*DEBUNKING FAINE, APOLLO’S COLLECTION WAS NOT THROWN OUT*
*PHOTO: PAUL’S PRIVATE WAREHOUSE, A DISPLAY WALL (ELEVATED VIEW), 6m HIGH, 15m LONG, EXTENDING IN SECTIONS 3m DEEP. THIS WAS VIEWED BY FAINE IN 2017, PRIOR TO START WRITING THE BOOK IN 2020. YET FAINE FALSELY CLAIMED THAT PAUL DISPOSED OF MIGHTY APOLLO'S ITEMS AFTER HIS DEATH. THE PHOTO CLEARLY SHOWS THIS IS DISGRACEFUL, UNTRUE FALSE STORY CREATION.*
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APOLLO & THELMA: A TRUE TALL TALE
*ACCORDING TO APOLLO’S SON PAUL, FAINE FALSELY QUOTED HIM, REGARDING THE DISPOSAL OF HIS FATHER’S COLLECTION. THE AUTHOR CLAIMED PAUL, AFTER APOLLO’S FUNERAL, THREW OUT ALL THE USLESS, OLD MACHINES THAT HE HATED. THIS WAS DONE ALLEGEDLY TO DECLUTTER THE GYM, TO MODERNISE & BRING IN MORE CLIENTS.
*FUTHER, FAINE WROTE THAT PAUL WENT WENT CRAZY, THROWING EVERYTHING AWAY & DID NOT KNOW WHAT HE WAS DOING. THIS IMPLIED NOT ONLY EQUIPMENT, BUT ALSO APOLLO’S MEMORABILIA.
*PAUL SAID HE DIDN‘T SAY THIS TO FAINE AT ALL. THIS WAS TOTALLY FAKE, STORY BUILDING ON THE WRITER’S BEHALF. PAUL STATED HIS ACTIONS BEFORE & AFTER APOLLO’S DEATH, CAN BE SUPPORTED IN PHOTOS WITHIN THIS SECTION.
*PAUL BROUGHT A WAREHOUSE IN 2015 & CONVERTED IT. THE PURPOSE WAS TO HOUSE HIS FATHER’S HUGE, HISTORICAL COLLECTION. THIS HAD MOSTLY BEEN IN SECURITY STORAGE, FROM 2002, AFTER MOVING FROM THE WEST MELBOURNE GYM.
*THE PHOTO ABOVE, TAKEN AT PAUL’S PRIVATE WAREHOUSE, DEPICTS A MASSIVE WALL, DISPLAYING AN ABUNDANCE OF MEMORABILIA, WHICH IS ALL TIGHTLY PLACED. THIS COLLECTION WOULD NOT EXIST, IF FAINE’S QUOTE REGARDING PAUL WAS TRUE. IT WOULD NEVER HAVE BEEN MADE.
*FURTHER, APOLLO’S OTHER TWO SONS, MARK & BRUCE, HAVE MANY ITEMS OF THEIR FATHERS. THESE INCLUDE WEAPONS, PHOTOS, POSTERS, PERFORMANCE ATTIRE & GYM EQUIPMENT (PERSONALISED WEIGHTS & BARBELLS).*
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* GYM OPERATES, BARELY ALTERED, 7YRS AFTER APOLLO’S PASSING*
*PHOTOS: TOP PHOTO 1998, APOLLO GYM WEST MELB, SHOWS PAUL, APOLLO’S SON, WITH A PT CLIENT. PHOTO BELOW IT, 1988, 10 YRS PRIOR, IS TAKEN AT THE SAME PERSPECTIVE. THIS IS DURING APOLLO’S LIFE TIME. COMPARING THE PHOTOS, THEY ARE VERY SIMILAR. MEMORABILIA & EQUIPMENT IS HARDLY ALTERED. THE GYM CONTENTS WERE NOT THROWN OUT, AS FAINE WOULD HAVE YOU BELIEVE.*
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APOLLO & THELMA: A TRUE TALL TALE
*PAUL LIVED IN THE WEST MELBOURNE GYM FROM MID 1992 TO 2002. IN 1992, HE MOVED IN TO LOOK AFTER APOLLO, WHO WAS ILL . PAUL STAYED IN ONE OF THE PORTIONED FRONT ROOMS, APOLLO, IN THE MAIN ROOM ATTACHED. SO MUCH FOR FAINE’S CLAIM, THAT THERE WAS NO WHERE FOR THE SONS TO STAY IN THE GYM & THAT CONDITIONS WERE SHABBY.
