Coming from Brunei to Canungra has been a long and winding road for Ray Adolphus. There are few people who have lived life to the full like he has. His perspective on life has been shaped by a range of interesting and unusual jobs and experiences, until finding his place as a massage therapist.
Where did you grow up?
Brunei. My mum was pretty senior in the bureaucracy – she worked for the Princess as a tutor to the royal family.
She was one of many personal tutors for the Sultan of Brunei’s family for 25 years.
When I was in my late teens our family was working out where we were going to go for senior education, my family wanted to go to the UK but I begged to come to Australia.
Why Australia?
I was a 15 or 16 year old boy and I thought all the girls in Australia looked like Olivia Newton-John.
I loved Australian music – INXS, Redgum, AC/DC.
I knew it was big but I thought it was like Brunei and you could get around.
I came to do my Year 11 and 12.
I was enrolled in a boy’s school in Sydney (pulls a face).
You didn’t like it?
It was a boys school! I did not like it.
I was there for a month and then I went to Perth because a friend of mine told me that INXS lived in Perth and were still playing in pubs.
Were they still playing there?
In January 1989 I saw INXS on their Kick world tour. So I did my Year 11 and 12 in Perth and then I went uni in Queensland.
What did you do at uni?
Accounting (said in a whisper)
Did you finish it?
Yes, I graduated.
So you’re an accountant (I’m having trouble seeing Ray as an accountant)
I worked as an accountant for a little while. While I was at uni I worked in an abattoir, K R Darling Downs.
Pushing pigs day in, day out, 7.25 hours a day.
What was it like being an accountant, did you like it?
No. I got used to factory life and I got to really like the lifestyle and the guys. I went to the office when I graduated and I didn’t like it. I preferred the factory guys, plus I was a union organiser…
I worked as an accountant for a year and got into sales with Cadbury Schweppes, British Tobacco and spent many years marketing tobacco. I worked in project management in Mount Isa and Townsville.
You really seem like someone who’s got their act together.
I would say now I do; since I gave up alcohol.
I was a Business Manager in Canberra and developed some bad social habits, partying a lot.
I decided to change – never go back to the corporate world.
I started doing yoga and personal training.
I’ve always been interested in massage, always. It started when mum would give me 20 cents to massage her leg.
I did a one year full time face to face massage course to get qualified.
I’m in the position where the massage business is so much fun and I love it.
I’ve invested a bit in it and now I feel it is off the ground.
To the average business person it might not look off the ground but I’m very happy with where it is.
So how did you end up here, in Canungra?
A girl, that’s the answer – a girl.
