Diary Of Banjo Mattson.

of the newspaper to see there were at least sixty people ahead of me. I knew they to had all lost their jobs and they too were nervous. The thought that scared me the most was that my rent was overdue and I may be turned on the streets. I got the newspaper and I saw there was one vacancy for a factory worker. I rushed to get the job but I saw there were already at least fifty applicants in front of me and I realized I was far too late to have any chance of getting the job.  So I walked into the local bar and had a drink, and I soon got drunk. I can’t really remember it very well but after going out I went home and fell asleep. The next morning I knew that I had to do something so I went around trying to do menial tasks to be able to buy some food and then somehow pay off my rent. It was hard to imagine that I used to give away money to others even though I wasn’t very rich. Now I thought I might even be inclined to steal money just to survive. The next few days were the same kind of thing with me doing menial tasks and just surviving after paying the rent. I thought of asking for some help but my ego got the better of me so I didn’t. I was pondering on trying my luck on gambling and if I lost then I will get some help from the unemployment relief. I had heard of the horse named Phar Lap and he had a pretty decent record recently and I wondered if I should go to a bookmaker. 2 days later I did, I spent half my life savings on him and the next day he won. I was enthusiastic with the win but for some reason I had been had I never saw my winnings I never knew why. I must have been had I think at least I hadn’t lost any thing. So the rest of the year passed and I was still surviving by doing menial tasks. I realized I had to get some financial help from maybe unemployment relief or something like that or I won’t be able to survive for much longer. I finally went on the dole I should have gone on earlier but I thought it would be far too embarrassing. 3 days later I have been kicked out of where I stayed and I was turned out on the streets so I moved back where my mum and dad were staying. I did not ask them for anything just somewhere to stay. I didn’t really want to ask them for anything. Any income I was receiving a little bit was going to my mum and dad. I don’t really know how long they will live so I am trying to make their last couple of years peaceful. Three months later, I went to watch the Melbourne cup, I wasted quite a bit of money getting there but it was well worth it, I won quite a lot of money and it took my mind of my problems for a little while. Two weeks later I was hoping I could find a job as I was sick and tired of being on the dole. I had searched and searched and finally one businessman said there was a good chance I may get one. Three days later a family of five had been evicted because they weren’t able to pay their rent for 2 weeks in a row. The owner said they could have one chance because they had never failed to pay the rent. When they couldn’t pay it the next week he said he had no option but to evict them. Meanwhile all the high hopes that I had came to nothing. I got a job three years after that. I finally moved out and I looked for a place to stay. I got a decent place to stay and it was cheap accommodation. Two years later my mother died and I paid for the memorial service from my own pocket because I remembered what my mum and dad had done for me when I needed help, they had let me stay with them. Banjo Mattson