29/08/2026
The last six weeks have taught me a lot about dignity, leadership and simply doing what needs to be done.
Personally, they have been some of the hardest weeks of my life.
At work, they haven’t been much easier.
For an extended period, Tia and I found ourselves effectively running a four-manager store with just the two of us.
There were long days. There was pressure. There was plenty happening outside those four walls that neither of us could simply switch off.
But the store still had to open.
The customers still deserved to be looked after.
The team still needed leadership.
And the job still needed to be done.
So we did it.
We didn’t spend our time complaining about what we didn’t have. We didn’t sit around waiting for somebody to rescue us. We knew the people above us had enormous challenges of their own, including the work involved in opening more than 40 stores across Victoria and South Australia.
So Tia and I worked with what we had.
And, strangely enough, our differences probably made us stronger.
Tia is exceptionally good at giving direction, making a plan and keeping things moving.
I tend to lean more toward the people — checking in, listening, encouraging, keeping the team together and making sure people know their effort matters.
Different styles. Same objective.
And somehow, together with an incredible group of people around us, we made it work.
That brings me back to something Dad taught me growing up.
There will be times in life when things aren’t fair, convenient or easy.
You can complain about the weight you’ve been given to carry, or you can stand up, carry it with dignity and do what needs to be done.
That doesn’t mean you never accept help.
It means you don’t wait helplessly for somebody else to solve your problems.
You take responsibility for what is in front of you.
You keep your word.
You look after the people beside you.
And you get the job done.
I couldn’t be prouder of Tia, and I couldn’t be prouder of our team.
Through an incredibly demanding six weeks, people stepped up. They looked after one another. They worked hard. They laughed when we needed to laugh. And when things became difficult, we behaved less like a collection of employees and more like a family.
We got through it together.
This week also marks the beginning of the next chapter as we welcome Kathleen and Corrine to our management team.
Kathleen brings previous Choice store-management experience with her, so it’s largely a matter of refreshing what she already knows.
Corrine comes to us with significant retail experience from Coles and Baby Bunting and now gets to learn the slightly different game that is Choice.
More importantly, they are both genuinely lovely people, and I think they are going to fit beautifully into our team.
Welcome, Kathleen and Corrine.
And to Tia and every member of our team who helped carry the load over the last six weeks:
Thank you.
Sometimes character isn’t demonstrated by what you say when life is easy.
It is demonstrated by how you carry yourself when life becomes hard.
With dignity.
With honour.
With responsibility.
And by simply doing what needs to be done.
