Perry Power:  

rpaid (everyone in ‘the City’ is), a Lotus for a Co. car, plus a Corvette because I just wanted one. Loads of parties, loads of theatre, etc. For the first six months I was there I lived in a hotel at Piccadilly Circus and then finally moved to a flat in South Ken that the Bank paid for. 1987 – Well, I didn’t have to move this year, so the bank decided to move offices. We went south of the river so not so much nightlife, but the building was very pretty and my office looked over the Thames. I also started visiting and setting up operations in other centres, Paris, Frankfurt and Milan. I had a girlfriend I never saw, a flat I never stayed at and two cars that I never drove. I spent a lot of time entertaining important clients and senior officials from European Governments – trying to drum up business. This was the year of Tom Wolfe’s book, “Bonfire of the Vanities” and indeed I lived the life of a Master of the Universe. 1988 – In addition to work I was lecturing about International Finance at LSE. Also in this year, CIBC bought out Wood Gundy. This resulted in 98% of the CIBC staff being let go. I was kept on, but decided I didn’t want to work there anymore as the magic was broken and the people from WG were very arrogant and not very smart (OK some were brilliant, but most …pretty average.) I left CIBC and moved to Vancouver. I stopped briefly in Toronto to pick up a Fiat sports car I had bought before moving to London and drove it across the country. This was a great experience. I had often done it by plane and twice by train but never entirely by car. It is only travelling by car, bike or boat that you experience the immensity of Canada. I bought a rancher in Ladner and decided to go back to school. Oddly, I was turned down at LSE in London for the MSc, Econ. Course despite having been a lecturer, yet was accepted at Columbia University. I think this made me realise that I should pick something other than an MBA programme and on a whim tried for an MFA. I was accepted at Emily Carr (had to do some courses via UBC) and so my life as an artist commenced. 1989 – I was never meant to be an artist, I have little talent. I was not meant to be a student; I have little patience for poor teachers. But I stayed with it. My day was about painting and listening to music. I churned out a lot of bad painting that year and a few that are not too bad; they still hang in my house. A handful were good enough to sell. I sold my house that year and moved into Vancouver, house prices had rocketed, but I could see there was a good chance the market was going to collapse, “Once a trader- always a trader.” please see "Workplace" for part IV... Workplace My Bio Part IV see "life" - Part I see "school" - Part II see " college" - Part III 1990 - 1997 1990 – At the end of term I did a motorcycle trip with Russ Wilton across the southern USA. It was probably the best bike trip I’ve ever done. We did it right. We trucked the bikes down to California and headed east from there. When I arrived back in Vancouver there was a message on my answer phone offering me my old job in London England back. I took it. I got rid of as many cars as I could and had two Corvettes shipped to Toronto. I drove the third. Again, this was an interesting journey. 5,000 km in five days, I don’t understand why people actually live in the prairies; it holds no fascination for me. I lived by Casa Loma for six months, waiting for my work permit and in November 1990 moved back to London where I stayed with a friend while finding a house. 1991 – January, moved into a huge Victorian (1866) brick house in Blackheath. The property market in London had completely collapsed. House prices were down by 50% from 1988. I did not need a five bedroom house, but I did need parking for three cars, a room with northern light to paint and a south facing rear garden. The house was hugely bigger than I needed and too expensive. I had to take out a mortgage to buy it. I had not had any debts since 1984. It was a big risk, but the trader in me said the market would rebound. I realised that I might be single for the rest of my life that year. I was 34 and hadn’t managed to stay in one place long enough to settle down. I was not sure that many people would want to live like a gypsy, forever moving. Virtually all my relationships had ended by me moving, a geographic cure or maybe curse. I adopted two cats. In April of 1991 I met Liz. In May we went to Rome and were engaged. We married in May 1992. 1992 – You cannot go back to where you were before. We all know it, yet we constantly try to relive the past. Why is that? I lasted at CIBC-WG London for just two years. I moved on to Mitsubishi Bank. You know everyone told me I’d hate working for a Japanese Bank. They were highly regulated; everything had to be approved in Tokyo, etc. I loved it. They treated me great and I really thrived. There was no bureaucracy, when things went wrong we worked the problem not the blame. I learned a lot. I went in as a Director and Head of Fixed Income Derivatives Trading. 1993 – Promoted to Executive Director, Head of Fixed Income Derivative and Bond Trading. 1994 – Promoted to Senior Executive Director, Head of Derivative Trading (Fixed Income, FX, Equity, Commodity) 1995 – Promoted to Deputy Managing Director, Head of Derivative Trading and Sales, Europe. Also this year Mitsubishi and Bank of Tokyo merged to form the biggest bank in the world. 1996 – The merger meant there were too many good people and not enough jobs. It meant I was unlikely to see any more promotions in the foreseeable future. They offered me a slightly expanded role and the title of Managing Director if I would stay on. In the end I agreed to see them through the merger plus six months and then would depart. I bought a Motorcycle business (Powerslide Bikes) and we moved to the East Midlands of England. Please note avid reader, this was my first house move in 5.6 years! That is the longest I had ever been at the same address in my whole life. 1997 – In June, Russ Wilton gets married so a quick trip to Vancouver. Later that month my first child is born. Luke. I never thought I would be all that keen on kids. I was wrong. I can bore the best of them with child stories. please see "military" for part V, thanks Military Bio Part I - see "Life" Bio Part II - see "school" Bio Part III - see "college" Bio Part IV - see "workplace" Bio Part V 1998 - 2007 1998 - We buy Park Farm from an estate auction. It is Georgian (1750), stone, big and it was in a very sad state. There have only been a few families that have lived there. It has a marvellous and romantic history filled with land deals, jealousy and a lady that visited late at night in her night dress by lamplight. The house had very little in the way of plumbing when we got it. No central heating – only fireplaces in each room. There was no electricity on the top floor. There were cracks in the walls big enough to stick your head in and wood worm had eaten most of the floor in the sitting room. We managed to get it liveable and moved in November 1998. 2001 – The motorcycle business continues to bounce along, requiring not much from me and also not returning much in the way of an income. I decide to get back into work and manage to bluff my way into my current employment, managing a large combined heat and power station. 2002 – My second child is born. Michael. We continue to work on Park Farm, it seems like a losing battle sometimes. 2004 – I was getting itchy feet to move…house. Liz was having none of it, but cleverly sent me off to Toronto to look for a vacation home. In August we bought a house in Wellington, Ontario (just south of Picton) on Lake Ontario. This involved moving furniture etc from here to there and it felt just like a real move, phew, problem of itchy feet sorted…for now. 2005 – Spent the summer in Canada and made contact with some old friends. 2006 – Same as last year, but this year we took in Niagara Falls as well. 2007 – April. I’ve just turned 50. Shocking as it may seem, I have now lived in one house for over eight years! I am off with Michael to Canada for a week at the end of May. I am going to look at a different vacation house. Liz does not know this and will not unless she reads my bio…hehehehehe. September update. Didn't buy a different house in Canada. Spent the summer there it was hot! Off again with Luke mid October. A dear friend from Robertson visited me in September. It was great to see her.