The following is content that originally was published on an earlier HTML-based version of XBOP that existed in the early 2000s. As part of this content migration, it has been edited to protect individual identities. The following is the original content for the annual review of 2003, written on 14/01/04.

Original Write-Up

A flashback of 2003 indicates a very successful and fulfilling year. With major milestones achieved, 2004 should shape up to be another great year. 2003 began with a start in Masters (summer semester) with tutoring responsibilities for both Semesters One and Two (programming subjects – BUS1060, BUS2011 & BUS1042). In May, my graduation ceremony came and went, as did my 21st birthday in June. In September, while my Dad attended a family wedding in Penang (3-week holiday), I underwent the application process for a graduate position with Coles Myer. In early October, I was offered one of seven IT graduate positions with Coles Myer. With a personal best in results for Semester Two for my three project units and Research Methods subject, 2003 has indeed been a great year!

Dedicated Annual Review

The following is a dedicated review collected from a 2016 review of a number of sources that help to guide my memories and recollection of the year 2003. This year was my final year of full-time study, something that began as a hopeful intention which crystallised as the year played out. At a macro-level, when considering other events external to my own life, it was generally the close of one chapter and the beginnings of the next.

The year 2003 began with in-trepidation. With 2002 representing the final year of my undergraduate studies, 2003 offered a transitory period before the commencement of my career. The January period was flavoured very much as a Summer holiday period. Coinciding with Australia Day celebrates was the launch of a new album by the church-based band InAmen. The conclusion of the month of January also saw the annual church camp held at Mountain Valley Centre, The Basin, with Indian pastor Skinnar Thomson shared from Psalm 146 on the promises of God.

Over the period of February – March, my accountant cousin played an instrumental role in introducing me to one of his clients. This client was a small business in the unclaimed money industry, which in itself existed for a time period before the ATO and Government radically changed their policies and effectively dismantled the cottage industry of businesses. These businesses utilised the semi-public databases and records to perform investigative work in tracking down the rightful claimants to sums of unclaimed money. The main source of revenue for the client was associated with identifying potential clients who had unclaimed money entitlements and  tracking down these individuals. Once contact was established, the client’s business would offer to assist with the retrieval process and paperwork, taking a percentage of the collection as their commission. A dedicated report on this project experience is available for more detailed viewing, but it remained the number one priority and focus for the year, serving both as an academic and commercial experience. XBOP effectively began operations as a trading name for my work.

During February, At the end of February the church university ministry FOCUS launched for the year with Generation X, which was also marketed as an inter-church outreach rally. This was followed up closely by That Squeaky Thing, which was a seeker service tailored for pre-Christians. The church also introduced an upgrade to their website offering by introducing a dedicated branded domain: claytonchurch.org.au During this period of the church, a regular rhythm of three Sunday services operated smoothly: 8:30am, 10:00am and Gravitate @ 6:30pm. With five pastors shepherding the church under the guidance of Pastor David Brownless, the governance of the church and its constitution was reviewed. Whilst an initial announcement was made in April, enthusiastic contributions from the general congregation saw a more formal process adopted to help guide and mature the final updated rules, which would be finally presented back to the church body for ratification in August.

In late April, along with good uni friends, we started planning and designing my 21st birthday invitations. The initial designs were more elaborate and over the month-long period, we slowly simplified the invitation design. Part of the initial thinking was to have separate birthday celebrations for friends and family, with a lunch set menu to be pre-arranged at the chosen restaurant. Printing of the invitations was done during the week so that they could be issued out in person over the following days, with RSVPs due after three full weeks; the event itself planned for the end of June. a total of eight venues were reviewed, including two La Porchetta’s and two Sofia’s. In the end, the family favourite of New Royal Garden was selected and yum-cha became the cuisine. The event program planned for a relaxing lunch over 1.5 hours, followed by a rendezvous back to the house where two speeches, presents and a cake were all handled. With ~30 guests, three tables were organised, with the family table including my visiting cousin, god-parents and old family friend.

In May, official news of the relaunching of the Coles Myer Graduate Program commencing in February 2004 was a significant news item for the entire year. I had prior to this time, heard anecdotally that the Coles Myer Graduate Program would be restarted after a 2-3 year hiatus, so receiving this news via an information/briefing session held on-campus at Monash was a big boost to my career aspirations. It was this kind of news that had led me to the decision to pursue Masters studies for 2003.

During the later part of my birthday month, I helped to review my neighbour’s business website and developed some mock-ups of a future/prospective website. This exercise did not eventuate into any substantial website development. Unlike the 200+ contingent who attended the Hillsong Conference in Sydney, I was amongst the few who remained in Melbourne in early July. Throughout August a number of security incidents transpired in the church involving the theft of a money tin and then an attempted break-in to one of the cars in the car-park, which prompted alerts being communicated to the church body. As part of growing the online presence of the church more, dedicated email accounts were established for the church staff.

On 4 September, the Business Systems Ball for 2003 was held, with major sponsor Accenture. With my friends, we arranged to go and represent our cohort. October was a busy period with the finalisation of my software development project. Extensive testing was conducted and I spent countless hours

In early November, it was announced that as part of the annual review on the calling of David Brownless as Senior Pastor, he would be transitioning to a three-day part-time pastoral role focused on teaching and mentoring whilst his wife Sue would work one-day a week to provide leadership to the Faith Works Bible College ministry. As part of this announcement, the Council of Elders recommended the role of Senior Pastor would transition seamlessly to Ken Harris effective from the end of January 2004, on his return from the India short-term mission trip.

The other major event that was announced by Clayton Church took place late in December where the membership voted unanimously in support of purchasing the neighbouring property of 21 Burton Avenue. The fundraising target was $450,000 with four mechanisms to facilitate the amount: gifts, pledges, faith-promises and interest-free loans.

A 2016 Perspective

The events that transpired were pivotal to the decade ahead, given I was transitioning out of the university life into the beginnings of my career. Securing my graduate position at Coles Myer was without a doubt the moment of 2003. The beginnings for XBOP also trace back to 2003.