In 1980 in addition to my teaching business, I got a casual job as a "Spruiker" for the supermarket department of "Grace Brothers" Parramatta store. I was, at the time, pioneering spruiking, or publicising the Supermarket and food areas for G.B.'s on the store's P.A system, in addition to the local supermarket area. This was the first time anything like this had been done, in these supermarkets. I enjoyed what I was doing, there, for 21 hours a week. The job involved enticing customers to the various areas of the Supermarket, over the store and a local, portable speaker system.

It is great when you can be paid to do something you really enjoy. I promoted most of the then Supermarket and food areas. The departments included confectionery, liquor, fresh fish, Delicatessen, and Butchery. Having convictions about alcohol consumption and all that, at the time, I was not as enthusiastic about the promotion of Liquor, but it was part of the job. I applied my creativeness in this job as well.

On Saturdays, we would have the “Super Saturday Seafood Sale!” At around 11 am most Saturday mornings the manager of the fish counter would begin to mark down the fish in order to clear the stocks before closing time at 12 noon. It got so that customers began to hold off on fish purchases until late in the morning on Saturday. They were waiting for the “sale” of course! On a particular Saturday, the manager decided to begin a markdown at 9:30 am. So by the time all the latecomers for the expected sale arrived…there was nothing for them to buy.
 
I would have a list of the specials each day, and move around the area, with my little microphone and portable speaker. I would have loved to have been supplied with one of those cordless mikes (radio mikes, they were called), so I could be more flexible and have the ability to move further away from the speaker.

I know now, it was not a good idea to get into more debt to purchase another car. Due to the job at “G.B.’s*”, I had to park in an "unofficial" staff car park across from Westfield, Parramatta. That spot has, for a long time since, been covered by the ever-expanding Westfield Shopping Centre.

On October 22nd, 1982, a fire started under my car, as I parked it, and spread to destroy my car and several others in that area. It was a big shock to see my precious station waggon being consumed by the fire. I actually had nightmares about the fire for several nights afterwards. But God was speaking to me, even during that fire, as I watched. He was telling me He had allowed this to happen to get me out of the albeit not really serious debt, only that as a casual and self-employed person, things were a little more serious.
 
I did find it difficult to cope with the payments on this car - but managed to only get a couple of months behind. As a result of the fire the insurer of my vehicle paid the agreed value cover I had on the car. Up till this time, I had been harangued by the Hire Purchase Financier over the outstanding payments.

I phoned them, following the fire and informed them the insurer would pay out my liability to them. This was a bit more than half of the agreed value. Did they stop haranguing on the promise of the payout? Of course, they didn't! Remember I was 2 months behind on my payments at the time.
 
I had been receiving Financial Counselling from "Life Line", Sydney, an organization that assisted people for a number of problems, including debt resolution. My counsellor, having been advised of the fire cautioned me NOT to pay the additional outstanding payments, prior to the insurance cheque being received. Why? Well, as the counsellor knew, the finance company would get their full payout figure as at the time of my notification of the fire... PLUS any additional payments I might have unknowingly made to them, in the meantime. It was all "win, win" for them.
 
The times at G.B's had worked in well with my teaching schedule that, by this time, had built up considerably. They later reduced the hours to 16 a week, which was a disappointment. I had asked for an increase of hours or a full-time position, to no avail. Having lost my car in the fire I had no means of continuing the home tuition of my music students. So it was time to move on.
 
Thanks to the Insurance payout my car debt was settled. Some weeks later, guess what I got in the mail from the finance company? Not only a letter thanking me for the 'excellent way in which I finalised my account' with them -  THEY ALSO WANTED TO OFFER ME a FURTHER $15,000 Loan!

Here is a copy of the recently located 'carrot' letter from the finance company.

MR GEOFFREY COLIN MOORE 97 VICTORIA ST WERRINGTON
2760
31/12/82
Dear Sir/Madam
Contract No:    0208000080
Opening Balance:    $8,525.28
The term of Contract:    52 MONTHS
Date Repaid: 20/12/82
Due to the excellent manner in which you conducted your recently finalised account, we wish to extend the opportunity of discussing any future financial requirements.
We provide Personal Loans up to $15,000 and repayable over periods up to 10 years. Our financial services also cover hire purchase, leasing and real estate.
If we can be of further service, please contact the    Acceptance    Manager at our nearest Office for friendly and professional attention.
                                                              
                                                   *****************************************************

These people had harassed me with phone calls and letters for a couple of months outstanding payments, for quite a long time. They thought I was dumb enough to fall for it, and wanted to get me back under obligation to them again! We have to be careful of these loan sharks and money lenders who pretend to be your friend right up until you sign the contract then the "Dr.Jekyll and Mr.Hyde" transformation occurs.
 
My situation had not changed. I was still a casual employee at the Supermarket, now on reduced hours. I also now, had no means of continuing with the home tuition of students; some parents of whom I owed outstanding pre-paid lessons' fees. I did arrange with some of the clients to bring their kids to my home in Ryde, after I moved back to the family home, to work out my debt to them.
 
I was thankful for my parents, who had recently been reunited after more than 20 years apart, being there to help me get sorted out with some other problems. It was almost a year after the car fire when I finally got the job in the Tax Office in the City. In the meantime, I had continued at Grace Brothers in Parramatta, together with some new teaching I had obtained with a music store, also in Parramatta in the same centre as Grace Brothers.
 
Even after I started at the Tax Office in the City, I still tried to keep the teaching going in Parramatta after work, for a time. It was a real task getting from the city job out to Parramatta, then home to Ryde for a while.