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Limo driving is one job that won't drive you crazy. Imagine wine tours, scenic coastal adventures and celebrating all day, every day. Christine Wall from MxNews interviews Clarissa Stein.
How long have you been driving limos?
Six years.
How many passengers can you carry?
We have cars that seat up to 11.
What's the worst thing about your job?
A drunken groom who couldn't behave himself and a lady who was trying to come to me in the front seat one day. Other than that, most jobs are pretty good. Every now and again, we get obnoxious passengers, but most people are really good.
What is rewarding about chauffeuring?
When the job goes smoothly and the customers are happy, that's always rewarding. Getting cards afterwards, saying: "Thank you for making our wedding day so special, helping with the extra touches," and so forth. We were nominated for a business award and the Australian Bridal Awards.
What type of events do you cater for?
We just do about everything. We have all walks of life on board. From your average Joe Blow going to the airport or to a party. Companies organising their Christmas parties. Grade sixers going to an end-of-year function in a limousine, too, now. We go to Warrnambool every year. We've done touristy trips along the Great Ocean Road, to the Mornington Peninsula. We do a lot of winery tours around the Yarra Valley. We do the Logies every year.
Who's your best clientele?
The kids are the best customer. They're just so excited and in awe. They love the whole thing. We pour complimentary champagne for them - it's non-alcoholic, of course - and we treat them the same as the adults. We open the door for them and address them nicely with "sir" and all that. They love it.
Any celebrity passengers?
We've had a lot of celebrity passengers. The first Australian Idol, we had Guy Sebastian and Shannon Noll when they came to Melbourne before the winner was announced. We've had Home and Away. Lots of people. We had Rachel Hunter not long ago. We had "Greg" out of Dhama and Greg. He was here with his family on holidays. Olivia Newton-John we had in the car, too, recently. We tend not to kiss and tell. There's been quite a few over the years.
Are the winery tour drives fun?
They're great jobs. You take a good book and basically just go from winery to winery and watch the people have a great time. It's very uplifting. They start singing by the end of the day and you just laugh with them.
Why drive limos? I love it because you meet all walks of life, the scenery always changes. I've never been a nine-to-five person, so doing the hours keeps you on the edge of your seat.
Christine Wall (MxNews, Tuesday, January 11 2005) |
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