HomeFocus Issue #7 - 🇦🇺🦘That time I went to the Sydney Olympics...

It's been a minute, I know. Well technically it's been 6 months since my last newsletter but who's counting?

My apologies for the radio silence - It's been a heck of a year so far here at OGP, we've been head down, bum up, selling and serving the lovely people of Mosman and the lower north shore.  

Plus, we moved my dad, Dave O'Gorman, who many of you know and often ask after, into full-time care on the Northern Beaches.  

For those of you who don't know, Dad, who founded OGP more than 42 years ago, was diagnosed with early onset dementia about 10 years ago and sadly has gone downhill quite significantly since then.

So we've sold the family home in Lennox St, Mosman and moved Mum into a cracking 2 Bedroom Garden Apartment at Mosman Junction which she loves. More on that in next month's newsletter which I'm dedicating to downsizing and sharing everything I've learned about getting this process right for my parents, both as a real estate agent and a son.

So you see - 2024 has been a LOT, but more on that in the next edition of HOMEFOCUS.

For now, as a sports mad local real estate agent, this first newsletter back is conveniently timed to coincide with the Opening Night of the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad (that's number 33 for anyone who's interested!).

This is potentially everything I've been working towards for the last 3 years since Tokyo.

Fourteen days of dedicated 24/7 Olympics coverage across dozens of free to air and pay TV channels.

Honestly - I live for this (and real estate of course!)

Speaking of the Olympics, you know I went to the Sydney Olympics back in 2000?

Well I worked there anyway 😉

My sister Liz had a proper job working on the host broadcast of the Games and she managed to swing myself and our other sister, Sarah, jobs as official "drivers" - ferrying around hundreds of television crews, commentators, journalists and big TV executives from all over the world to all the different sporting venues around Sydney and the Olympic Precinct at Homebush.

I was a sports crazy uni student with a lot of time on my hands and the pay grade was well beyond my wildest dreams - I felt like I'd won the work lottery. Plus - I had an access all areas accreditation pass and as you can imagine, I put it to very good use.

On more than one occasion my Nokia flip phone ran out of battery conveniently as I dropped a Japanese film crew off at the Aquatic Centre for 17 year old Ian Thorpe's world record breaking gold medal performance in the 400 metre freestyle final.

Then again I was strangely uncontactable for the Australian Women's Water Polo Gold Medal Match and had "bad reception" for the duration of Cathy Freeman's history making 400 metre final. Oh how I loved that job!

I know now that the Olympics is a beast of an event that, like everything, comes with it's own set of political problems, financial issues and some questionable motivations, but the Games themselves are truly like nothing else I've ever experienced in my life.  

I know many of you will also remember what Sydney was like during those two weeks in September 2000. Being a Sydneysider and to experience an Olympic Games in your own city was a once in a lifetime opportunity.  

I've tried to articulate what the atmosphere was like to my own three kids, but it's hard to describe. An electric feeling of excitement, camaraderie, peace and unity was something pretty special.

I hope for these next two weeks, we can all enjoy some light relief from what I know has been a very stressful few years for many, and, even if you don't LOVE sport, get behind the Aussies and support some incredible home grown athletes who've trained their whole lives for this one moment.

In the meantime, if you're looking for some advice on how to watch the Aussies and when - you can text me at 2am on any given week night, where you'll find me wide awake and watching the heats of the Swimming/Archery/Shooting/Badminton/Basketball/insert-any-Olympic-Sport-here. We can even talk real estate if you like?

Go the Green and Gold 💚💛

Anthony.

P.S In our own version of going for gold - our team here at OGP have some exciting new listings hitting the market this week....scroll down to check them out and please get in touch with us if we can help with any of your real estate needs.