What an appropriate chapter name. Next on the feline scene, came "Sox." Aptly named for his white paws, a grey tabby cat.  I forget where he came from, but "Sox" managed to survive quite a few years. Unlike any cat I had previously, Sox was a real temperamental one. You could have him on your lap and stroke him for a while. However, there had to come a time when he had absolutely enough attention or affection.

You would feel his body stiffen up, at a certain point. Any attempt to stroke, anymore, after that, got you a sharp bite on the wrist or something. To his credit, his bite never broke the skin and if you had, for example, a bulky knit sweater on, his teeth never even made it to your skin. But you got the message. I think he was a good hunter of mice too.

Over the years of Mum renting out the back flat, we were approached by many different people. On one occasion we were asked to help out a Spanish couple who were to work with Gospel Recordings, a local mission that made records of Gospel Messages in all kinds of languages. They moved in up the back. All went well until one time, there was a complaint.

It seems they had met one of our harmless "under house residents." namely one of the many Blue Tongue Lizards, which had lived under the back flat for years. Many of them prior to the new tenant's residence above them.These people were frightened of them.
The father said...
"I have a gun, and next time I see him, I will shoot him!"  We told him,
"If you shoot any of our Blue Tongue Lizards, we might just shoot you!"
 We heard no more about it. 

One time we actually saw one of our lizard friends with only 3 out of the usual 4 feet. We imagined he may have been "amputated" by Sox or any of our other feline residents over the years.
 
I left home to live in a flat out here in the west. Later, I brought  Sox out to Werrington with me.  I had tied him up in a box with plenty of holes to breathe. Good old Sox even got out of the box before I had made it out of our driveway. For the entire drive of about 45 minutes, I had one frightened cat clawing me and walking around me, as I was trying to drive. We made it out to my flat.

I have to confess, I was not good company for him. I was working for myself and spent a lot of hours away from home. I don't actually know what happened to him in the end. Maybe he walked all the way back to Ryde again or found some other more considerate person to love him and feed him. The place I lived in for 2 years, is actually pretty close to where we have our home, now, as a matter of fact, we only bought this place 5 years later. (IN 1987.)

...Now back to the story...

Another event which occurred early in 1977, was a Sinus operation. I came out of that looking like someone had beaten me up. Complete with black eyes and a nose three times its normal size. It was in preparation for some further exploratory ear surgery the following year.
 
I commenced Bible College on February 7th, 1977. My faith was rewarded in leaving my secure position at Mac Uni, in that I was only at college for one week before I gained a casual position, teaching organ at a music studio, in Hornsby, an outer Northern suburb of Sydney. I had not actually taught organ before this time, although I had been playing an old organ (of the pedal - bellows kind), and later electronic, for twelve years at that time.

College was four half-days a week- so that left me weekday afternoons and Saturdays for work. I have always been grateful to Bob - the man who gave me the opportunity to teach at his studio. It was to assist me later on to work as my own boss full-time for more than 4 years.

As happens sometimes, I became fond of one of my students at the studio.

Everybody remembers the butterflies they had when they wanted to ask a girl to go out for the first time. I was a late bloomer in the dating stakes. The first time I asked someone out was at the ripe old age of 19 years. It followed there were many more attempts until, at the age of 26 years old, when I thought I had arrived? Cutting a rather involved story short, after 3 months going together we were at the "getting very serious" stage.

Then things took a wobble - I had gained the impression this girl was interested in me and wanted to get into a permanent relationship. How wrong I was! It transpired she had been going with some other fellow at the same time as me. Because of the other situation, she got herself into trouble during the period we were seeing each other. When I learned about the concurrent relationship, I discontinued seeing the girl.
 
Of course, there was the resulting void in my heart; you know that "let down" feeling one has when a relationship fizzles out, that awful sense of loss; and the bubble bursts. It was better, though, things happened when they did, instead of a few months further on. After this little episode, I had begun to be a "doubting Thomas" - and to think God had forsaken me. But He had not. He was just making me wait for the right one, much later.
 
During my time studying and learning in the mornings, and teaching in the afternoons, from February 1977 to October that year, things were going fairly well for me. At one stage Bob, my part-time employer, asked me to leave college, and go into partnership with him. As you can imagine - I was surprised and shocked!

You see, I was teaching in the studio during the week, and helping out in the music shop on Saturday mornings. I even had my own key to the shop for a little while. However, I turned down the offer of a partnership, and events, later on, proved it to be a good decision.
 
There was a time when either Bob or one of his kids was ill, on a day during college holidays. (I would always get extra work when College was out). On this particular day, I arrived at the shop to start work and there was no-one there. I rang Bob's home number and his wife brought the shop key over.
 
