Whether it’s a short-term taste test in a different part of the business, or a series of stepping stones from one exciting role to the next, at Morris Group there are so many opportunities available to try your hands at something new.
We caught up with some of our colleagues to hear about their experience trying temporary roles in different Morris Group businesses, or built their entire careers around saying yes to a new adventure.
Brandon Alloway
Level 2 Helpdesk Technician, Morris Technology
I started with Morris Group in August 2018 as a glassy at The Fox Hotel in Brisbane (former Morris Hospitality venue). Over the next four years I quickly rose through the ranks and ended up as one of the Assistant Venue Managers. In 2022, The Fox was impacted by the Brisbane floods which pretty much ruined the building. Myself and a couple of other staff members were offered the opportunity to work at another Morris Group venue, and I ended up going to Mt Mulligan Lodge.
I started at Mt Mulligan as a fill-in Bartender and Guest Services Agent but was flying down to Brisbane regularly to check in on the venue. Eventually it was decided that The Fox wouldn’t reopen so I was offered a contract at Mt Mulligan as a Bar Supervisor and IT supervisor, helping to fix and maintain some of the IT infrastructure at the lodge.
I met with Chris Morris, and he offered me the chance to move to Townsville and take up an IT role with Morris Technology. I accepted and moved to Townsville in November 2022. I worked in a part-time role with Morris Technology on Tuesday to Friday and was also a Duty Manager at Quarterdeck. I ended up going full-time with Morris Technology in January 2023 as a Level 1 Technician and since then I’ve moved to a Level 2 position and I’m currently in the process of completing some network certifications.
I really love learning new things and dipping my toes into all the different projects and opportunities thrown my way. Being able to diversify and learn a new skill is my favourite thing. I’m now able to comfortably manage networks and assist with 90 percent of the computer issues that get assigned ot me. Not to mention, I can make beds like a champion thanks to my time filling in with Housekeeping at Mt Mulligan.
When I first started at The Fox I didn’t really have a clear career plan. I was really just looking for work that would keep me afloat. But once I started making traction in the role, I knew it was what I wanted to do. I really just took every opportunity as it came about. But working in IT has always been my dream job and I’m so grateful that Morris Group was able to make this a reality for me. I’ve been really lucky to have a mentor like Boris Bakchiev (Chief Technology Officer) who’s been a great influence. His knowledge is simply unmatched.
For the future, I’m really happy with my role at Morris Technology. The team here are great and I have very much become attached to Townsville and made this new home. I’m just looking forward to smashing out as many qualifications as I can to gain even more knowledge of the industry and grow my career further.
Caron Hunter
Senior Finance Manager, Morris Group
When I got the opportunity to do a secondment to The Ville, I had been working with Morris Group for over five years. I had always been based in the Melbourne head office and predominantly working on Morris Hospitality as Finance Manager. I love my role working with the pub group and CBCo Brewing, but I was excited to try something new.
Due to changes in the team at The Ville, there was a chance to help support them for two months, while they recruited a new Finance Manager. Although the roles are similar, it was a big change for me working with new teams and on a very different business which is highly regulated due to the casino and gaming licensing requirements.
The idea of doing a secondment was something I’d been talking to Penny Cottle (Morris Group CEO) and Matt Young (The Ville’s General Manager – Finance) but it was always difficult to find a time that was suitable for the business and for me personally. So as soon as the timing for this opportunity worked out, it all happened pretty quickly, and I was packing my suitcase!
It was a really exciting time to be going up to Townsville. Ardo had only opened a few months prior and I was very keen to see the new hotel and stay there, and try the new restaurants. It was also a nice bonus to have some guaranteed sunshine as Melbourne summer was well definitely over. I was a bit nervous that I’d miss my friends and life in Melbourne, which I did a little but, but luckily I had a couple of friends come to visit me while I was there, and I was having so much fun that the time really flew.
One thing that made the experience easier was that the team in Townsville could not have been more welcoming. They were so supportive and made me feel included and part of the team instantly. That wasn’t just the finance team either. It extended to the sales and marketing team who we shared an office with, and to the ops staff who I got to know. After week one, the amazing staff at Terasu knew to have a Singapore Sling ready for me (even on a Monday night they managed to twist my arm). I even got offered a staff ticket to the Pink concert on the weekend I arrived. Everybody really went out of their way to welcome me. It really was lovely.
I loved my time in Townsville. I had initially thought I might travel back to Melbourne a couple of times during the two months, but I actually never came back once. Whilst I thought I was prepared, the one thing I hadn’t anticipated was stepping off the plane and feeling like I’d been wrapped in a warm, damp towel for the first month (March). I looked like I had been for a shower after every morning walk! But luckily the humidity decreased slightly in April and it was a delight. Townsville is a beautiful town and although the hike up Castle Hill almost killed me, I’m glad I did it. I loved waking up to a view of Magnetic Island every morning and the sunrises and sunsets were unreal.
Really, the biggest challenge I had through my whole stint in Townsville was not eating the Japanese donuts at Terasu every night at dinner. I failed pretty regularly. But the most rewarding thing about the experience was feeling like I made an impact. I was able to share my knowledge and experience from Morris Hospitality and implement small changes where I could that made a difference.
