Cool Aunt Maggie

Margaret grew up in small town Canberra in the 50s and 60s, in a moderate and harmonious family. Dad did numbers in the public service, Mum ran the house and the three kids. One of the early messages was try hard and don’t brag about yourself - modesty was important. Nobody played the guitar.


Now Maggie, she needed to fly, so she went to California as a young adult. It was fun and she “bummed around for a decade.” She waited tables, met performers, travelled to Europe where she pan-handled as an armature musician and visual artist. One day a friend in Santa Monica said she should try working as a Real Estate agent. With no other real ideas to choose from she decided to give it a go. The transition would be one of the hardest feats she ever attempted.


As a child her parents had said ‘don’t skite’. The culture of her country had said ‘don’t be a tall poppy.’ Something inside her had said ‘relax, create, it’s all ok, cruise.’ The new profession in Southern California in the 80s though demanded the opposite. She had to act in a new way, she had to “change her personality”, she needed to embrace the brag and sell. This was uncomfortable for her and not easy to do. Maggie went for it though, she adopted a real estate persona and found that over time it worked. She had success at work but also noticed that the agent persona become her actual personality - she changed.


Santa Monica became too much and she moved to a mountain ski town. She found mentors and her own system for success at work, Maggie thrived. People knew the ‘Aussie’ in Big Bear town, they liked that she was blunt and confident. To me she always seemed to have embraced America, and her up tempo character.




Maggie’s winding down as a real estate agent these days. After 40 years people now call her rather than the other way around. She’s done the work and the full power agent persona isn’t as important anymore. This year she found her old guitars in the cupboard - the agent didn’t play, but now Maggie sits on the deck most afternoons and plays. Her fingers are coming back and feeling the strings again. She told me she doesn’t regret anything, but who does these days?


Maggie changed as a person and it was one of the hardest things she’s done, now she’s changing again and it’s as easy the summer breeze. Strum on cool Aunt Maggie.