First Twenty Years (in Australia) - Part one - The New Beginning

Friday, 13 August 1999

It was a sunny but chilly day, and my second interview that week, just two months after arriving in Australia and a year out from the Olympics. The interview had been postponed twice: once because a Telstra technician was due to install a phone line in our apartment, and the second time because the interviewer wasn’t available.

The job was for a CAD Draftsman, a step down from being a Registered Architect in South Africa, but the advertised pay was good. After two months of job hunting, I had already learned that “local experience” was crucial, even for stacking shelves at Franklins on the night shift.

The first interview earlier that week with a multi-disciplinary (mainly architectural) firm had gone well, so I was optimistic about that one.

At this second interview, I was told that Alan, the Head of Department, was still away and couldn’t see me, it would be John who’d speak with me instead. Years later, Alan told me bluntly that had he been the one to interview me, he wouldn’t have hired me, I was far too overqualified for the role.

Part of the interview included a test in AutoCAD. Mark, who administered it, seemed satisfied. Thankfully, I was an expert in AutoCAD, having even won their Design Award five years earlier in Johannesburg.

John explained the company was a large apartment developer and builder, with a full pipeline of work for the internal design and documentation team. Secure employment was important for a newly arrived migrant with a young family of four.

Another piece of good luck, my reference from South Africa, my first employer there, had already been checked and confirmed. As it happened, Floris was now in Sydney and collaborating with John on a current project.

I presented my portfolio and experience, nearly a decade since graduation, covering a broad range of work: two years of postgraduate Housing studies, work on artificial intelligence at the state-owned building research institute in Belgrade, leading architectural practices and major projects across Southern Africa (including two Reserve Banks), and designing bespoke homes in Johannesburg’s most prestigious suburbs.

Less than half an hour in, John walked out of the room. I was left wondering what I’d said or done wrong.

A few minutes later, he returned. He had spoken to Peter, the General Manager, and asked just one question:

“When can you start?”

“Well, it’s quite late and it’s Friday, so perhaps next week?”

“See you at 9am on Monday.”

Not bad, for Friday the 13th.

I stayed at Meriton for more than fifteen years.

Meriton’s award winning team with Dame Marie Bashir, AD