What a Life

Drugs too close for comfort He agreed there was a man who used to sit on the steps of the Hampton Court Hotel. Eventually, he worked his way inside to the foyer lounge adjacent to where I sold Day Tours at a Tour Desk. I was very much part of the furniture and nobody. Still, the Nemeth’s, Ferdi and Virginia knew what my arrangement was with the hotel. I had no real clout, but he did not know that. I had him removed. Those in the ‘Cross always said that the bent Police sold drugs in the public bar. The working girls stood on their corners, and when they were delivering drugs, they would clasp their shoulder bags with their hands over the clasp. They would walk across the roads very briskly to hotels etc. When the drugs were delivered, they would walk back swinging their arms casually for they had scored some money. Sadly there were times they returned with bloodied faces having taken a bashing. Some thanks! I used to drink in the Sports Bar at the Hyatt Hotel, and the problem drug seller started coming in there too to ply his drug business. I accommodated a lot of my people in this hotel and was able to issue an ultimatum to the barman. “Get that guy out of here, or I will get Management to do so. I will cut my business out of this hotel if he is allowed in here.” They removed the drug seller immediately, and I felt right about that. It took about three days, and around 5 pm one night we were raided in our office by four Police, three men and one woman. One carried a blue paper which indicated their right to search. The lead man told us they had a warrant as he flashed the paper to us. “We are looking in all the ‘Cross hotels for computers, DVDs and videotapes. We are searching for all rooms in all hotels.”Really? Did I think to look for computers and DVDs? What a lot of crap. I pulled files off the shelves and showed them who we purchased our computers from, and we had no videos. We had in our office a full bathroom which we had converted into a Laundry. While the leading Policeman and the Police Woman were searching the front office, the other two took my wife’s dryer and washing machine apart and looked in there. They were looking for drugs or maybe were issuing a warning to show who was Boss in the ‘Cross and not to hinder their sales network. As they left, I offered them my keys for room 618 for when we moved in, I had changed the lock on the door and Nolene, and I had the only keys. “We don’t need your keys Mate, we have already been there”. Exit Kings Cross We had initially lived in the ‘Cross probably for five years, and we loved the closeness to the CBD, the theatres and the general ambience of the place. I ran a few small groups on Brothel Tours. The Management was happy to have us take men in and put money on the bar so we could have a drink. They were supposed to give the beer away as they had no Licence to sell it. The tips disappeared very quickly, and then we could sit around and talk to the girls and the guys learnt a bit more about how these places operate. Some would try the wares, but that was over to them and some of the girls in those circumstances can be pretty persuasive of those who are very curious. That was over to them. We would visit two to four brothels on any one night. “What happens on tour stays on tour”. Nolene for those who know her today was then a trim, slim beauty. Even now she is far from looking the age she is, but if you asked her the answer to her holding her looks, Nolene would say “Estée Lauder “for she has used that brand for over 45 years. Nolene found out her real worth in the ‘Cross for she stood at the main crossing one rainy night and she crossed first. And the lights changed and left our small group behind. Before the lights changed again, a prostitute approached Nolene, dropped her shoulder while charging at her and saying, “Get off my patch bitch”. Nolene used to walk 200 metres through Kellett Street, a back street full of good restaurants and brothels mainly active only at night. Her job was to do the banking at the ANZ Bank on the corner of Darlinghurst Road and Roslyn Street. Very often she would stand alongside Abe Saffron, who in those days was the respected Boss, the Mr Big of Kings Cross crime and attractions. One day while walking back from the bank along Kellett Street, a perfect looking, grey-headed gentleman in a beautiful suit stopped her and asked her how much she wanted to go off with him. Nolene said, “Sorry I am not one of those”, to which the gentleman replied, “I will give you $250 to take me with you”. Nolene returned to the office and told this story. We all laughed, and I told her with tongue in cheek, “Hey, that was an opportunity lost” because we had 150 bedrooms in the hotel where our office was. We could have done with the $250 too. The recent police raid made it necessary to advise Gary. I did and asked him if we could move the office to above his Skating Rink in Caringbah. Within ten days of the Police raiding us, we moved in above the Skating Rink. I was delighted with the move for it meant I could work much closer with my Son. That is something I always would have liked to have done, but that had always eluded me.