I was to open the shop and manage it until lunch time. I was instructed what to do with the takings from the morning (about $AUD60). I did as I was told and when the other person turned up to relieve me, I left. Well - you wouldn't believe it, the money went missing. After all the trust Bob had invested in me, this happened! It really put a sour note into what had been a wonderful relationship between myself and Bob. I never found out what happened to the money. I know I didn't take it! 

A while after this, some of the teachers were talking about asking for a pay rise from Bob. We all agreed to speak to him about it, but when it came to the crunch, I was left "holding the baby", so to speak! They all backed out on our agreement - so Bob said I either had to put up with the current pay or go. I must have been pretty confident or wanted to  "save face", as the Chinese people say - so...I went!
 
From September 1977 and onwards, I was driving out to Penrith, on the Western fringe of the Sydney Metropolitan area, on Wednesday afternoons, and then again on Sunday mornings. This was to play the piano, for the services of the (then)  Berean Baptist Church. (Now known as Nepean Baptist).

This expanded later to travelling out on Friday afternoons, staying with the Simpson family, in Mulgoa, nicknamed  "Outer Mongolia" by one of our Missionaries - who I helped with the Youth group back then, until after the AM and PM church services, on Sunday. Following the evening service I would drive back to the family home in Sydney -a distance of approximately 30 miles or 54kms.

 I had become friendly with the chemist near the studios in Hornsby, who was wanting his girls to learn piano. We didn't have pianos in the store, apart from some second-hand ones in the studio, across the road. I asked Bob if we had a piano to sell them, but he said "No."
 
Another man I knew, used to re-build, and re-condition old pianos, with his father. I was at their place one day when I mentioned the chemist was looking for a second-hand piano. He said I could sell them the one he had in his lounge room. Seeing I had already asked Bob about a piano from the studio, and been refused, I took it that I could offer this one to my prospective clients.
 
Oh boy! Did I get myself into trouble with Bob. He wanted me to put the piano in his shop and whack on another few hundred dollars profit for the shop! But my new client and I had already agreed on a price; so I couldn't have done it, even if I wanted to.
 
After the break-up with Bob over the pay issue, I had begun teaching under my own banner. I would advertise for clients to teach in their own homes, after college, during the week, in Sydney. As well as those, I would do some teaching in the *Mulgoa/Wallacia area of Penrith on Friday afternoons and Saturdays.  

I think Bob still liked me - because after giving up teaching for him, he agreed to me being an "agent" for the store and even paid for business cards for me - in my "newly Registered" business name  "Moore Music Services" with his name on the bottom for referral of prospective buyers.                                                            
                                                            
The following is one of my first advertisements I ran in the Mulgoa Gazette for my new teaching service and consultancy....
 
LEARN TO PLAY THE PIANO OR ORGAN IN YOUR OWN HOME ...
Our newest advertiser, Geoff Moore, (pictured), will be teaching
modern organ and classical piano in the Mulgoa District to all ages
and his rates for lessons are very reasonable.
GEOFF MOORE
PIANO AND ORGAN TEACHER
IN YOUR OWN HOME
TUITION IN MODERN ORGAN AND CLASSICAL PIANO
ALL AGES
REASONABLE CHARGES.
 
Along with the ad, the editor ran a little background story on me.
 
"Geoff presently teaches at a Sydney Studio, being well-qualified after
his 23 years experience on piano and 13 years playing the organ.
If you have tried to teach yourself to play the organ, and feel you need
assistance, Geoff is only too happy to help.
 
He is familiar with most brands of organ and will also advise anyone if you are contemplating the purchase of a piano, organ or another musical instrument.He will also prepare students, if they wish, for the lower grades of A.M.E.B. Music Examinations."

As a result of the sale of the piano to the Chemist in Hornsby, the vendor of the piano gave me another piano he and his Dad had been working on, but not completed. It played ok, and my Dad had wanted a piano, not necessarily in mint condition. He asked me how much for it, I said $AUD150, and he bought it off me.

My brother the truck driver, came along to the friend's place and loaded the piano on a trailer. Sadly, that dear old piano, that was in a not-all-that-bad condition, sat down the back of my brother's place, in neither secure nor weather-proof conditions. I did get to see the piano in its final setting, eventually, at the Opal Fields. However, it was a shade of its former self, by then.
 
 In early 1978, I had to be admitted for some Exploratory Ear Surgery in St David’s Hospital, Eastwood.  The previous year’s Sinus operation or ‘Ceptoplasty’ with the 'beaten up look including black eyes, was in preparation for this time.