User:Derekedgar/sandbox

Derek John Edgar ...

Born 27th November 1971 in Adelaide, S.A, Australia. Parents John Clyde Edgar and Brenda Yohanna Grey Edgar(Eilers). Sisters Joanna Jreige, Sandra Grant, Veronica Opden. Moving to Darwin, Northern Territory 1972, survived Cylcone Tracey (1974) which tore the roof and walls from their house.

Derek went to Larrakeyah Primary School which was affiliated with the Army barracks and schooled many defence family children. After-school adventures included sneaking into military storage bunkers and playing with uniforms and live ammunition.

At around 8 yrs old, Derek coordinated a lunchtime adventure for his group of school friends and led 3 other boys off the grounds, down the Larrakeyah cliff faces and through the incoming ocean to Mindil Beach. Later that evening, a police vehicle recognised them from an alert and offered the boys a ride in a police car, all the way home.

A move to Alice Springs was a huge change and Derek started at Traeger Park School in The Gap. Aboriginal gangs owned the streets and white children were the minority. Being the only caucasian boy in his class, Derek learned to fit in with the locals at school. Starting football, athletics, rifle shooting, motor bike and camping were ways to stay out of trouble. Afterschool adventures included joyriding the local station horses bareback with a makeshift bridal from a piece of rope.

From Alice Springs to Sydney, Grade 7 was high school at South Sydney Boys. The t-shirt, shorts and barefeet was traded for a tie, slacks and black shoes. Derek had trouble catching up in education and kept active in school athletics and computers.

Returning to Darwin, Derek went to Marrara Christian School for grade 8,9,10. Lunch time adventures would see him taking his friends through thick bushland to once again joyride on stables horses. Derek was capable at school and a high achiever without having to try too hard. Boredom for studies set in and he became very well known to the principal for years before being encouraged to find another school to go to!!

Yr 11 and 12 was at Casuarina Secondary College. Derek loved Physics, Computing, Accounting, Maths and Biology. After school Derek would visit mango tree owners and negotiate a price for the fruit, then climb, pick and package to sell at the markets.

At 16 yrs old, Derek got his drivers license which went well with his hobby of mechanics. He purchased his first car from the dump for $200, spent a couple of hours on it and drove it home that day. This car assisted the increase of collection and sales of mangoes. Cars and Motorbikes came and went for the next few years as Derek found that he could repair motors at home and make money by selling them.

Pastimes were Professional Drag Racing, Crabbing, Hunting and Motor Bikes.

By 18 yrs old, Derek had finished school, was selling rebuilt car motors, selling mangoes, collecting shopping trolleys for money and looking for a job.

He started an Electrical apprenticeship which didnt pay well but was secure. During the evenings he delivered pizzas for extra income. At 19, Derek leased a small site at the local Markets for Sat and Sun morning and Thursday night. Music CD's were entering the market and he would hunt lawnsales or advertise in the paper to purchase all old cassettes tapes/CD's before categorising them all and reselling them at the markets.

The income was increasing and Derek looked towards Property. The only affordable land was in an isolated suburb, a long way out of town - Palmerston. Purchasing the land required a car to be sold to help with the deposit. Assisting to build the house helped him save on the costs and also created a new hobby - construction. Soon that suburb became very popular and the value increased.

Over the next few years, another house was purchased closer to Darwin and also a commercial property which was then set up with indoor beach sports, restaurant and bar.

Derek was finishing the apprenticeship and now a fully licensed Electrician, specialising in computer networks. The following years saw him start his own company, employing others, negotiating govt contracts and purchasing more rental property. Early 1999, looking for a break from the speed of things, he set off on an adventure to fulfill some dreams. He navigated South America by land for 14 months. From north to south and back - Living in the Amazon, eating piranhas, swimming with pink River Dolphins, trekking the Andes, dodging bullets etc. At the end of 1999, He met a brazilian family and enjoyed the culture. Spending new year with them, he made a connection with the younger sister who was a shy but alive character and modelled/danced in the yearly Carnival festivals. After returning to Australia, Derek made arrangements to return to Brazil again.

Arriving in Brazil late 2000, he purchased an inner city apartment in Salvador and 3 parcels of waterfront land on the island Itaparica. Learning the language was a challenge but conquered quickly.

Derek And Patricia were married on 28-6-01 in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil and returned to Australia 2002.

After having a daughter, Ayla in 2004, Derek started to sell businesses in Darwin to move down to QLD in search of property opportunities.

Arriving in Brisbane, Derek started doing part time sales of swimming pools. Soon he purchased a first house in QLD.