Shade To Order: Hunter Business Serves Global Customers

Lyndon O'keefe - Sales Manager

 Shade To Order What does the business do?

Weather proof Membrane Structures/ Shade Structures

Do you only do commercial shade solutions? No.. We take on any project big or small, commercial or residential.

How did you come to be in this business?
Industry background and an active interest in fabric architecture.

What do like most about your work?

Seeing the before and after transformation of a project... the end result. Helping the client/architect achieve their main objectives in a first class design.

What is the typical situation where your products are especially suited?

Pubs and Clubs and Resorts.

Colleges, School Playgrounds, Aquatic Centres, Walkways and Bowling Clubs, the sky is the limit.

What's the advantage of your products?

Comprehensive weatherproof shelter and 100% UV protection, custom designed to meet your specific criteria.

Increased usable area, additional revenue for the client.

What should a business look for when installing shade products?  Is there a common mistake that people make when selecting the right product for their location?

Most definitely.. Longevity, No ongoing maintenance, Weatherproofing, 100% UV Protection for the life of the structure, Increased useable area and a design to complement the existing building. Tension Membrane structures are a long term solution. A realistic life span of 25 years is normal..

People often mistake woven knitted shade cloth as the premium choice for a 'Shade sail'. Whilst these are extremely cheap, they offer minimal shade, no weatherproofing, and usually sag and flap around within a couple of years.

What do customers usually say after they have the product installed?

Glowing recommendations! The perfect alternative to a conventional steel roof structure. "Adds an elegant touch to our complex whilst maintaining natural levels of light transmission"

What's the most unusual place you've installed your product?

We have installed Membrane Structures all over the world, on top of sky scrapers, cruise ships and for detention centres.

Do you have any tips for businesses looking to install something like this?

Weigh up these keys things...  Durability of the structure, Aesthetics, Low maintenance, A genuine warranty backed by company's time in business, and above all ability to deliver as promised, i.e. previous jobs!

What locations do you service?

Worldwide!

That's fantatstic that you are able to expand your work beyond the local region into overseas projects too. What did you have to change to make that possible?  

The director first started taking on overseas project in the 1980's.. I believe 'attitude' is the biggest change that would have made it possible… thinking outside the square, above and beyond what we work with in our own backyard.

Visit Shade To Order on Facebook and Like their Page!

Shade To Order Pty Ltd

34 Metro Court

GATESHEAD   NSW   2290

Australia

Ph: +61 2 4942 5793 (4 lines)

Mob: 0459 423 793

Fax: +61 2 4942 5322

Web: www.shadetoorder.com

Email: lyndon@shadetoorder.com

Wallis Collection Displayed In Newcastle

Wallis collection unveiled at Newcastle Art Gallery

See full gallery of images on ABC Radio Newcastle's site  (audio interview too)

21 Feb, 2012 

WHEN James Wallis sailed for England almost 200 years ago, he took a collection of sketches and paintings to document life in the new colony of NSW.

The album Captain Wallis compiled, one of the most significant collections of convict-era artworks ever discovered, was unveiled to the public for the first time at Newcastle Art Gallery yesterday.

Captain Wallis was the commandant of the Newcastle penal settlement from 1816 to 1818, and many of the unseen works depict the undeveloped city landscape and the Hunter’s Awabakal people.

Richard Neville, librarian at the Mitchell Library in Sydney, told yesterday’s unveiling of his excitement when he heard the collection had been found as part of a deceased estate in Ontario, Canada.

The album had been kept in a cupboard by a Wallis descendant.

‘‘One could see immediately how important [the album was] and how vital it was to purchase it,’’ Mr Neville said. ‘‘The last time the album was in Australia was on the third of March, 1819, when Captain Wallis put it in a ship and took it back to England.’’
Many of the images are believed to have been painted by Joseph Lycett, a convict artist sent to Newcastle from England for forgery.


The 194-year-old album of Captain James Wallis depicts scenes in and around Newcastle in the New South Wales Hunter region in early colonial times. Picture: NSW State Library 

The album, compiled almost 200 years ago by commandant of Newcastle Captain James Wallis, was gathering dust in the back of a clothes cupboard in Canada.

After winning the bid at auction last October the State Library of New South Wales, has rescued the artefact and the two dozen original works of art in it returned to Australia and were displayed for the first time yesterday in Newcastle.
 
State librarian Alex Byrne said the paintings were "incredibly significant" historically, because of the scenes they depicted and the fact Aborigines were named.

"There is still some research to be done, but it looks like this is what Wallis did in retirement - he made this scrapbook showing the high point in his career," Dr Byrne said.

The scrapbook includes a book Wallis wrote about his time in Newcastle and the artworks pasted in one by one.

