Newcastle company Kookaburra Resources invests $2.5 million in its operations to meet demand for educational supplies

I am a country kid at heart, as I was born and raised in Tamworth. A big part of country life is sports, so I had access to some amazing coaches early in life. This then led me to become a coach when I was a teenager. It was a great way to develop leadership and mentoring skills before I began my career.

What did you do after completing high school?

I thought I wanted to be a teacher, so I started studying to be a PE teacher. Like many students, I needed a part-time job, and while I was door-to-door selling I had a chance meeting with one of the Kookaburra Resources owners. This meeting resulted in a change of career for me, and I haven't looked back! I still get to work in the education space, but as a resources provider instead of an educator.

You began at Kookaburra Resources in 2003. Who started the company?

Established by teacher, Garry Payne in 1989, he had a drive to fill a gap in the marketplace to ensure teachers had access to high quality educational resources to support student learning. In 1999, brothers-in-law, Tom Sinclair and Terry Pratten, took on the challenge of building the strengths of Kookaburra Resources. Like me, they are country boys, having grown up in Walgett and Bourke and then began their careers as a stock and station agent (Tom) and farmer (Terry).They were looking for a career change and to invest in a solidly established business with a great reputation in the marketplace, which is how they came to become a part of the Kookaburra Resources family.

What were the company's main services or products when you started there?

The original mission was to provide high quality educational resources to those who teach our children. While that is still a core pillar that drives our team, we have widened our scope to focus on providing resources to sectors that need quality products and reliable service - such as childcare, retail, government and corporate sector. We started by selling school textbooks and grew organically to sell other products, such as stationery supplies, projectors, interactive whiteboards, and STEM products.

What led to your appointment as CEO last year?

The board was seeking a new direction as we grew into this new decade, and luckily, having an existing knowledge of the products and a passion for the future of education in Australia, I was a good fit for the role. I have three kids and they've had varied experiences across the education system in Queensland and New South Wales. This has given me an understanding of the benefits of working collaboratively with education providers and those utilising the education system.

What have been company milestones?

Process improvements have always been a keen focus. Which is why this year is seeing us make one of our biggest investments yet, financing $2.5 million in technology to deliver greater efficiencies, higher outputs, and improvements to the customer experience into our operations. This is ahead and in preparation for the 2021 school year. Having seen steady growth over the last few years, the 2019/20 year saw an increase in ordering, which meant that our team needed to rethink how we gain efficiencies for our customers. The result is a reconfigured Distribution Centre with the installation of a conveying system that manages the flow of orders from picking to packing of products using a platform to fulfil customer orders. Our new layout and improved technology will give us the ability to double our current deliverable capacity in a single shift. There's a quicker turnaround for customers, increased volume, and a decrease in the chance for human error - it's a win for everyone.

How did the pandemic affect operations?

It was a shift in the types of products being ordered, and the quantities. We usually have a predictable ordering pattern from our education and government customers. But the uncertainty, particularly at the start of the pandemic, meant we saw an increase in PPE, sanitiser, and face masks. Schools also had to change their delivery methods: we saw an increase in items that could be bundled into packs to send home for kids learning from home, as well as parents ordering additional resources to help them keep their kids learning and distracted! As we settled into the new normal, schools starting planning and purchasing bigger items including touch screens and installations while less students were on site.

You have been at Kookaburra for almost two decades. What keeps you interested in what you do?

The way things continue to evolve! Interactive touchscreens are one example of an evolution from what was originally the chalkboard. When I started we were simply replacing chalkboards with whiteboards. Now we're installing a solution that is still a central point for communication with the class, and the teacher can bring in digital lessons or livestreams from what was once the humble chalkboard. We're lucky in Australia to have some amazing people who are excited about education and passionate about the system providing rich learning outcomes.