On a recent work trip to Queensland I got talking with a cabbie – a bloke in his late 20’s or early 30’s who had come to Australia from the sub-continent. He arrived, aged 16, with nothing. It turns out that this guy had only recently moved to Queensland from Melbourne. For love, of course.
He told me that he owned 2 cabs in Melbourne as well as a house. Outright. Yes, all 3 of them. “What does it cost for a pair of taxi number plates?” I asked. “Five hundred thousand dollars,” he replied. I turn to my colleague in the back seat and said “There you go – the cabbie’s a millionaire!”
He had worked bloody hard and you wouldn’t pick his wealth to look at the guy. In fact, he would blend into a crowd as easily as many of the wealthy people I have met. The ones who stand out, displaying wealth with the clothes they wear and food they eat, are the ones who keep their credit card providers very, very happy.