Frank Barbaro
Frank Barbaro
Frank is a man who is likely to surprise you.
First surprise for us is that his name is not George. We have been calling Frank “George” for quite some time, with more confidence each time. Anyway, he’s Frank.
We used to see Frank in the sauna quite a lot. He was a man of few words. Maybe a bit gruff even? Well no. Surprise number 2 is that he’s not gruff at all.
Surprise number 3 is how literary Frank is. He is just as likely to quote Dante or Homer to illustrate a point as to draw from something more run of the mill. He’s a wide ranging reader.
Frank is definitely someone we wanted to hear more about.
What’s your Bondi story?
I never had any plans to move to Bondi. Twenty two years ago I was looking to move back to Glebe after a short stay in the Blue Mountains. I was offered a unit in North Bondi. I wasn't keen but it was immediately available so I decided to take it for six months or so whilst I casually looked for a place around Glebe. Shortly after a friend from Glebe visited and said he would love to move to Bondi. I told him he could have my place as I would be moving soon. Surprisingly, a few days later, I found myself thinking: "I don't want to leave". Luckily, my friend was good about it and soon found another place. Shortly after my unit came up for sale so I purchased it; and now, here I am, still in Bondi 22 years later! Consequently, I suggest, be careful where you move to. You never know how long you might be there.
What would I like people to know about you?
First, my name is not George. Second, I love Bugs Bunny cartoons. For the sake of brevity I won't mention any of my favourites
How do you start your day?
I start my day with a simple yet highly rewarding routine. I wake up at 5:45AM and straight away make a very strong short black. I add to it a couple of pieces of 90% cocoa chocolate and stir in about half a spoon of honey. Sipping the coffee with its pleasant aroma and taste is deeply relaxing. I then return to bed and quickly doze off again. But in approx 30mins the caffeine gently reaches my brain and it wakes me up with a child like enthusiasm to get up and begin my day.
If you haven’t seen Frank at the pool you may have seen him slogging up and down on the sand which he does a couple of laps of before his swim.