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LOCAL LIFE
ONE OF THE HAWKESBURY’ S FINEST...
41 years back, Neal Hall and Vicki Nagle lobbed at a tennis match when the game was extremely popular in the Hawkesbury, and both netted the love of their lives.
by Greg Martin
I had the unwanted pleasure of first crossing paths with Neal Hall in 1966 during a cricket match at Riverstone’ s Mill Street Reserve, where Rivo High hosted his Richmond High.
I was to batting what Donald Trump is to modesty, so when I went out near the tail-end of our innings to face tearaway Neal Hall, I knew I wouldn’ t be hanging around the crease for long. Neal tore into his run-up and sent the ball flying— well wide of my leg stump, or so I thought. I shuffled across outside off, only to watch the ball cannon into my stumps. Out I went.
Our paths didn’ t cross again for four decades. Work took me out of the Hawkesbury and into the city, then later to Brisbane, Hobart, and the North Coast of NSW.
I eventually joined the very social Hawkesbury Rovers Golf Club— a bunch of veterans who play twice a week. On my first day, as I enjoyed a cold one with fellow member Neal, I thanked whichever god you worship that I didn’ t ask what he’ d been up to since knocking me over back in’ 66. If I had, we’ d still be there at midnight!
Thankfully, I had more time when I visited him and his lovely wife, Vicki, at their Richmond home overlooking
Bensons Lane Sporting Complex— where Neal spent many years playing for Hawkesbury Hawks in the Sydney Grade Cricket competition.
To cover all Neal’ s achievements in those missing four decades would need more than two pages in your favourite local mag. Let’ s just say Neal Hall wasn’ t one to shy away from hard yakka.
After leaving Richmond High with his School Certificate in 1966, Neal jumped straight into the workforce and never looked back. Whether in meatworks, property, or retail, he’ s always managed to come up trumps.
Yep, he’ s been travelling smoothly— not just in business but all over the globe. He and Vicki have visited 68 countries for both work and pleasure.
His CV? Infigo.( That’ s Latin... for something impressive!)
As Neal rattled off his career highlights, my mind drifted to Jeff St John & the Id’ s 1967 hit Big Time Operator:“ Started out a newsboy on the paper, Worked an elevator, drove an excavator, Became a navigator, commentator … Gonna be a big-time operator!”
Neal’ s working life kicked off at Riverstone Meat Works, where he spent 17 years as a wool classer and meat / textile specialist. In 1973, the company sent him overseas for the
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6 ISSUE 181 // JUNE 2025 theindependentmagazine. com. au THE HAWKESBURY INDEPENDENT