It is an exciting time for Morris as we welcome Rodney Molla to the CEO position.

You have been with us for five weeks and managed to visit a number of sites and met most of the managers at the conference in Hobart … thoughts so far?

Really good company and lots of good people, lots of good team dynamics and a good feel for the Morris family which is great. A lot of good will with clients and our local relationships with our teams. There is a good feel at the Brisbane and Perth offices too.

Did you have any expectations and how did the reality compare?

The main thing is that it is a business that has come from a private owned business and now has Catalyst investment. It is working well at the board level, great at a company level and it hasn’t had a real impact at the sites. The sites just get on and do their thing, so that’s great.

Had you visited a remote site prior to visiting a Morris site?

I’ve been to a number of sites before. I’ve visited BMA sites in Qld and BHP and also some Anglo sites. Morris is most definitely at least on par and in most cases better it is fair to say.

On your recent site visits, what did you find to be your weakness at the buffet?

I’m a big fan of good, sweet, fresh pineapple. So anyone who has delicious fresh pineapple on their buffet is going to get top marks from me.

I’ve heard that you have three rules that are very important to you. What are they?

Safety, quality and efficiency. The safety of our people and also the food safety element. We maintain the safety of our people and also the safety of our customers in terms of food safety. The second is quality, we perform our work well! We don’t take short cuts, we do it the right time the first time. We serve good food, we clean our rooms well, we invoice accurately, we answer the phones professionally, we do spreadsheets well. What ever we do we need to make sure we are doing a quality job. Thirdly, we are here to operate efficiently. We spend money like its our own, we don’t waste money and we continually look at ways to minimise and eliminate waste and we are focused commercially. So getting the order of safety, quality, efficiency right is key. It is challenging to do at times but if the entire company is thinking that way and we can hold ourselves accountable for those things, we’ll be ok.

Those values tie in really well to Morris core values. Have you carried these rules throughout your career?

I have. I must say I learned these in the brewing industry but I come from a food service background which is what Morris is famous for. The values fit with what we do here.

So you have a Bachelor of Applied Science, what did you want to be when you grew up?

Yes, I have a Bachelor of Applied Science with a major in mircro biology. I started out working in a Pathology lab doing clinical microbiology, clinical haematology and clinical bio-chemistry, and I did it for six years. I’ve also completed a Masters of Business Administration and I’ve also done a graduate diploma in Operations Management. And I’ve done it all part time which means 13 years part time study. I really wanted to be a brewer when I was in high school and I eventually got into the brewing industry.

What is your favourite drink?

My absolute favourite drink is of course, beer, specifically, Hahn premium, which is one of my brews I worked on a long time ago.

So Rod, you are a family man with four children. How do you maintain work life harmony.

I have a view that I work hard during the week and dedicate the weekend to my family. At the moment my family is living in Sydney so I don’t get to see them during the week but when I’m home, I dedicate my time to spending time with them. I also find getting up early and working out to help in this area too. It is something I do that is just for me and going for a run or going for a swim is my time to switch off for a little bit.

I’m not sure if you’ve noticed this but here at Morris we refer to each other by nick names. Usually the nick name is our surname. For example, Fiona’s nick name is ‘Berko’, Peter Filshie is “Filsh’

No, I wasn’t aware of that.

Over your career your have spent a lot of time in both Sydney and Brisbane. Cockroach or Canetoad?

Cockraoch! I was born and bred in Sydney. I will support NSW (particularly rugby league) until the day I die. I still support NSW in Rugby Union but not as passionately as I do the League. Cronulla Sharks is the NRL team I support and Southern Districts is the club rugby team I support. I also cheer on the NSW Warratahs … and of course … the Blues!

So all of our Western Australian readers are wondering about your AFL alliances?

AFL is an interesting game, but I don’t know much about it. I’ve been to a couple of grand finals in Melbourne, I’ve watched the Sydney Swans and I’ve even been to the Gabba to watch the Lions. Sydney Swans is the team I support.

What was your first job?

I got my first job when I was fifteen and it was manually putting the inserts into the Sunday paper.