*APOLLO PASSED AWAY MARCH 1995, PAUL LIVED & RAN THE WEST MELBOURNE GYM FOR ANOTHER 7 YEARS. NO EQUIPMENT, OR MEMORABILIA WAS THROWN OUT AFTER APOLLO’S FUNERAL. FAINE’S QUOTE CLAIM A FABRICATION.
*THE EQUIPMENT WAS ALL HIGHLY FUNCTIONAL (AS SHOWN IN THE WEST MELBOURNE GYM CHAPTER) & THOUGH NOT FLASHY, WAS UP TO DATE FOR THIS TIME PERIOD. THIS MEANT THERE WAS NO NEED TO REPLACE & DISPOSE OF THE TRAINING APPARATUS. FURTHER, EQUIPMENT WAS HARD TO SOURCE DURING THIS ERA, LARGELY NOT MADE IN AUSTRALIA & EXPENSIVE.
*PHOTO TOP, 1998, 4YRS AFTER APOLLO’S DEATH, SHOWS THE WEST MELBOURNE GYM STILL OPERATIONAL, (PAUL WIT PT CLIENT). EQUIPMENT FROM APOLLO’S ERA IS STILL BEING USED , WHICH IS VISIBLE IN THE PHOTO TAKEN 10 YRS PRIOR. SAME POSTERS ADORN THE WALLS. A FEW NEW PIECES HAD BEEN ADDED OVER TIME. THERE WAS NO NEED TO THROW OUT WHAT WORKED.*
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*APOLLO’S EQUIPMENT NOT THROWN AWAY, IT WAS PART OF NEW GYM*
*PHOTOS: ONCE MOVING FROM THE HAWKE ST GYM END OF 2001, THE APOLLO PERSONAL TRAINING GYM WAS SET UP IN YARRAVILLE. PICTURED TOP, MIGHTY APOLLO’S GYM EQUIPMENT VISIBLE IN THE NEW CENTRE. HIS CHROME MULTI STATION MACHINE, WHICH STOOD OUT IN MANY OF APOLLO’S GYM PHOTOS, SEEN LEFT CENTRE OF SHOT. PHOTO BELOW, IS PRIVATE BACKYARD AREA OF STUDIO. APOLLO’S OLD SIGNS MOUNTED, LARGE SHED AT BACK, HOUSES MORE OF APOLLO‘S EQUIPMENT. SOME WAS USED IN OUTSIDE TRAINING, OR JUST STORED. APOLLO’S “OLD” EQUIPMENT WAS NOT THROWN OUT, AS FAINE WOULD HAVE YOU BELIEVE.*
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APOLLO & THELMA: A TRUE TALL TALE
*THE DECISION WAS MADE IN 2001, TO MOVE FROM THE RENTED WEST MELBOURNE GYM FLOOR SPACE. PAUL BELIEVED HIS DAYS WERE NUMBERED AT WEST MELBOURNE, AS BUILDINGS IN THE AREA WERE BEING TURNED INTO APARTMENTS.
*A SHOP WAS PURCHASED IN YARRAVILLE & RENOVATED. IT WAS CONVERTED INTO A PT STUDIO. THE SPACE WAS 110SQM. AROUND 300SQM SMALLER THAN THE WEST MELBOURNE GYM. EQUIPMENT HAD TO BE DOWNSCALED.
*CONTRARY TO FAINE’S DEPICTION, IT WAS A WELL THOUGHT OUT TRANSITION. MACHINES & WEIGHTS WERE MOVED TO THE NEW PREMISE. EQUIPMENT THAT DID NOT FIT, WAS STORED IN A LARGE SHED AT PAUL’S RESIDENCE & SIMILARLY AT HIS BUSINESS PARTNERS.
*OTHER PEICES WERE SOLD TO VARIOUS CONTACTS. NOTHING WAS THROWN OUT. MEMORABILIA WAS SIMILARLY STORED AT PAUL’S RESIDENCE & IN LOCK UP SECURITY STORAGE.
*DURING THIS MOVING PROCESS, A FRIEND BROUGHT IN AN ANTIQUES DEALER. HE BROUGHT THE BED OF NAILS, SOME HAMMERS & A BOARD. THESE WERE NOT THROWN IN A DUMPSTER & THEN RETRIEVED, AS CLAIMED IN THE BOOK.
