20-06-2006
New Members' Vocations
Jeiji was one of the 4 new members to speak on their vocations.
Geoff Hayman
Geoff went to uni in 1978, graduating in 1983. He worked in the small north NSW
towns of Manilla and Barraba for a while, but now has his own practice in Revesby.
Dentistry has changed over time, with the main emphasis now being on conservation.
Geoff noted that it is necessary to keep up with changing practices, such as procedures
and materials used. And - although he's not sure why he chose dentistry - he obtains a
lot of satisfaction from doing a good job.
Charles Garcia
Charles' parents were born in Chile, but came here when quite young during Pinochet's
dictatorship. When Charles was born with a cleft palate, his parents were told that he
may never speak. Some of the hardship that came from dealing with this problem (such as
the number of operations and dealing with peers) made Charles a very determined and
ambitious person. So, although he "wasn't crash-hot at school", Charles parlayed his
determination into a job in Real Estate, then opened his own agency 5 years ago (largely on
a shoe-string budget) and becoming a Member of the
Real Estate Institute. Charles also speaks fluent
Spanish (thanks to his parents) and halting Greek (thanks to his lovely bride).
Maurie Abbott
Maurie is currently 57, having worked for himself for the last 31 years. He did an electrical
apprenticeship but left his trade when 20. In 1983, he helped a friend get into scaffolding, saw the
possiblities, and entered the field himself. He now has offices in Sydney and Brisbane, and is
looking at Melbourne. His firm currently supplies scaffolding to Kennards Australia wide, as well as many
other firms throughout the world. Initially, the firm used purely Australian materials, but found
that its suppliers were all going to China. After find that he could get an 81% reduction, Maurie started
to form direct links with the Chinese firms. 3 years ago, Maurie started his own factory in China (currently
employing 25 people). That decision made him competitive all around the world, leading to his current
rapid expansion.
Jeiji Abbott
Jeiji is a graduate in civil engineering who originates from the Philippines. She has been involved in
building roads, bridges, and flyovers in the Philippines, but would need to do Australian certification
before working in Australia. Consequently, she isn't involved in engineering any more, instead
assisting Maurie occasionally in the office.
Last changed: 03:16:17 04-10-2008