WELCOME TO MY LITTLE SITE
My name is Col Murray. I was born in Australia (second generation on my dad’s Estonian side and fifth fleet convict stock on my mum’s side) but for the last 25 years have spent most of my time in Europe. I’ve done a few different things in my life but currently, with my partner, Lisa Black, I’m co-founder/co-director of the International School of Bowen Therapy (ISBT), established in 1998.
This is a brief summary of how my life has panned out:
Except for sport, school wasn’t much fun, so I left at 14 and got the first job applied for, as a car instrument technician. Training was purely in the workshop, on the job. At the same time I attended night school to get a maths score to be an apprentice mechanic. Fortunately the pass score stayed beyond reach otherwise that idea might have been followed through and who knows what might have happened then!
It was in the workshop of Speedometer Screenwiper Service (SSS) that I met a man who was to have a huge impact on my life. Principally, he took me to my first motorcycle road race.
I enjoyed the workshop banter and the skills learned at SSS (dec.) for a tad over two years before joining my older brother for two years, learning to be a roof tiler. Working outdoors appealed to me as I reckoned every day it rained I wouldn’t have to work. It didn’t really go like that. At 18 I was working for myself and was glad it didn’t go like that.
After my friend, John Robinson, from the workshop of SSS, got me hooked on motorcycles (and jazz and politics), I threw myself almost completely into it. Six years later, my (then) wife and I set off to be at the 1971 Isle of Man TT but became managers of a hotel on the Rhodesia/Mozambique border, as you do! Back in Australia I worked various jobs before publishing a motorcycle newspaper. It fell over so I started and edited a similar paper for a large publishing house (they wouldn’t buy my masthead).
Attending and competing in many motorcycle events, it was clear to me that something needed to be done to improve the quality of events being presented and how they were promoted to the public. Establishing a Motorcycle racing and industry PR/advertising business while being a Motorcycle race promoter (conducting mainly road racing, but not only) was my choice to try and improve the situation. During all this, regular columns and articles in various types of publications kept me busy.
WELCOME TO MY LITTLE SITE
My name is Col Murray. I was born in Australia (second generation on my dad’s Estonian side and fifth fleet convict stock on my mum’s side) but for the last 25 years have spent most of my time in Europe. I’ve done a few different things in my life but currently, with my partner, Lisa Black, I’m co-founder/co-director of the International School of Bowen Therapy (ISBT), established in 1998.
This is a brief summary of how my life has panned out:
Except for sport, school wasn’t much fun, so I left at 14 and got the first job applied for, as a car instrument technician. Training was purely in the workshop, on the job. At the same time I attended night school to get a maths score to be an apprentice mechanic. Fortunately the pass score stayed beyond reach otherwise that idea might have been followed through and who knows what might have happened then!
It was in the workshop of Speedometer Screenwiper Service (SSS) that I met a man who was to have a huge impact on my life. Principally, he took me to my first motorcycle road race.
I enjoyed the workshop banter and the skills learned at SSS (dec.) for a tad over two years before joining my older brother for two years, learning to be a roof tiler. Working outdoors appealed to me as I reckoned every day it rained I wouldn’t have to work. It didn’t really go like that. At 18 I was working for myself and was glad it didn’t go like that.
After my friend, John Robinson, from the workshop of SSS, got me hooked on motorcycles (and jazz and politics), I threw myself almost completely into it. Six years later, my (then) wife and I set off to be at the 1971 Isle of Man TT but became managers of a hotel on the Rhodesia/Mozambique border instead, as you do.
Back in Australia, I worked various jobs before publishing a motorcycle newspaper. It fell over so I started and edited a similar paper for a large publishing house (they wouldn’t buy my masthead).
Attending and competing in many motorcycle events, it was clear to me that something needed to be done to improve the quality of events being presented and how they were promoted to the public. Establishing a Motorcycle racing and industry PR/advertising business while being a Motorcycle race promoter (conducting mainly road racing, but not only) was my choice to try and improve the situation. During all this, regular columns and articles in various types of publications kept me busy.