*THE BED OF NAILS WAS SOLD, BECAUSE IT WAS DANGEROUS & TOO AWKWARD TO STORE. AT THE TIME, PAUL ALSO THOUGHT THERE WOULD BE NO WHERE TO SAFELY DISPLAY THIS ITEM. THE BOARD & HAMMERS SOLD, BECAUSE THERE WERE MANY DUPLICATES & STORAGE SPACE WAS LIMITED.
*IN AN INTERVIEW FOR THE BOOK, PAUL GAVE THIS INFORMATION TO FAINE. HOWEVER, THIS IS NOTHING LIKE FAINE’S RE TELLING OF THE MOVING PROCESS. HE FALSELY SAID PAUL WENT CRAZY, THROWING EVERYTHING OUT. FURTHER THIS WAS END OF 2001, NOT AFTER APOLLO’S FUNERAL, 1995.
*IT IS ALSO IMPORTANT TO NOTE, THAT SOME OF APOLLO’S WEIGHTS & MACHINES, ARE STILL IN USE TODAY, AT THE APOLLO GYM, 30 YRS AFTER HIS PASSING. A SELECTION OF OTHER EQUIPMENT PIECES, ARE USED BY PAUL AT HIS PERSONAL WAREHOUSE.*
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*APOLLO OBJECTS RETRIEVAL, FURTHER FAINE FACTIOUS CONTENT*
*PHOTO: SCREEN SHOT, OF A TEXT MESSAGE (DATED DAY OF BOOK LAUNCH) FROM THOSE WHO ASSISTED PAUL IN RETRIEVING A COUPLE OF APOLLO’S ITEMS. MESSAGE FORWARDED IS FROM LEIGH, WHO SPOTTED MEMORABILIA & PAST ON ROB’S CONTACT, THE DEALER. ROB, (A PARTNER IN THE ANTIQUE BUSINESS) WHEN INFORMED OF FAINE’S MEMORABILIA BOOK CLAIMS, (AND OTHERS) MAKES IT MORE THAN CLEAR IN THIS TEXT, THAT FAINE HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH THE RETRIEVAL OF ANY OBJECTS. FUTHER THAT THE AUTHOR’S CONTENT IN THE BENDIGO CHAPTER WAS UNTRUE.*
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APOLLO AND THELMA: A TRUE TALL TALE
*THE FOLLOWING IS THE TRUTH REGARDING THE BENDIGO SWAP MEET, NOT PRESENT IN FAINE’S BOOK.
*IN 2011, FAINE AT THE BENDIGO SWAP MEET, DID SEE THE BED OF NAILS THERE. A SELLER & COLLECTABLES TRADER HAD BROUGHT THIS (ALONG WITH AN APOLLO BOARD & SOME SLEDGE HAMMERS), FROM ANTHOR ANTIQUE DEALER.
*FAINE WROTE THAT THE DEALER STATED, HE HAD BROUGHT THE APOLLO ITEMS FROM A PREVIOUS TRADER FRIEND, WHO HAD RETRIEVED THEM FROM THE SKIP AT THE APOLLO GYM. THE CURRENT TRADER, SAID THERE WAS SUPPOSEDLY A HORDE OF ITEMS THAT WERE CLUTTERING HIS SHED, THAT NEEDED TO BE SOLD.
*PAUL & ROB, SAID THIS INFORMATION WAS NOT RELAYED TO FAINE AT ALL.
FIRSTLY, AS ESTABLISHED, NOTHING WAS THROWN OUT BY PAUL. SECONDLY, ONLY A FEW ITEMS OF MEMORABILIA (AS DISCUSSED), WERE SOLD, AS A RESULT, THERE WAS NO CLUTTERING OF THE SELLERS SHED. FURTHER, THE SALE OF ITEMS, WAS DUE TO THE CLOSURE OF THE HOME BUSINESS.
*THE AUTHOR THEN BRAGS, THAT HE PAST THE TRADER’S NUMBER ON TO PAUL & THAT THE APOLLO MEMORABILIA WAS THEN RETRIEVED. FAINE THEN PATTED HIMSELF ON THE BACK, SAYING HE HAD DONE THE RIGHT THING.
*THE TRUTH OF THE MATTER IS NOT A HERO PIECE FOR FAINE, AS HIS BOOK SUGGESTS.
*ON SEEING THE ITEMS AT THE BENDIGO SWAP MEET, FAINE CALLED PAUL. HE HAD NOT SPOKEN TO FAINE FOR SOME 16YRS (LAST CONTACTING HIM REGARDING APOLLO’S DEATH) & WAS SURPRISED.
