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DAVID
BLOCK
director
By ROSANNE ROBERTSON
DAVID BLOCK'S weekdays are orderly
to the extent of being organised up to six
months in advance.
But weekends, taken up with family
and friends, are deliberately disorderly
and disorganised. David mentions the
third volume of Dirk Bogarde's
autobiography, An Orderly Man, and
says he understands him.
David Greenberg Block, a director of
Lloyds International Ltd, a director of
CSR Limited, recently resigned
chairman of the Darling Harbour
Authority, member of the senate of the
University of Sydney and chairman of
the Sydney Opera House Trust, likes to
wander around in jeans and barefoot at
weekends.
He takes delight in retreating to a
second house next door in Vaucluse
which has sauna, swimming pool, spa
and silent telephone number. It is like
going away for the weekend.
This second house is light, airy and
open. It was designed by David's wife,
Naomi, and built three years ago. "She
has many talents," David said, "and this
is one. She acted as clerk of works and
has exactly the house she wants."
David Block winds down for the
weekend with the help of a steam bath
and massage on Saturday morning from
a friend who is an osteopath.
He often plays squash on Saturday
afternoons and sometimes on Sundays,
usually with a group of young people
including the family. They might see
something at the Opera. House, a film,
entertain or simply sit in the sun.
"I accept there are people who want a
fast-moving life on weekends. But to me
the good things are very simple."
The second house is for entertaining,
usually in small, comfortable groups;
people drift in and out. Some say the
house is too noisy, he says, but "there
are rooms galore and if you want to be
alone you can."
The Blocks' children — Carolyn, 16,
Jennifer, 18, Susan, 21, and Michael, 23
— all live at home.
Three are at the University of New
South Wales, "notwithstanding I am a
member of the senate of the University
of Sydney," he said. Michael is doing a
Master of Commerce majoring in
Japanese economics, Susan is in her
fourth year of an arts/law degree and
Jennifer is doing first-year science.
Carolyn is in Year 11 at Kambala
Church of England Girls'School.
David said: "The truth is that their
lives are very much organised too. The
ultimate in relaxation for us is not to
plan. At weekends you can come up for
air and talk to each other. The house is
like a busy hotel during the week. At
weekends it relaxes down to a charming
family one."
On Sunday mornings the aim is to get .
up as late as possible, usually around 9
am. Breakfast is more; like brunch on,
both days.
The house is filled with music and the
sounds of the television set. David Block
finds great pleasure in catching up with
the week's programs, watching when it
suits him. Hill Street Blues is generally
videotaped, as is Mother and Son with
Ruth Cracknell and Garry McDonald
and The Gentle Touch. Quite often he
watches the Channel 0 news.
The new house has an audio system
and the family has a large collection of
tapes, including David's opera collection
and "every kind of modern music"
collected by the children.
VThat's partly the pleasure of my
family," David said. "They introduce
things which might otherwise pass me
by. I've had huge lasting pleasure from
the: Beatles, for instance, but I
discovered Boy George myself in
England. The pleasure is in the
sharing."
Squash is his only active sport. "It has
huge advantages for people working the
hours we do and is very convenient when
time is at a premium." He is mad about
cricket and is a member at the Sydney
Cricket Ground. David enjoys football,
Union above League, and will go to the
occasional schoolboy match.
He says he is a lazy sailor and although
he enjoys the water he does not want to
own or have to maintain a boat.
From his days as an Australian film
commissioner (1978-81) David has
retained a love of films and he has seen,
everything from Star Wars and Raiders
of the Lost Ark to The Hit.
He spends an enormous amount of
time at the Opera House and always goes
to the Shell Folkloric festivals but avoids
"black tie dos which interfere with the
disorderliness and on weekends, to a
large extent, the choice is mine. The
creature is always time and on weekends
suddenly there is time." □
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