Page 47 - My Memoirs - Max Kurz

Then there was the fishing, Game Fishing tournaments which we competed in and recreational fishing. It was no wonder that Wayne chose to live with me considering the time we spent together. Whereas Leanne and I had a different father/daughter connection not driven by activity or sports etc. The connection between Leanne and I matured over time, particularly in our later years.
1976 was the year of Wayne’s Bar mitzvah, it was a most difficult day
for me as I was sick with a high temperature, nevertheless it was a great day for Wayne, and he did well. Part of my gift to him was to take Wayne and Leanne on their first trip overseas, we started off in Hawaii, then onto Los Angeles, flew to the Grand Canyon in a light aircraft, onto Mexico, and drove to Acapulco then on our journey home stayed in Tahiti. It was a wonderful memorable holiday.
In 1977 I met Vija Hatzidis, the mother of one of my soccer players Yanni Hatzidis. It was my first serious relationship after my marriage breakup, it was not long before we became a couple, we had many interests in common; fishing, boating, the kids etc. Vija was divorced with 2 children, Michael 4 years old and Yanni 13 years old. She was born in Latvia and came to Australia when she was very young, married at an early age, suffered a very abusive marriage, together with a difficult relationship with her mother, all of which took its toll on her mental health. She had a very close relationship with her father. Vija was a good Mum, she was very caring and loving. Our relationship lasted 7 years on and off, we tried marriage as a last resort but unfortunately it was just never going to work. It was a tumultuous and costly affair.
1977 saw a new relationship unfold, I acquired my first pet puppy, a female German shepherd, in fact I acquired two on the same day - one for Alf; they were sisters out of the same litter. We named our puppy Sally and Alf’s was named Ditty. It was a wonderful relationship; I took it seriously and introduced her to training and obedience at an early age which resulted in us competing in obedience trials. She loved to work, and she responded very well; as a result, the
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