By almost any measure, Australia is an exceptional place: its size, its location, its history, its flora, its fauna, its people and its reputation: combined, these make this country ‘more than a bit special’...

People do business with people because they choose to not because they have to. 

We can always find others doing the same thing or selling the same product, it's the personal connection that makes the difference.

The 2019/20 financial year was truly extraordinary.  For the first eight months it was steady progress, with asset prices modestly inflating, interest rates staying low and consumer confidence elevated.  Then the pandemic triggered the diametric opposite, a large deflation of asset prices, an economic conflagration and worrying social and health concerns.

My last quarterly report, in early April, coincided with the depths of the market downturn, at which time the wellbeing, social and economic effects and consequences of the global pandemic were entirely unknown.  Three months later there is some clarity and a modestly improved stock market, but still immense uncertainties and rattled consumer and business confidence.