The 1980s boom and bust were the good old days. I remember it well. It was easy to get a decent well paying job for most of the decade, it helped if you were young, single and where prepared for a bit of travel. I used to follow the big ticket construction projects and there were plenty of them around. Even better if you knew someone, I didn't but I kept trying and got in.
Back then working the weekends and overtime was cream, we used to clock up some really long hours before all the rules and regulations came in. It was probably too much work and not enough play but back then job sites and your work mates were fun. Practical jokes very full on. Apprentices were sent to the work shop and to suppliers for long weights and striped paint! If that happened today the paper work and correct actions would be endless.
I was able to earn some good coin fast, in the major capital cities then bought a small two bedroom unit in a big country town called Brisbane in Queensland, where real estate was like half price and the sun always shined.
It all sounds simple but I suppose I was a bit weird, none of my mates seemed interesting in getting ahead.
Cars and fuel seemed cheap and you could even see the engine when you popped the bonnet and work on it yourself.
The 1980s was not all smooth sailing, I remember when they floated the Australia dollar that used to be 1:1 with the US dollar. It quickly dropped to 70 or 80 cents and then interest rates went crazy up to 17% lots of big business went broke, The recession we had to have to escape being a banana republic.
I did struggle at the end of the 80s but always found work even if it was not as good as the start of the decade.