08-Office years - My Life's Journey

When I started working for Contiki in 1974, the landscape of office technology was drastically different. There were no computers, photocopiers, word processors with spelling checkers, facsimile machines, internet, or emails. The modern conveniences we take for granted today were non-existent.

In those early days, manual typewriters were our primary tools. I had three phones on my desk—one for internal calls and two for external lines. Databases were meticulously maintained on handwritten cards, each cross-referenced with others. Invoices and letters were produced on typewriters, and multiple copies were made using sheets of carbon paper. Correction tape and liquid paper had not yet been invented, so mistakes were painstakingly erased with a rubber eraser, often on up to four copies, before re-aligning the paper and hoping the next letter would match.

Appointments and events were recorded in handwritten diaries. Newsletters were printed using a Gestetner machine, a stencil duplicator that involved writing on a wax-coated sheet with a special stylus or typing without the ink ribbon. Ink was forced through the stencil, leaving its impression on a sheet of paper below. The process had a distinct ink and alcohol smell, which, in hindsight, might have given us a bit of a high from the fumes.

At the end of each day, reservations held in Sydney were sent to the London office via a Telex machine, the forerunner of the fax. Unlike modern machines, messages were manually typed while connected to the recipient's machine. Due to the high cost of phone connections, messages were first typed onto a paper tape with holes. This tape was then fed through a tape reader, speeding up the transmission once connected to the overseas machine.

As Contiki's Australian reservations grew, I was able to hire my first assistant, which lightened my workload and allowed me to focus on promoting Contiki Tours. We held weekly film nights showcasing the Contiki experience to potential travellers and organised educational tours for top-performing travel agents, typically covering the London to Rome or Rome to London sectors.

The growth continued, and World Travel Headquarters expanded its staff, adding two more members in Melbourne and Brisbane. In mid-1982, Contiki opened its own office on Clarence Street, Sydney. I transferred from World Travel Headquarters to Contiki as their Reservations and EDP Manager. Our reservation system became computerised with an IBM System 34, and each staff member had a terminal on their desk. The reservations staff grew to fifteen, and every evening I backed up the computer system using over twenty 5.25-inch floppy disks, as hard drives were prohibitively expensive for backups.

After twelve years, the travel industry's demands had taken their toll on me, and I yearned for an extended holiday. I requested three months' leave to travel around Australia, combining my two months of long service leave with accrued holidays. Contiki, unable to spare me for three months, offered to fly me around Australia for three weeks, covering all airfares. However, my decision was firm, and after more than twelve years of dedicated service, I resigned.

I was saddened to learn that John Anderson, the founder of Contiki Travel, faced significant challenges following the 1987 stock market crash. The devaluation of assets and poor performance of recent acquisitions, notably Fullers Ferries, placed him in financial difficulty. By 1989, he was forced to sell his remaining shares in Contiki and his family home to avoid bankruptcy.

A few cherished photos from my time at Contiki serve as a reminder of those formative years.