Newcastle NSW In 1892

Love this photograph of penny-fathing bicycles lined up outside the courthouse in Newcastle NSW in September 1892

Penny farthing bicycles outside old Newcastle Court House, Hunter Street, Newcastle, NSW, 3 September 1892

Newcastle Hospital, Newcastle East, NSW, November 1892

 

 

Denison Street, Hamilton, NSW 13 February 1892

Thomas Tudor's Hotel, Denison and Steel Streets Hamilton NSW, 1892

 

 Find more pictures of Old Newcastle NSW here

Food And Wine At Hamilton Festival 2012

 Feb 19 saw the annual Food and Wine Festival for 2012 fill the streets once again with visitors and entertainments for all.

 

For more pictures and information on Hamilton NSW visit the Hamilton Chamber of Commerce on Facebook and remember to Like their page!

Gresford tar10 For Foodies

Luxe Photography

Luxe Photography

 Fabulous homemade ‘treats’... Tar10 jams, preserves, chutneys, oils and relishes

Luxe Photography See full gallery
Tarten House - Gresford NSW

We Do Things A Little Different Here

Julie Baird talks about Newcastle's new museum. From TEDXNewy 2011.

Dobell, Whitely, Nolan and Boyd Masterpieces On Show Newcastle

NEWCASTLE Art Gallery is hosting Australia’s most important modern artworks next month will be a ‘‘once-in-a-lifetime opportunity’’ for art lovers. Rarely seen away from Sydney, a collection of 20th-century Australian masterpieces will soon adorn the walls of the Newcastle gallery.


Legendary artists such as William Dobell, Arthur Boyd, Sidney Nolan and Brett Whiteley are on loan to Newcastle from the permanent collection of the Art Gallery of NSW.
 
Iconic works by Newcastle-born painter William Dobell are among the paintings selected for the Australian Modern Masterpieces exhibition.

They include Dobell’s 1941 painting Portrait of a Strapper, which the Newcastle gallery owns and which will sit alongside his Archibald Prize-winning portrait of Margaret Olley from 1948.

Entry will be $8 per adult, with children under-12 free.

Salary Packaging : Mark Amos

Name: Mark Amos

What does your business do?

The JSA Group has offices in Newcastle, Charlestown & New Lambton NSW providing Financial Planning, Accounting, Mortgages & Finance, and more recently Salary Packaging.

What is salary packaging and how does it help me if I am employee?

 Salary packaging allows employees to bundle benefits (such as cars, laptops, super etc) pre-tax.  This may provide substantial savings and an increase take home pay. 


Is there a benefit for employers to be doing salary packaging or does this just
add more work for them to do?

For employers, salary packaging can attract and retain quality staff at no cost to the business, by providing substantial additional employment benefits.

JSA takes care of all the administration in a simple, uncomplicated process.

What do like most about your work?
Unlocking business potential and driving business growth.  Connecting people, providing solutions and delivering outcomes.

Is there a typical kind of person or business with whom you work?

Fulltime employees in small business, not for profits, public health or rebatable organizations (eg Private Schools).   

Where does salary packaging sit in running a business effectively?
Most business owners acknowledge that the greatest asset in their business is their people. Most would welcome the opportunity to reward their staff with higher salaries or increased benefits.

Salary packaging is a means of providing this reward to staff at no cost to the business.

Can I do it myself?
Definitely.  Salary packaging is merely a way of taking advantage of lucrative taxation benefits on offer to employees.

JSA can either help you do this yourself, or we can take over the entire compliance and administration burden from you.

Are there common problems you see in how businesses arrange their business around benefits and assets such as cars and the like?
Motor vehicles are always a big problem for a business – from what to buy, how best to buy it, how to finance it, how to service and maintain it, how long to keep it, and how best to dispose of it. 

Much of this is done “ad-hoc” and without too much thought or external advice, and left to the accountant to sort out the mess at the end of the financial year.

JSA can substantially reduce vehicle ownership and management costs to a business, reduce the administration burden and turn this into a value employee benefit.

What would you suggest businesses look for when balancing their business's bottom line with obligations and benefits for employees?

There are a number of substantial benefits that can be provided to employees without impacting on business profitability.  This can include offering a good superannuation scheme, a group insurance scheme or a well resolved salary packaging arrangement.

All of this can be provided at no cost to the employer through the assistance of the JSA group.

What are some other flow-on effects have clients noticed after setting up salary packaging with good results?

Clients tend to attract and retain good staff that are more engaged, incentivized and rewarded through salary packaging arrangements.

Do you have any tips for businesses looking to review the way they approach these issues in the business?

Take the time to see how salary packaging can benefit your business (irrespective of its size or industry type). Salary packaging is often seen as too hard or complex which is simply not the case.  In a tough employment climate, salary packaging can provide a significant competitive edge to your business.

What locations do you service?

All states and territories of Australia.

How can people reach you if they would like to discuss salary packaging options?

By phoning (02) 4908 0999 or emailing me at marka@jsagroup.com.au or visiting www.jsagroup.com.au

Any information contained in this communication is of a general nature only and does not take into account your circumstances or needs. You must decide if this information is suitable to your personal situation or seek advice.