Establishing relationships across the group, both in finance and in operations has been really beneficial for me and makes working on group projects a lot easier and more enjoyable now that I’m back in Melbourne. It’s so much easier working with someone you’ve met face to face.
I would 100% recommend anyone to take the opportunity to do a secondment in another part of the business – especially if you have the chance to do something shorter term like mine. It’s not forever and you have your whole life to do the same thing month to month. Take the opportunities to do something different when you get the chance.
Andrew Occhipinti
POS & Inventory Manager, Morris Hospitality
My first official shift with Morris Group was bartending the Surf Jam event at Portsea Hotel in December 2016. I had a friend working there at the time who suggested it as a summer job. That summer job ended up turning into around five and a half years at the venue, give or take the odd European holiday, and a few months bartending at Lucky Coq while Portsea was closed for renovation.
By the start of my third Portsea summer, I was part of the venue management team. Over the next few years, I learnt a lot about managing front-of-house as well as back-of-house skills like stock control, rostering, cash control and banking. Plus, a couple of extra challenges thrown in with Melbourne’s lockdowns and COVID restrictions.
At the beginning of 2022 – the end of my sixth Portsea summer – I was given the opportunity to move into the Venue Manager role at Half Moon, and a few months later was offered the General Manager role. Moving into a GM role came with one of the steepest learning curves. Managing the back end of the business was a completely different skillset. Suddenly I had to understand in far more detail everything to do with financial controls, labour and stock margins, venue maintenance and planning, and most importantly leading a team and being held accountable for the business’ performance. I learned more in that role than in any other job I’ve had before.After a taking a few months off to travel the world, I came back and rejoined the management team at Portsea for another summer before moving into a POS system support role in Shared Services. That eventually led me to my current position as the POS & Inventory Manager for Morris Hospitality.
When I started with Morris Hospitality, I had nothing even close to a career plan. I had graduated uni six months before and had no idea what I was doing next. But I just kept my eyes open for opportunities to progress. Even now I don’t really have a career ‘end goal’. I just always try to do what I enjoy and stick with what I do well.
I’ve been lucky enough to complete a couple of external courses to grow my knowledge, but I’ve learned a lot more through on the job training. I’ve worked alongside some fantastic people, each with their own way of doing things. Some of them started out as my mentors are now peers who I work alongside instead of under, but I still look up to them and go to them for guidance.
The best thing about growing my career within Morris Hospitality is that I’ve been able to see how so many of the different parts of our business interact. I’m someone that likes to understand a process from end to end, and being based in one venue really doesn’t let you get the full picture of how much is going on in each business or department. Being part of Shared Services has really let me get more involved with different areas of the business, to understand their processes and systems and how they operate.
I think my current role would be much more difficult if I hadn’t come up through the venues. I’ve been involved in so many different aspects of the venues at one point or another, so I can usually help the venue teams sort out their issues. A lot of my day-to-day work is fixing issues that come up in our POS systems or creating solutions for venues that want some new functionality. I do a lot of problem solving so having the first-hand experience of working in so many of our venues makes it much easier to understand what the team wants. I know what questions to ask to find the best solution.
Jason Stark
Sous Chef, Terasu
I started working at Ardo in October 2023 as a Sous Chef at Terasu and I’ve been in that role ever since. Throughout my career I’ve always enjoyed using Japanese cooking techniques and ingredients, so I jumped at the chance to work at Terasu and learn from Chef Yukio. Working at Terasu has deepened my understanding of Japanese ingredients as well as ways to use native Australian ingredients with Japanese techniques. It’s really important to me to be able to showcase Australian ingredients in different ways than people are used to.
Last year I got the opportunity to fill in as a chef at Beechmont Estate for five weeks and Orpheus Island for two weeks. I had met Beechmont’s Head Chefs Chris and Alex Norman when they were visiting Ardo and when I heard about their style of food, it sounded amazing. So, when the chance came up to work with them, I was very excited. It was such a great opportunity, but I was a little bit nervous because The Paddock restaurant has two Chef Hats from the Australian Good Food Guide. Everything really has to be the very best every time.
This year I was lucky enough to return to Beechmont for another four-week block, supporting Sous Chef Rob taking on the grill position which includes preparing all the proteins, dry-aging techniques and sou vide. Cooking at Beechmont is done over coals so it’s been really great learning the technique of keeping the coals going during service.
The Paddock is very different from Terasu. Terasu is a share plate Japanese restaurant and The paddock is fine dining. The Paddock even has its own garden where you can just go out and pick certain ingredients for yourself. It is a challenge going between different cuisines but if you’re willing to learn and do things correctly it is very rewarding.
Living in Beechmont is very different to Townsville. There are a lot of wineries, farms, walking tracks and lookouts around the area and Beechmont Estate has a lot of wildlife to see. The staff and the community is very friendly and it’s only one hour to the Gold Coast.
The best thing about the whole experience has been meeting other chefs who are just as passionate about food. Also, learning new techniques and different ways to cook has been beneficial for me in my career growth. It was really great to push myself out of my comfort zone and just listen to and learn from my peers. I’ve learned a lot from them about how to deal with different situations and building a strong and cohesive team dynamic.
I’d highly recommend other chefs to try getting experience working in different venues across the business. It helps you get a better understanding of the organisation, can increase your knowledge sharing, and makes you more agile and versatile as a chef.