the same company through a bunch of names before being bought out by Energy Australia.

Hobbies include 3D Printing, motorsport photography, family history, and now a little laser engraving thrown in :)
 
Electrical apprentice with Seqeb, 86-91
Backpacked and worked summer camps teaching stage lighting and sound 91-93
Pit crew mechanic Formula Renault and team truck drive in U.K. And Europe 94-95
Pit crew mechanic Formula Asia 96-98, and odd jobs servicing nice cars in Malaysia, and stunt driver in a Jacky Chan film - we crashed loads of cars, fun but scary at times.
99-2001 renewable energy projects - pacific islands , and off grid Australia.
Winter season - Mawson Station Antarctica 2001-2003 helped put up two wind turbines.
2003-07 renewable energy projects and system designs
07- now run my own test lab for appliances.

Only started pixels 3 years ago after finding them looking for Halloween ideas. Other hobbies include RC planes, slope soaring, drones and long distance fpv, guns, home brewing is the latest thing a group of us are doing, and still involved in motorsports helping people build cars.

Richie.
 
started out with a chemistry degree in the 80's, worked for csiro at lucas heights nuclear facility doing everything from gamma irradiation for police forensics to R&D for high energy effluent decomposition. Got stuck in a lab all day and hated it. Computer boom in the 80's led to becoming a freelance assembly language coder for games, great times, made some wonderful friends from all over the world. PC's became a big thing and then became a field network and repair tech. Had enough of that after a few years (lol) and became an electronics tech for a major gaming company, got moved into the engineering dept and helped design processor, comms & interface boards for poker machines, but became more interested in cad, 3d modelling and anything cnc. Which lead to the current job as an engineering design drafter & board layout guy for a fairly big mining company.

My missus and I do charity work for animal foundations when necessary (probably why we have 6 cats) and also into r/c fpv quads and planes.

Good to see a lot of people here have technical prowess in fields that have finally led them into this blinky light stuff, not surprising really!
 
Born 1985
Education: Year 12 HSC (2003), and a Couple of IT certificates, both in hardware and software design and development, along with processes and implementation. I also did a couple of certificates in automotive, including advanced automotive electrical systems.
2003-2008 - Fulltime sales then management at Jaycar Electronics.. Was meant to just be a time filler while i worked out what i wanted to do at uni..
2008-2011- Clipsal CIS tech site support rep country vic/southern nsw/act - basically was the go to person for when customers has issues with there CBUS/DALI automation systems and Designed systems for projects.
2011-2014 - Clipsal Residential Business development rep - continued do the above while also taking on consultants, builders and architects.
2014-2016 - Clipsal/Schneider Electric Area Sales Rep - dropped all the tech aspects of previous role and took on a wider more generalist role servicing electricians, wholesalers, pretty much anyone who might purchase clipsal/schneider products..
2016-now - L&H Wholesaler Sales Rep - Moved businesses to one of my better customers and am now focused pretty much exclusively on sales to electricians..

From a person perspective hobbies I enjoy outside blinky:

- Automation and tech products
- General car modification, but have a soft spot for EA-ED Ford Falcons, and have a few of them as projects..
- Dirt bike riding, I enjoy getting out bush on the bike every now and then..
- Camping, any oppurtunity to get out bush!
- Propecting, again out bush, and sometimes rewarding ;-)
- Game of Thrones and Brooklyn Nine Nine!

Cheers!
 
HI all, Born 1963 to a small farm- farming family.
Went to local Kadina Primary and High schools , finished Matric in 1980 (Just passed)
Went to Roseworthy Ag College for 5 years for a three year Diploma in Ag Science. They upgraded course through third year to a Degree, so did extra time to qualify for the "improved" qualification ( no real benefit for extra 2 years as regards actual knowledge improvement).
Graduated in 1985 and started work as a teacher on Kangaroo Island at Parndarna in '86 (special dispensation to teach as not qualified- no other person in SA would go there). enjoyed it heaps- great people and school,
Applied to do Grad. Dip. in Teaching and got knocked back- Roseworthy marks not good enough to be accepted- LOL.
1987 - started work with Elders in Kadina as an Agronomist - lasted until feb 1982 when we "had recession we needed to have" got sacked.
Spent nine months shed handing (shearing helper in yards and wool packer, general farmhand etc)
Was approached by family firm to look at entering into ag merch/chem and supplies and started in August 1st 1992 after presenting buisness plan.
My 25th year at J & D Southwood - Maitland, SA - just clicked over- time flies.
Played with computer use since uni but never had great electronics background at all. Mates son showed me Party Rock on USA house and i thought -can i do that??
With the help of the members, this is my Fifth year, HLS for 3yrs and now XL since 2016.
All pixels - just caught changeover from incan luckily.
Stress relief is sport- Go Crows, Hockey, Fishing -shore and kayak, Swimming, dog and family times.
So Cheers and thanks to all for your help and the development of my skills and knowledge of this Hobby:):):):)
Cheers Boof63
 
Not a cop but was a RAAF brat in actual fact started school in Malaysia when the 'old man' was posted to Butterworth being a mechanic. Being a handy kind of fellow taught me everything from rebuilding car engines by 10, Reno houses and rewiring houses by 14 so basically made me a handy dude too.

When I ran the mile in under 4 mins in 1981 at age 15 and him being a very stout Christian who thought fame and fortune would destroy me, that was the end of my running hobby/passion and man did I love running and I was good at it. We have got over that one and we got into building and flying radio controlled planes for many years. I'm talking about the real ones that you built spar by spar and had to dope the wings not like the ones they have today.

Anyway got a job at 17 shovelling concrete after I left school and by 1987 was over that and went to uni and got a Business/IT degree in Rocky. Been doing IT since then working my way up from help desk dude to senior infrastructure architect building networks, data centres and stuff like that with those big boys who fly planes, make building products, and dig holes and mine stuff. Been currently working with the big T for the last 2 1/2 years.

My real hobbies/passions now are definitely camping and fishing, I don't run so well anymore. Haven't flown a radio controlled plane for a while and probably won't again as the Blinky's have taken over.

I'm very lucky because of my career the networking side of blinky's was easy to me, being a network dude that has spent his life calculating in 0, 1 and 8 has absolutely stuffed me in how to work that out against 510 channels on a controller because it doesn't equate to me but I'm getting there.

Al
 
Would to like say thanks to all who have entered their details, makes for interesting reading.
and you do feel you know the monikers on the forum a little more.
Cheers and Thanks to all and DJGra for starting this off
Boof63;);)
 
Boof63 said:
Would to like say thanks to all who have entered their details, makes for interesting reading.
and you do feel you know the monikers on the forum a little more.
Cheers and Thanks to all and DJGra for starting this off
Boof63;);)
Click to expand...
No worries, it certainly is making for interesting reading :)
 
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