Hi, my name is Gary
Melbourne is my home and my heart, It is my history and my future. I absolutely love the people, the culture and the atmosphere.
A Bit About Me:
Life did start off hard for me as a child. Leaving an abusive father behind, I lived as a street kid in Melbourne’s west. I regularly slept in public toilets and ate food from rubbish bins that were left out the night before collection day. Life went from bad to worse and suicide became an option. After which I got help from Lifeline, a crisis intervention help line. Rarely having ever received love, I was so grateful for that kindness, I made it my goal to repay the debt.
After training, I was accepted as a Lifeline counsellor to help others, which I did for nearly 10 years. Those empathy skills became the foundation and catalyst for being able to move into the accommodation industry. Coupled with my childhood memories, I had a strong desire to make sure that my guests were as far removed from my past trauma of sleeping in the streets as was humanly possible.
From Me to You: South Yarra Stays
South Yarra Stays was borne on the cornerstone belief of providing the most comfortable and restful sleep possible. Adequate sleep is essential for our mental wellbeing and health. Above all, we spend one third of our very precious life in bed.
Here are some examples of some of the things that I have done to give you the best sleep possible:
- You have the most comfortable mattress that I could find. It has won many 5-star user reviews.
- There are 2 sets of blinds. One of them is what is called “block out”. which means that sunlight cannot penetrate it. You get to sleep well.
- All bedroom light bulbs are what is called “warm white”. This means that you will feel a softness in the lighting in the evening.
- Sometimes when we go to bed, there just arent enough power points. Your bed has a total of 8 power points and 4 usb ports.
- Do you hate those annoying clock radios with the tinny sound? On one of your bedside tables is a Google home mini. It is a great bedside companion, able to soothe you to sleep, gently wake you in the morning and it makes the promise of not snoring whilst you sleep.
- And lastly each side of your bed are small handmade sheep. Why? So that you can count them as you drift off to sleep.
Award-Winning Service
I believe that my traumatised early life/drive to give guests comfort, years helping people at Lifeline and working in the hospitality industry have all contributed towards me receiving a number of awards. Whilst living in Queensland, I was awarded Best Business Person in my region and Best Accommodation In Australia. I was keynote speaker at the annual national Vinnies CEO Fund Raiser where we raised nearly one million dollars for the homeless.
Blessing is a Swahili. Her name is so appropriate as I feel that I am blessed every day of my life. Her background is Social Work and my background is Lifeline. Even though we are different in every way possible, from a values perspective, we are joined at the hip. Our joint purpose is to help people and to leave this world in a better place than how we found it.
In my day to day life, I enjoy coffee, people, healthy food and staying fit.
My wish is to do everything in my power to ensure that your stay in Melbourne is everything that you expect it to be, and warm to love the city as I do. I am available at any time to help in making those wishes come true.