What was your career highlight to date?

Winning Grand Champion Beer at the Australian Beer Awards. While I’m a brewer by trade, by this stage of my career I was operations director for Lion Nathan, so I felt a huge sense of accomplishment that having lead the team to the victory.

Can you share any tips or challenges that you’ve faced along the way?

Tips: treat people how you want to be treated. Lead people how you want to be lead. We’re all part of a team and everyone has a boss, so try and be the boss or leader that you would like.

Challenges: You’ve got to have perseverance, you have to be prepared to have tough, hard days and enjoy the good times. You have to prepared after tough times to get back up. Perseverance is pretty key.

What do you like to do in your spare time?

Spend time with the kids. I enjoy getting out on the surf ski which I paddle for fitness.

What is the best advice you’ve ever received?

You manage processes and machines but you lead people. A lot of people try and manage other people but if you think in these terms, you’ll be ok.

Can you describe your ideal holiday?

A nice boat, warm weather, cold beer and my family.

Name five people dead or alive you’d invite to a dinner party.

Barak Obama, John Bertram (Americas Cup Skipper), Don Bradman, Kerri Packer, Reg Gasnier

Anything you’d like to add?

I’m looking forward to many, many years of success with everyone in the Morris Team.

The North West Tee Ball Championship was held in Tom Price 17-19 September. Morris assisted the association by providing the players and team officials (300 in total) with a make-your-own breakfast pack at each accommodation venue throughout Tom Price. Participants received a range of cereals, bread with spreads, butter, juice boxes along with tea, coffee and sugar sachets. Tee-ball was the winner of the day! It may be cliché but after the fun 300 people had at the recent Northwest Champs Tournament in Tom Price, it certainly was true!

A note from the organisers:

“While the honours went to Wickham (juniors), Port Hedland (intermediate) and Wickham (seniors), everyone had a great time and went away with memories made to last! Tom Price’s very own seniors team took the Ros Jones Shield, given to the athletes that showed the greatest level of sportsmanship during the Tournament. As always sponsors played a major part in the success of the Tournament.  Through providing all the supplies for the athletes’ breakfasts at five locations, the fantastic folk of Morris Corporation made sure this Tee Ball army marched on full stomachs! Thanks Morris Corporation … see you around the diamond! “

Jo Heptinstall (Tom Price Tee Ball Association)

“We must thank Morris Corporation for the outstanding contribution they made to the Tournament. Their contribution came at the 11th hour and made all the difference to the experience the athletes had at the Tournament”

Kathy Farmer (Association Secretary)

The Fusion Festival is a local event held annually in Newman which celebrates multiculturalism by way of food and music. All of the proceeds from the day go to support local schools.

Together with Celebrity Chef, Mark Olive, Morris Chef’s (Kurt, Craig  & Andrew) taught 50 kids how to make damper. After the kids had their fun, Mark then showcased approximately 30 bush herbs and spices, explaining where they all come from and passing them around the crowd for people to taste.

The final event in the cooking pavilion was a cooking competition where each of the Morris Chef’s teamed up with locals to create a three course meal, incorporating the spices into variou cuisines.

“It was quite a tiring day but all of us thought it was definitely well worth the experience. Seeing the kids be inspired and have a great time was a highlight for me!” Andrew Paton (Morris Chef)

Milimika Festival was held on the weekend of the 3 – 5 of August on the Tiwi Islands. This event is an annual event celebrating the Culture and Traditions of the Tiwi Islands. Morris Corporation provided sponsorship for this event. The sponsorship provided catering which was carried out by Adam Clark, his assistants and students from Tiwi College. Also bands playing at the event for the three days.

The three days provided entertainment for the numerous visitors that came to the island to experience the Tiwi Islands and the wealth of Culture and Tradition that exist there. We would like to be able to continue to assist in providing support to the Tiwi Island Council as they showcase their Culture and Traditions to the wider community.

From all accounts the event was a success with all participants looking forward to the 2013 event.

