xjo weekend zoomba lounge, page-25

Jeeps,

When I was 21-23 I cleaned Maxi's cars at his business every Saturday. That was my job.

He paid cash out of the till, watched me like a hawk if his wife was within 100m of me and smiled alot. Cash, no receipt, hot wife and regular work, just my kinda gig.

We parted company after I climbed the corporate ladder and started fitting tyres.

At about 26 I met him and his lovely wife again at Rusty's markets in Cairns. I was selling some hair-brained stuff as unemployed tyre-fitting entrepreneurs do. He walked past and said "Gidday 'dawg', are you a Catholic?"

I say "Gidday Max, my religion is actually Jedi Tripper. Why do you ask sir?"

He says gently "With this crap you're selling here you'll need JC and the Mother Mary and all the saints if you gonna make a quid. Go home and have a think and a bit of a pray son."

I ignored him and went broke.

20 years later some guy called Maxi48 calls into the Zoomba wearing a black "*Do=me=I'm=Famous*" T-shirt and starts some biffo. Same guy that dead set legally grew AUD on trees from nothing. Entire lush suburbs have been built from his seeds. We've met since. Funny world.

I hear banks ask him for advice up here now.

If you don't understand Maxi's motivation that's cool but know this: He is a giver, and his only intention is to give.

Good guy. One of the best.

bLUESdOG NC