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Before & After Boxing - Work during boxing and Business after boxing
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Victor Paul Aquilina - born 31/12/1940 Victor was born in Malta just prior to World War
2 to then, an affluent family known as the White City Family and enjoyed the
privileges that went with it. Victor
with tricycle and at gardens
Below: St
Joseph's college group photo 1947/1952, I was fortunate to have a great start in life
having been sent to the most exclusive boarding college in Malta where a
good foundation was set in me which certainly had a very good bearing on
the way I led the rest of my life. St Joseph College group photo
A life of nice living with my father’s uncle and auntie went on but the passing away of my father’s uncle left the family without direction and the money dwindled and bad financial times eventually followed. (Victor 2nd row from top and 5th from left) New life in Australia
My father Paul Aquilina decided to migrate to Australia in 1954. Within six months working at the Motor
Registration Branch, which was housed at the Exhibition Building, he had
prepared enough money and a place for us to live. Passport photo in Feb 1955 We have all furthered our education, worked, married Aussie girls, had families and became truly Australians. Happiness followed as we were reunited with dad despite having to live in a bungalow, which commonly became the lean-to rear of completed houses accommodating laundry, kitchen, bathroom and a wc which resided 50 feet away from our front door. (eventually becoming the rear door of a completed house)
This was at 45 Vincent Ave. St Albans now a completed home.
Dad and Victor
Walking back home after church Sunday. My dad helped get me my first job, which was a Turning & Fitting apprenticeship with Harlands Engineering. Boxing
My main
ambition in boxing was only to fight a main event which I did. (3 in all) I remember very
clearly my father telling me with his arms over my shoulder "son we
are not fighting stock and you will have plenty of time to do that later
in life" as I asked him to buy me the first Ring magazine with a
striking picture of Australian champion George Bracken on the cover, it
made a fantastic impression on me, I was 17 years old. My dad happened
to pass away within a few months which devastated the family, I became
very sad, we moved to Yarraville for a couple of weeks and I found Snowy
Coates's gym and got introduced to boxing over just a couple of weeks. My
mum hurriedly moved us to North Melbourne and a friend I made took me to
Snowy Sullivan’s gym. ( I remember feeling embarrassed seeing Snowy
Coates in the change rooms at the Stadium) In my early 3
round fights I was just too timid and the fights were over by the time I
got going "until the beginning of 1960" when Johnny Butterworth
arrived in Australia at Snowy Sullivan's gym, we never had a main event
boxer at Snowy's let alone such an experienced fighter like Johnny
Butterworth. Johnny with his colourful style and experience soon had a great bearing on my ring performance, after which my boxing flourished to my own satisfaction.
16th November 1963 Young Victor and Lynette seen here signing for Monsignor James Murray at St Mary Star of the Sea church presbytery their wedding vows, now Lynette Aquilina, is the daughter of William (Bill) Woolley son of also William Woolley a well known family in Crib Point (Western Port) Australian, many generation pioneers. This can be seen in the Hastings museum at Hastings, Western Port.
The above took place between 1958/1963 |
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Trade with further Post apprenticeship studies and 1st. work experience 1955 Turner & Fitter T&F 5yr apprenticeship at Harlands Engineering (Footscray Tech. both Nicholson st. & Ballarat rd). Completed 1961. 1961 Maintenance fitter at GMH, McPhersons Boltworks Ltd 1962 Toolmaker Post apprenticeship qualification. (RMIT) completed 1964
AFTER BOXING Tertiary Education with further professional work experiences Mech. Engineering Diploma RMIT & SOUTH MELBOURNE TECH. & SWINBURN TECH, & FOOTSCRAY TECH. Ballarat rd. In all 5 yrs part-time at night classes during later employment until 1967 " uncompleted" 1964 Detail Draftsman - Mahlco Plastics Pty Ltd, & ACI Plastics Pty Ltd, later Design Draftsman - Atlas Plastics Pty Ltd 1968 Design Draughtsman later Plant Engineer Straub Plastics Pty Ltd taken over by National Consolidated Limited. New building plant layout and part commissioning prepared by Victor Aquilina. Business 1st. experience 1971 AQUILA TOOL DESIGN Contract Drafting ( 3 drawing boards at home lounge room with 1 staff & 2 part timers, this was my first business venture ) 12 months, specializing in Plastics Product and Tool Design and Special Purpose Machinery Further work experience 1972 Project Engineer. - Ford Motor Co. part/commissioning Ford Motor Co. Plastics Plant & tooling integration. 1973 - 1975 Development Officer CIG (Manager - Research & Development CIG Safety Products (Bundoora) now BOC *During the early stages of working for this company I had an unusual heart operation. read |
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At Commonwealth Industrial Gases (CIG Safety Products Division Bundoora ) now BOC
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Above - Vic seen here at the Die trials holding the dial verniers with Ray the Production Manager. Above left - Is the tooling trial supervisor. The trial went perfectly and the Safety Hat is still in production now along with sister Safety Hat (peak style) which I commissioned as well with all the strap clasps and other components etc.