Thank You Morris Corporation! (By Denise Officer)

As with all of the cultural and sporting activity of the Tiwi Islands, events and celebrations appear to be organised at the last minute.  And, while taxing and stressful – not knowing if there was enough accommodation and capacity to feed many guests, it was a pleasure to work with a company team who understand this way of working, Morris demonstrated a great ability to make things happen “yesterday”.

Making it happen – think on your feet, decisions based on trusting relationships, hand in hand with the essentials that contributes to an economy where there is little.

On behalf of The Tiwi Islands Shire Council we thank you for your participation and generous contribution to the Tiwi Islands making our festival the success that it was.

Denise Officer Events Manager Tiwi Islands Shire Council

By Lance Morich

NAIDOC stands for the National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee. Its origins can be traced to the emergence of Aboriginal groups in the 1920’s which sought to increase awareness of the status and treatment of Indigenous Australians in the wider community.

NAIDOC Week took place from 1 – 7 July 2012.  Morris provided some Indigenous food including the kangaroo, crocodile and emu for the events that were organised across the Pilbara sites. Our chefs prepared the cuisine for the barbecue and there was an Indigenous Band who entertained village residents on progressive evenings throughout the sites.

Robert McVicker talks to the Courier Mail about ‘sustaining working communities’ – particularly considering the Queensland resource boom.

“We just see a tremendous future,” says Morris Corporation boss Robert McVicker.

The Courier Mail, 24 Feb 2012

We are talking about recordable incidents of course!

Morris has just achieved a national result of ZERO recordable incidents for the month of January.

The recent achievements could not have been happened without the support of our staff, and the January 2012 event caps off a range of achievements across our sites including:

A number of sites – over 100 days incident free

Pluto, WA – 145,000 recordable man hours incident free – and counting!

Fiona Berkin would like to thank all staff for all their efforts and ongoing contribution to HSE initiatives and Morris is proud of our ongoing achievements in this area.

Fourteen Indigenous trainees from AWC Carey have begun their first on-site training with Morris Corporation one of our sites in the Pilbara. The six week training program enables participants to gain a Certificate III in Hospitality.

The students met Andrew Forrest of FMG on Sunday the 11th of December (Pictured below). Andrew visited Christmas Creek to speak to contractors on site, and spoke to the trainees and offered words of encouragement.

From all accounts, the trainees have completed their tasks with the same enthusiasm they had from the day they first arrived on site.

Welcome to the Morris team to everyone, and keep up the great work!

For the past seventeen years, the Telstra Business Women’s  Awards has celebrated some of Australia’s most amazing women. Fiona Berkin, Morris Managing Director has attended the awards ceremony in the past as a guest, but this year was nominated for the awards by Gail Gorry of Tieri cleaning. The submission began with an online questionnaire, followed by a phone interview, then a face-to-face panel interview. While on her honeymoon Fiona was nominated as a finalist in the Hudson private category along with Susan Buckley of QIC and Deborah McKern of Seasons Living Australia.

In Fiona’s absence, Les Seaton attended the awards luncheon. There were some giggles in the crowd when the speaker called Fiona to accept the finalist trophy and Les walked up on stage to collect it. Congratulations goes to Susan Buckley of QIC who was winner of the category.

Fiona says “I’m ecstatic with being a finalist. In the position I’m in, it’s typical to always be looking forward, thinking ten steps ahead. The process of being nominated  in the 2011 Telstra Business Women’s Awards forced me to look back on my achievements and reflect on my career. It was an exercise I enjoyed.”

The prestigious awards ceremony, held at the Sofitel in Brisbane’s CBD, acknowledges the State’s best privately owned businesses, assessing their profitability, turnover, assets and staff numbers.

The unique Q400 list provides public recognition of the achievements of Queensland’s home grown entrepreneurs and business heroes. In 2006, Morris earned a ranking of 133. Each year since, Morris has moved up in the rankings. In 2007 Morris was 39, in 2008 we were 21, in 2009, 16. Morris was one of the big movers in the list moving up four rankings to be number twelve and last year. We finally cracked the top ten in 2011 ranking number seven.

In addition to the outstnading ranking Morris also picked up the “Global Star” category award.