Metamorphosis
In this very special series of exclusive articles for The Property Chronicle, Australian property legend Norman Harker reflects on his extraordinary 50-year life in real estate. He will pull no punches partly because, as he freely admits, Norman has a limited life expectancy of five years from December 2018 due to a diagnosed terminal blood cancer, which he has cheerfully accepted in preference to (in his words) “kicking the bucket without notice”. We are honoured he has chosen us to publish these brilliant, funny and incisive reflections of a lifetime in property.
The series of 24 chapters has resulted in many requests – but few of those are repeatable. However, The Property Chronicle has decided to attempt to break into a new market of perverted masochists and have asked for Further Confessions from my (in)famous career as a valuer.
I have often been asked how I got to how I am today as shown by the lead photo, which was taken on a good day just after I got out of my pit to see if I’d managed to upset anyone with my latest postings on LinkedIn and Facebook.
When I started my official career at Conrad Ritblat and Co, London, in 1970, I was 6ft 1in and weighed in at 140lbs – translated into metric my Excel convert function tells me that I was 1.85 kilometres tall, 63.5 kilograms in weight. But in whatever language, I was as thin as a rake and was in danger of being blown away.
“Excel convert function tells me that I was 1.85 kilometres tall 63.5 kilograms in weight“
But over the next five years I suffered from a gain of 14lbs a year and, although my girth extended to 44 inches, my height remained obstinately unchanged.
The reason was travelling all around the UK (now the Dis(UK)) valuing property portfolios. The trouble was that the fee for these valuations were negotiated by illustrious boss John Ritblat (now Surgeon Ritblat), which was always a base fee plus expenses. There was no way that John Ritblat was going to have us travelling around at his expense – proving his innate business acumen.
My metamorphosis was a three-stage process with three causes. The only difference today is that stage three has further morphed by age to the wondrous figure in the lead photo.
