About the Site
Mt. Wellington, Hobart 2010
This site is a place where I share my views and understanding of the world. Over the years since 2005 I have invested thousands of hours and tens of thousands of dollars into the study of human behaviour, the universe, wealth creation and wealth management. In the course of this development I have learnt many things that I feel compelled to share.
I also offer products and services on this site (coming soon!). Everything I offer is delivered by or created by me and has either been developed in the coarse of my own journey for my own purposes or has been developed exclusively with the purpose of serving you. I offer via this website because I believe the most ethical of online businesses have a real face and a real name making and delivering promises.
About Chad Elliott
Born in 1980 I was raised in the Riverland region of South Australia on my families’ fruit orchard where I developed very much as a “free range kid”. I followed my sister by 12 years and my brother by 10 years. I had chronic asthma and was allergic to almost every staple food such as milk, wheat, and eggs almost to the point of anaphylaxis. This turned out to be a great blessing for my family as we were forced to investigate and adopt holistic health practices. As is often the case the medical profession had no answers, but to be fair the asthma medication at least kept me alive. Thanks to the assistance of various practitioners, I was over asthma and my allergies by around the age of 12. I squarely blame vaccinations for the majority of my health issues as a child.
Riding my Yamaha Pee Wee 50 aged 6.
Working in the family business, riding dirt bikes, climbing trees, making tree houses and playing with the dogs are all fond memories among countless others. As with the majority of farm kids I am broadly capable and was reliably driving and operating various business vehicles and machinery from the age of 10. I rode my first motorbike just before my 4th birthday.
My father was into motorbikes and this became a passion we shared. He made me a buggy he would tow behind his Yamaha XT250 which was the most amazing fun. I loved working with dad to help invent the next piece of machinery for the business and I still have my original design book. I was dads “right hand man” on the orchard. He always trusted me to do a good job at whatever task I was set.
My father died in July 1998 of an antibiotic overdose administered in hospital during his 2 year battle with cancer. The local medical practitioners still drastically underperform to this day.
Although I didn’t always like school I did well at it both academically and in sports. Looking back now I see a pattern. The first year or two of both levels of school could be described as learning the ropes and testing the boundaries. In the last two years I dedicated myself and consistently out performed.
University was no different. I committed at the business end and performed when it mattered, graduating with honours in Civil Engineering from the University of Adelaide. University holidays were generally spent back in the Riverland. I enjoyed the social aspects of the city, but not the constriction. I would go walking, climbing and slope soaring in the Adelaide Hills frequently.
Early in 2003 I was employed as a graduate engineer by Transfield Services at the Mobil Adelaide Oil Refinery. It was great to finally be back in the real world producing real outcomes and earning real money. I was quickly identified as having significant potential and within 10 months was requested for a new contract start-up with Santos. Initially at Santos during the mobilisation phase I was given menial administrative tasks by a new manager which was discouraging for me as an engineer. His expectations of me were too low and in hindsight I could have asked for more responsibility sooner. Furthermore I was working in a high rise in Adelaide city (as tall as they get in Adelaide at least!) and I didn’t enjoy feeling like another city suit when I still had strong ties to the freedom and individuality of home.
During this time management decided I would be better suited elsewhere and began talking to me about the Lane Cove Tunnel contract in Sydney. My Mobil manager had almost managed to take me to Sydney before I went to Santos so I had time to get comfortable with the idea. I liked the idea of working on a project at the design and construction stage since this was where I was trained, although I knew I would not be directly involved in the design and construction as the future operator and maintainer of the tunnel.
Things changed at Santos after the mobilisation phase and I was allowed to sink my teeth into some real projects; enough to show the potential I had shown at Mobil. By the time I left there in April 2004 the manager and I had developed a healthy mutual respect. I realised he was still learning.
To be continued…