*PAUL SAID FAINE HAD SEEN THE ITEMS & ASKED IF HE WANTED THEM BACK. PAUL’S RESPONSE WAS IT WOULD BE GREAT & WANTED THE DEALERS NUMBER TO DICUSS THE RETURN. HE DID NOT SAY HE WOULD PAY ANYTHING TO GET THE ITEMS BACK, AS WRITTEN IN THE BOOK. PAUL IS AN ASTUTE BUSINESSMAN & WOULD NOT PLAY THIS OVER KEEN, OPEN HANDED APPROACH.
*ACCORDING TO PAUL, FAINE WOULD NOT GIVE HIM THE NUMBER, SAYING HE WANTED TO ORGANISE THE PROCESS. OVER A COUPLE OF MONTHS & AROUND 3 PHONE CALLS, FAINE GAVE EVERY REASON NOT TO CONECT HIM WITH THE DEALER.
*PAUL SAID THIS GATE KEEPER BEHAVIOUR CAUSED HIM MUCH DISTRESS & HE WISHED FAINE HAD NEVER APPROACHED HIM. PAUL WAS BEGINNING TO RESIGN HIMSELF, THAT HE WOULD NEVER GET THE MEMORABILIA BACK. HE SAID HE FELT LIKE A STARVING HOMELESS PERSON, IN FRONT OF A RESTAURANT, BEING TOLD HE WAS GOING TO BE FEED, BUT BEING CONSTANTLY TOLD TO WAIT.
*NONE OF THIS WAS IN FAINE’S BOOK. IT WAS ONLY BY CHANCE, THAT A FRIEND & MEMBER OF PAUL’S GYM, LEIGH (THE ABOVE TEXT SENDER) VISTED THE DEALERS HOUSE. IT WAS THEN THAT THE DEALER ASKED LEIGH IF HE KNEW APOLLO’S SON & COULD HE SHARE COMMUNICATION DETAILS.
*THE NUMBER WAS PASSED ON THE SAME DAY & CONTACT MADE. THE ITEMS WERE BROUGHT BACK THE FOLLOWING DAY. ALL THIS WITHOUT FAINE’S ASSISTANCE, WHICH WAS BLOCKING THE WHOLE PROCESS.
*PAUL AFTER RETRIEVING THE BED OF NAILS, BOARD & SOME HAMMERS, CONTACTED FAINE BY PHONE, INFORMING HIM OF THE PROCESS. TO THIS, PAUL SAID FAINE WAS SHORT ON THE PHONE, SOUNDING DISAPPOINTED.
*ACCORDING TO PAUL, FAINE SAID HE WANTED TO ORGANISE EVERYTHING & BE THERE WHEN PAUL CLAIMED THE ITEMS. SPOKEN LIKE A TRUE CONTROL FREAK.
*THIS WAS LEFT OUT OF FAINE’S BOOK. HE FURTHER FANTASISES, THAT THANKS TO HIM, PAUL FINALLY HAD A TRIBUTE SITE AT HIS FOOTSCRAY GYM, ALBIET A SMALL ONE. THIS IS TOTALLY FALSE & DISRESPECTFUL TO THE FAMILY. AS SHOWN IN PHOTOS, PAUL HAS ALWAYS HAD A MASSIVE APOLLO PRIVATE COLLECTION, WHICH FAINE VIEWED.
*FURTHER, NONE OF THIS MEMORABILIA WAS ON PUBLIC DISLAY IN A 24 HR GYM AS CLAIMED, WHERE IT COULD GO MISSING. THE COLLECTION WAS KEEPT AT PAUL’S PRIVATE WAREHOUSE. AS SHOWN IN PREVIOUS SECTIONS, ONLY REPRODUCTION POSTERS FROM APOLLO’S PRESS BOOKS ADORNED THE GYM, ONCE AGAIN VIEWED BEFORE BOOK WRITING IN 2017 (SEE PHOTOS BELOW).
