Echoes of past give new hope for future on vinyl foundation

Image: Hoarders often believe their records are worth a lot more than the real value, says Mr Vinyl.

ECHOES of an amazing mix of cultures drift among the bricks and mortar of suburbia as a Redland City man tries to rebuild his life on a foundation of vinyl records.
After suffering a work-related disability for almost a decade, the man has found hope that the records gathering dust in cupboards, boxes and grimy storage will give him a new future.
With entrepreneurial vision and a sketchy business plan in his mind, he has embarked on a mission through our Classifieds.
The entrepreneur has been advertising his appeal for vinyl records with the catchcry, "Inspire another generation or just get back space in your cupboard ... Let the music be heard again."
He doesn't want to parade his personal details in public but is happy to be dubbed as "Mr Vinyl" and talk about his plan.

"SOMETHING that happened caused me to lose the use of my arms and legs and in 2003 I was mothballed, unable to work," he says.
"I am back on my feet now but I am only 41. I was bored but I didn't think life was over yet."
This year an idea took shape, and Mr Vinyl has been growing a collection of old albums in his Capalaba home.
He came across records at the Redland "dump shop" and decided to "get in first".
"Many people just throw out old records and by the time they get to the tip they have been rained on and had things chucked on to them, and they get wrecked," he says.

IT was almost heartbreaking for Mr Vinyl to hear of hundreds of records washing up on the banks of the Brisbane River during the 2011 floods.
He hopes his hobby will eventually grow a stock that will appeal to collectors or others who simply want to enjoy the music.
"The peak for vinyl records was in the early 1980s but after CDs came on the scene in the mid-'80s the vinyl era was over," he says.
"Vinyl is an entirely different sound and I expect in years to come some people will just want to hear their favourite music in that form."

AN interesting cultural "payback" has become apparent to Mr Vinyl during his project.
He says the punk, metal and some rock records are rarer. He believes fewer have survived the decades because parents ceremoniously dumped them when their children finally left home.
Mr Vinyl has bought hundreds of records in the past few months. He says the values are not as high as many hoarders hope.
"I just want to give other people the chance to hear them again," he says.

This column has appeared in The Redland Times.