A few months after Belinda Sum arrived in Melbourne with her husband and two young daughters, she opened The Age and scanned the jobs vacant pages.
When she answered an advertisement for a settlement clerk at the DEUTZ Australia office in Clayton, she never imagined she’d still be with the business almost 41 years later.
“I stayed because everyone was so welcoming and respectful of each other. Everyone supports each other and works well together, so why would I leave?” says Belinda.
“I’ve seen the business grow and evolve and it was interesting to be part of a company that wanted to progress. I’ve been proud to be part of that advancement and growth.’
Before migrating to Australia, Belinda had worked in accounting and also spent 10 years helping her husband, an artist, run a successful art gallery in Malaysia. She quickly adapted her skills to her roles at DEUTZ Australia – over the years she moved from her role as a settlement clerk to working in data entry and then accounts and payroll.
“I remember the early days were a challenge. I was afraid to answer the phone initially because I’d be talking to farmers in the outback about tractors and harvesters. Their Australian accent was so strong and I had to really concentrate to understand what they were saying and I had to learn the terminology. But I focused and had a lot of support and it all began to make sense!” laughs Belinda.
She continued to expand her skills and knowledge as she moved through the company and about 17 years ago, Belinda travelled to the DEUTZ head office in Germany for special training when the accounts system was upgraded.
“That was an amazing experience. The head office was very impressive and I felt very proud to be part of the organisation,” she says.
But while the opportunities to grow with the company have been valuable, it’s the people she has met and worked with that will remain with Belinda as she packs up her desk for the last time at the end of July.
“I have so many memories to take with me,” she says.
“I remember the lunches we’d organise when people would bring in a dish from their cultural background and we’d share food and stories from around the world – from countries like Malaysia, Germany, Hungary and India. Everyone wanted to learn about each other’s history and those were wonderful occasions.”
Now it’s time for Belinda to do more travelling herself and she’s particularly keen to spend more time in London with her oldest daughter and her two grandchildren.
“They are growing up so fast and I want to build a strong relationship with them while they are still young. Usually, I only see them for a few weeks at a time so I am looking forward to being able to fly to London and spend longer with them,” says Belinda.
“I also want to see more of the world. I’ve been to China, Japan, France and Italy but I’d like to see more of those countries and perhaps explore Spain and Portugal, too. There are also a lot of places in Australia I’d like to see, too. Now is the time to start making plans.”
But as Belinda wraps up her time at DEUTZ Australia, she admits it will take a while to create a new routine.
“It will be hard to step away after so long. This is a new stage of my life and it’s the right time to do something different,” she says.
“I’ve had a very memorable time with DEUTZ Australia I’ve learned a lot and I wish the company and everyone I’ve worked with continued success for the future.”