*APON RELAYING ALL THE ABOVE BOOK INFORMATION TO LEIGH & THE DEALER (DAY OF BOOK LAUNCH), THE ABOVE SCREEN SHOT TEXT WAS RECEIVED. IN NO UNCERTAIN TERMS, THE TEXT DEBUNKS ALL OF FAINE’S HERO CLAIMS, FURTHER EXPOSING HIS BOOK AS A FAIRY TALE.*
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*FAINE EXPOSED BY EMAILS REGARDING APOLLO MUSEUM DISPLAY*
*PHOTO TOP: JUST SOME OF APOLLO’S MEMORABILIA AT PAUL’S PRIVATE WAREHOUSE, SHOWN AT GROUND LEVEL. FAINE SAW THIS, YET FICTITIOUSLY WROTE THAT PAUL ONLY HAD A SMALL TRIBUTE SITE AFTER DISPOSING OF HIS FATHERS COLLECTION. THIS PHOTO, ALONG WITH SIMLAR, COULD HAVE BEEN PLACED IN THE BOOK. SUCH IMAGES WERE LEFT OUT, AS THEY DIDN’T ALIGN WITH THE AUTHOR’S TALL TALE. BOTTOM PHOTO, SHOWS APOLLO GYM IN 2017, WITH PRESS BOOK REPRODUCTION IMAGES ON THE WALL.*
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APOLLO & THELMA: A TRUE TALL TALE
*10/2/21 FAINE: “I had a phone conference with the senior person at the museum today. They are going ahead with a four to six month exhibition on Apollo to coincide with the book release..it will feature many of the iconic objects that Paul has retained..bed of nails, death boards, head spinner, press books, clothing, championship belts & so on”
*3/3/21 FAINE: “….I had a meeting with the curator at the Melbourne Museum today. The space they have in mind for what is called ‘pop-up’ exhibits is modest- about the size of a large multiple car garage.. about 15 meters by 20 metres. I showed him the photos I had taken of the objects at Paul’s- Tomb board, the bed of nails & the wall posters, trophies, scrap books of course medallions & sashes etc”
*FAINE IN THE EARLY BOOK CREATION STAGES, PROPOSED AN IDEA OF A MUSEUM EXHIBITION TO THE SONS. THIS WAS TO PROMOTE THE BOOK WHEN RELEASED.
*EMAILS FROM THE AUTHOR CONCERNING THE EXHIBIT (AS SEEN ABOVE), HIGHLIGHT THAT PAUL HAD RETAINED MANY OF APOLLO’S BELONGINGS OVER THE YEARS. HE EVEN LISTED A NUMBER OF THEM SPECIFICALLY.
*AN EMAIL MENTIONS A DISPLAY AREA OF 15M BY 20M. THIS COULD NOT BE FILLED WITH ONLY A FEW MEMENTOS.
*FAINE’S OWN WORDS IN THESE EMAILS, PULLS APART HIS BOOK NARRATIVE, THAT PAUL ONLY HAD A SMALL APOLLO TRIBUTE SITE, DUE TO DISPOSAL.
*THE SONS INITIALLY HAD HANDLING & SECURITY CONCERNS WITH THIS MUSEUM PROJECT. WHEN BLOCKED FROM THE DRAFT VIEWING, THE BROTHERS DECIDED NOT TO GO AHEAD WITH THE IDEA. THEY DID NOT WANT TO CONTRIBUTE TO PUBLICLY BEFORE READING THE BOOK & CHECKING IT FOR FACTUAL CONTENT.
*THE SONS HAD LOST TRUST IN FAINE & THE BOOKS UNKOWN DIRECTION.
THIS PROVED TO BE A WISE DECISION, GIVEN THE FINAL TALL TALE THAT WAS CREATED.
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*WAREHOUSE FULL OF APOLLO HISTORY, CONTRADICTS FAINE STORY*
*PHOTO: WIDE PAN GROUND VIEW, OF MIGHTY APOLLO ITEMS AT PAUL’S WAREHOUSE. THIS IS A CAREFULLY PRESERVED ASSORTMENT OF APOLLO’S POSSESSIONS*
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*APOLLO’S PRESS BOOKS & CLOTHING, PART OF A LARGE LAY OUT*
*PHOTO: SHOWS APOLLO’S PRESS BOOKS & SOME OF HIS CLOTHING. FAINE IN HIS BOOK USED TIGHT SHOTS OF ITEMS. PAUL BELIEVES THE WRITER DID THIS TO DOWNPLAY THE LARGE SCALE OF THE MEMENTOS. YET IF YOU LOOK IN THE BACKGROUND OF THE TIGHT PICTURES WITHIN FAINE’S BOOK, SIGNAGE & VARIETIES OF PERFORMANCE EQUIPMENT, DEFIANTLY SQUEEZES INTO FRAME.*
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