Staff News

Altis 10th Anniversary - March 2008

After months and months on planning, full of secrets and surprises, the time had come... Altis Consulting was turning 10 years Old! To celebrate this huge milestone, our very generous directors took all the staff and their families on a celebratory weekend away to Shoal Bay Resort & Spa.

The trip away started on Friday, beginning with all our interstate and international offices flying into Sydney to go by coach to Shoal Bay. It was a fun filled 3 hour trip that included trivia with chocolate prizes followed by a movie. Once checked into the resort we all went to our rooms to get ready for the twilight dinner cruise. We were taken by bus to the marina at Nelson Bay where we boarded a boat. It was a beautiful evening with the sun setting, and we even found a few romantics re-enacting the scene from Titanic. To start we had glasses of champagne and canapés, which was then followed by a very appetising buffet. Entertainment included a live band, and much dancing was had towards the end of the night. It was a very good opportunity for everyone to mingle in a casual atmosphere. Once we disembarked, most of us headed to the bar back at the hotel for some drinks which was probably the icing on the cake for those who were struggling with the team activity the following day.

We kicked off Saturday with the Amazing Race. Each of us were given blindfolds and numbers, then each number was assigned an animal. In order to find our team mates we had to make the noise of our allocated animal. Only using our sense of hearing, I can honestly say that to me it sounded like we were in a farm, it really was so funny. Finally when we had found our group members we were given a backpack which contained all the necessary equipment that was needed. Just like the show, we were then given a set of challenges that we had to complete in order to get our new tasks. It consisted of finding, buying, drinking, and eating unpleasant things. Also, acting, singing, dancing, photography and puzzle solving as well as getting to locations on the map at certain times. It was a very good way to see everyone's team building skills, as well as their competitive streak! Congratulations to the 'Kookaburras' for winning the race!

Before we knew it, it was lunch time, so we all went to the restaurant to grab a bite to eat and then relaxed with some free time before our formal dinner.
Themed, 'Beach Glamour' which complimented the room that was decorated like it was 'under the sea' ,the guests dressed up for an amazing night. John was up first to the microphone with a welcome speech and introduced Gavin and Hyun to the front of the room to present our staff with Tiffany & Co key rings. Gavin and Hyun then took the stage for an unforgettable speech that was accompanied by a just as unforgettable video put together by the talented Dejay. Just when we thought there was so much love in the room, Chris gave us all a teary speech that left everyone feeling really emotionally happy and was applauded by a standing ovation. To turn the tables on our management team and give back a surprise or two, Samantha came up with the brilliant idea of all our staff donating money to plant trees in the name of Altis. Samantha then made the announcement and presented our management team with the certificate. Directly following this was a breathtaking cake that was a sailing boat with all the Altis accessories, including an Australian and New Zealand flag. One of the highlights of this night had to be the Talent Quest which I am sure the offices would have been preparing a long time beforehand. All of the acts were done very well, but only one act could walk away with the trophy and that was the Melbourne office. The night was concluded once more with dancing and then heading off to the bar for some post dinner drinks.

Our last day Sunday 30th March was filled with goodbyes and farewells as we all headed back to Sydney after breakfast. All in all, it was a very memorable time for us all and a lovely gesture from the company.

Story by Elizabeth

Altis Staff Present!

After John announced that all the staff, their partners, children etc would be heading to Port Stephens for a weekend of celebrations for the Altis 10th birthday, there was plenty of buzz and excitement from everyone. So this got me thinking... What could we, the Altis staff do to contribute to the birthday? The idea then came to me that perhaps we could buy a present that could come from just the staff and be presented to Gavin, Hyun and the management team at the weekend away. Mmmm now what to buy? I needed to come up with something that would be special enough to show our appreciation and also our recognition of what a great company Altis is.

Having heard conversations between people around the office in the past, I knew that many people at Altis had a strong view on sustainability and environmental conservation. So, I started investigating planting of trees to offset carbon emission. I did some internet research and found that a group called carbon neutral were doing some good work in Australia and Kiwi Green were doing the same in NZ. After completing some info sheets and calculations, I worked out how many trees were needed to offset our carbon.

Now, with all the info, I emailed the staff, minus the management team and floated the idea. It was well received and the ball was rolling. Over the 2.5 months following, the collection started in secret around all the offices. We then purchased 180 trees in Australia and 8 trees in NZ to offset our carbon. It was then presented to Gavin, Hyun and the management team at the weekend away and from all accounts was not only a surprise but a perfect present. Id like to take this opportunity to thank the following people for helping me collect the staff donations, Chrysnan, Randima, Peter, Ryan and Liz. Thankyou, for making it so much easier to organise!! Happy 10th Birthday Altis, from all of the staff!

Story by Samantha