Annual Dinner CIG Safety Products 1974 now BOC my engineering colleagues: from left Barry Loftus, Industrial Design Engineer (previously lecturer at the Sydney University) & partner, Victor, Development Officer (manager R&D) & Lyn, Neil Smith, Chemistry & Science Engineer & wife. We made up the Research and Development Dept. team at CIG Safety Products Division. (now BOC) Retrenched after 2 promotions in 2 years but given $10,000. as gift plus pay ( Last time I ever worked for anybody ) END of Phase One
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Phase two Business further experience I bought the Age newspaper in the same day I was retrenched, I looked for a business that cost $10,000, found one, asked Lyn to get dressed and bought a very tiny menswear shop called Guy (name not even registered) from Dennis Madden (fashion shirt producer). |
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Later Endeavours - shared with my wife Lynette and my sons Paul and Mark GUY MENSWEAR. ( 7stores ) The quite famous GUY fashion shops around Melbourne were quite a legendary name between the years of 1975-1990 as a huge number of then youngsters, now fathers and grandfathers remember, Lyn and Vic ( or Mr and Mrs GUY ) as we were referred to. I remember us with Lynette doing the honours outfitting the Hon. Robert James Lee Hawke just as he was going to The Lodge and become one of Australia's great Prime Ministers. he sent us a personally written letter from the Prime Minister's Office soon after. (He asked me if I had had a ticket while on a ladder painting a sign) Mario Longo ( owner - Aquila Shoes ) called me asking if those shoes Bob Hawke was wearing in the newspaper's photo were sold to him by us. Labels handled were Cuggi, Aquila, Jag, Trent Nathan, Givenchy, Dom Bagnato, Christian Dior, Guy La' Roche, Valentino and other exclusive lines. I also remember Najee calling and offering our old shop site back in Coburg which he occupied for some years as we were trading across the road ( Sydney Road ) Coburg. He also made the comment that GUY was unbeatable in Coburg. 1975 - 1980 Guy menswear - 334 High Street. Preston PHOTOS Guy menswear - 313 Glenhuntly Road Elsternwick PHOTOS Guy menswear - Walkers Arcade 471 Sydney Road Coburg PHOTOS 1980 - 1990 Guy menswear - 85 Bell Street Coburg PHOTOS yet to be added Guy menswear - 492 Sydney Road Coburg PHOTOS Guy menswear - Foleys Mall 441 Sydney Road Coburg PHOTOS Guy menswear - shop 1 Sunbury Square Sunbury PHOTOS
1986 - 2004 VIDEO EZY. PHOTOS yet to be added Reservoir. The first video Superstore in Melbourne showing the way for majors. This store had quite a few name changes first at opening being Panorama, then Video Ezy, The Plains Video, and back to Video Ezy.
CRUISE VIDEO. 1990 - 2001 Cruise Video - Kingsbury shopping Centre Lalor PHOTOS Cruise Video - Maribyrnong Road Moonee Ponds PHOTOS --------------------------------------------------------- Companies once run by Young Victor
Aquilina Holdings Pty Ltd Lodon Nominees Pty Ltd Guy Nominees Pty Ltd Aquilina Nominees Pty Ltd ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Young Victor Today
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My mother Josephine Aquilina and father Paul Aquilina I read somewhere : "whatever you give, if you give it freely and without conditions it'll come back to you two fold" I visited my mother once a week at the nursing home between the years of 1990/2006, my very best and only real friend with never once a doubt. and without conditions.
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1992