To make a long story short (and not give away the plot for a future blog)
I eventually backed away from a prominent role in motorcycling, disappointed but satisfied that I’d had a little positive impact. I soon found employment with a large PR company where, after six months or so, I was hugely bored. Serendipitously, a former department manager at the aforementioned publishing house contacted me and suggested I might like to apply for a job as an editor for a regional newspaper; he would recommend me. So, I did and got the job. A year and a half later I was working in the office of a federal member of parliament. It was really interesting to peek into the halls of power, but I soon learned just how shallow and childishly spiteful politics can be, especially within the same party.
The obvious next step in my chaotic existence was to open a restaurant; a wholefood, acoustic music venue. It was a New Age restaurant in an Old Age town. It was fun until a recession hit and privatization created a very large pool of local unemployed. Along the way, as a singer/songwriter, regular gigs (weddings, parties, etc) and folk clubs came my way. Establishing and conducting a music festival for three years was lots of fun (and work) before easing into my overseas inclinations.
An interest in alternative therapies, and the right offer from the right person, inspired me to be involved full-time, doing massage before taking on Bowen Therapy. In 1998 ISBT was established, and it has taken me and Lisa on a remarkable worldwide adventure. We have been fortunate to have seen some wonderful things, met some wonderful humans, and along the way we have kicked some wonderful professional goals. ISBT is unique in that it has had its work accepted in a public hospital system and is part of a course in a Masters of Physiotherapy, not usual for alternative therapy. We’re proud of that.
To round all this off, I should mention that, along the way, I also conducted adult education classes in vegetarian cooking and marketing and developed a feasibility study into the potential development of a racing circuit for a regional organisation. I also worked at…bar work (many times), furniture removals, office cleaning, courier service, landscape gardening and driver/gardener/housekeeper for a wealthy, elderly lady. She was delightful. I got to drive her shopping in her magnificent old Mercedes 600. I’m sure there are a few other bits and pieces, such as a little modeling for a newspaper photo comic, that should be included, but that should suffice.
Which brings us to now, as I write this (June 2023), at 77 years old, in Salema, Portugal where, from our balcony, the sun is shining, the Atlantic glimmers and the sardines are soon to being at their juicy best.
It’s been quite a ride and long may it be so.
Hopefully you will take the time to enjoy my little blog site. I’m excited about sharing our stories with you and, especially, showing some of our special photographs. We have a remarkable amount of stuff.
To make a long story short (and not give away the plot for a future blog)
I eventually backed away from a prominent role in motorcycling, disappointed but satisfied that I’d had a positive impact. There was no career plan at that stage. Still, serendipitously, a former department manager at the publishing house contacted me and suggested I might like to apply for a job as an editor for a regional newspaper. He would recommend me. So I did and got the job. A year and a half later I was working in the office of a federal member of parliament. It was there that I learned just how shallow and childishly spiteful politics can be.
The obvious next step in my chaotic existence was to open a restaurant; a wholefood, acoustic music venue. It was a New Age restaurant in an Old Age town. It was fun until a recession hit and privatization created a very large pool of local unemployed. Along the way, as a singer/songwriter, regular gigs (weddings, parties, etc) and folk clubs came my way. Establishing and conducting a music festival for three years was lots of fun (and work) before easing into my overseas inclinations.
An interest in alternative therapies, and the right offer from the right person, inspired me to be involved fulltime, doing massage before taking on Bowen Therapy. In 1998 ISBT was established and it has taken me and Lisa on a remarkable worldwide adventure. We have been fortunate to have seen and done some wonderful things, met some wonderful humans and along the way we have kicked some wonderful professional goals. ISBT is unique in that it has had its work accepted in a public hospital system and is part of a course in a Masters of Physiotherapy, not usual for an alternative therapy. We’re proud of that.
To round all this off, I should mention that, along the way, I also conducted adult education classes in vegetarian cooking and marketing and developed a feasibility study into the potential development of a racing circuit for a regional organisation. I also worked at…bar work (many times), furniture removals, office cleaning, courier service, landscape gardening, and driver/gardener/housekeeper for a wealthy, elderly lady (she was delightful and I got to drive her shopping in her magnificent old Mercedes 600).
I’m sure there are a few other bits and pieces, such as a little modeling for a newspaper photo comic, that should be included, but that should suffice.
Which brings us to now, as I write this (June 2023), at 77 years old, in Salema, Portugal where, from our balcony, the sun is shining, the Atlantic glimmers and the sardines are soon to being at their juicy best.