Down By The River - Chapter 1 - The Mighty Murray

DOWN BY THE RIVER

A book by Jeff Banks

Foreword

by Jeff Banks

There’s something about rivers.

They wind, they wait, they flood, they dry, but mostly, they just keep going. You can sit beside them for hours and think you’re still, only to realise it’s you who’s moved, not the water. Or maybe both.

Down by the River began as a simple idea: hire a houseboat, drift along the Murray, and take a proper break. I thought I was chasing peace, maybe a few fish, and certainly a few good bottles of wine. But as the days passed and the engine purred, or failed, as it sometimes did, I realised this trip wasn’t just a holiday. It was a mirror.

This book isn’t a travel guide. You won’t find maps or ratings or “top 5 stops.” What you will find are stories, some recent, some ancient, some possibly exaggerated with time, all of them true in the way that matters. You’ll meet my mates, my family, a few locals, a couple of pelicans, and more than one memory I didn’t expect to dredge up.

There’s a rhythm to life on a river that encourages reflection. It’s slower. The expectations ease. You find time to notice things, how the clouds shift, how the light hits old timber, how a single question from a friend can lead you back thirty years. You also notice your body creak a bit more each morning and your patience with bureaucracy creak even more.

In writing this, I didn’t set out to change the world or uncover grand truths. But I did want to honour the quiet things that so often go unsaid. The mateship. The hard-earned laugh. The smell of eucalyptus at dusk. The way a small-town pub can still offer sanctuary. And the understanding that we don’t always need to go far to rediscover what matters—we just need to go slow.

So, take your time with this. Read a chapter, pour a drink, nod off, come back later. There’s no rush. The river will still be flowing when you’re ready to read again.

See you on the water.

Jeff Banks

Smiths Lake, NSW

DOWN BY THE RIVER

A book by Jeff Banks

About the Author

Jeff Banks was born in Yass, New South Wales, long enough ago to remember a time when fish were plentiful, neighbours dropped in unannounced, and a weekend meant work followed by cricket. A trained accountant by trade, Jeff spent decades helping people untangle their financial lives while quietly documenting the tangles in his own.

These days, Jeff splits his time between the garden, the golf course, and fishing, and the occasional reflective writing session, usually with a glass of red in hand and a movie paused somewhere mid-plot. He’s the founder of Property Portfolio Solutions and a professional taxation accountant by trade, but don’t let that fool you, he’s far more interested in slow rivers, good stories, and conversations that meander as freely as the Murray.

Down by the River is one of several narrative projects Jeff has undertaken as part of his semi-retirement, though “semi” might be a stretch, depending on how many emails he’s ignoring that day.

He lives with his wife Robyn on the mid-north coast, surrounded by tall gums, stubborn weeds, good people, and better yarns.

DOWN BY THE RIVER

Chapter 1 – The Lure of the Mighty Murray

“And the sea will grant each man new hope, as sleep brings dreams of home – Christopher Columbus”, are words uttered by Sean Connery as Marko Ramius at the end of The Hunt for Red October (1990 Paramount). Why would anyone, having heard these words, pass up a chance to spend a fortnight in a houseboat, floating away to their thoughts and dreams on the Murray River.

Planned some time ago, our friends Maurice (Momo) and Lyn Beinat have a timeshare in a houseboat moored in Mildura on the mighty Murray River, and, having spent a number of other weeks with them in the past, both on the houseboat and on other adventures, had jumped at the chance for an extended leave of absence,

But “vacations” with the Beinat’s are nothing if not “taxing” – and said in the nicest possible terms, and with no accounting pun intended. Like us (although we run multiples) they run a small business which means like the line from Hotel California (thanks Don Felder, Don Henley and Glenn Frey) “you can checkout any time you like, but you can never leave”. Movement along the river is a constant search for internet access, as even though “on vacation” life (read here work) goes on.

We live the great lie of the small business owner. The one that says you work when you want, have time off when you want and you are your own boss – yeah not bloody likely. All being of retirement age, and having potentially accumulated sufficient reserves to “fade off into the sunset” (one of the assignments in the form of a conundrum to be considered over the course of the vacation), we are all tied to the notion of “being useful” or stuck so far down the Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland rabbit hole.  

The mystique of a houseboat on the river conjures lazy days sipping wine in the spa, moored against the river bank watching the world go by. The reality is somewhat different in the world of the small business person. Yes we will make time for dropping in at one of the main attractions of the river here near Mildura, Trentham Estates Winery and from time to time we will force a break and fire up the spa for an hours respite and the obligatory fishing lines will be set from the back of the boat, but for the most of it, any one of the four of us, could be nose planted to the screen of a laptop.

Laptops I say. Two of the installations presently on the houseboat would make any office installation proud, with their dual screen set up, coupled with broadcast accompaniment facilities and modern recording equipment. Half the dinner table is covered in them. At meal times cords and parts are shoved aside delicately to allow for proper sit downs.

For me of course its the accumulation of content for the website on the explorations of this great land as well as the accounting practice (a BAS was due while we were on the river) and enquiries regarding the property business from my partner wishing to run ideas past me, directing new clients wanting a little taxation advice as a precursor to entering into a transaction, an integral part of the cycle, whilst Robyn builds more trust with new clients. 

For Momo and Lyn, its as if they never leave home and, whilst they have staff, there always seems to be something they are trying to build, repair or manage something to do with the business. To say they are passionate about EcoMaster and what it stands for would be somewhat of an understatement. Their belief in their product and its planet saving nature is unfailing, to the point where they are considered the gurus of their field.

But being a guru in your field and taking that knowledge and belief, in a world where anyone with a smartphone can voice an opinion, regardless of their knowledge, or rather than contemplating the big picture, are out seeking a “better” deal, trying any and all manner of excuses, regardless of validity, restricts conversion into profits and then to wealth. They and their products are the gold standard but in a world where discounting and the effect of the almighty dollar are prime, far less superior competition and the foe, the battle is on a front unreflective of the war.

So along the river we drift. Moorings selected, not from aesthetics of the magnificent vistas, but by strength of bandwidth. Much like the competition facing EcoMaster our enjoyment and fulfilment is fouled by necessity. We are used to this though. Life is always throwing curve balls. There are enough spots on the river to find a marriage between the peace and tranquillity of the setting and the turgid violence of business.

And there will be time for reflection, if only forced through the need to, look, see and interpret the vista in terms of my eyes and bring the thoughts to you the avid reader. But this place, this river with its twists and turns back towards its origins on the Snowy Mountains can extract that. Be it lounging on the back of a houseboat, camping on the side of the river in a tent or blasting up and down on a plethora of skis and other flotation devices, the river is a place to congregate and recreate.

Its just that some (read here most everyone else) seem to recreate much more than we are.