They that go down to the sea in ships, that do business in great waters…
Ancient words about commerce and transport…
They describe significant threads in the fabric of my family’s heritage and of my youth in ‘the great south land” - Australia.
Grandfather was an immigrant Scot and a steam engine driver.
My dad had long a career in shipping and export spanning 50 years.
So the love of ships, the sea, and trading with distant lands was fuelled by Dad’s stories at the dinner table about ships, wharves and wharfies (longshoremen) and documentation problems; export health permits and about all manner of things to do with his day to day work as an Export Manager.
Whilst my love of books covered a wide range of topics, I remember from an early age being enthralled by the stories of Wind in the Willows, Huckleberry Finn and about the around-the-world-adventures of Joshua Slocum.
Running Away to Sea At Age 11 on a Cargo Ship…
…could be the start of a great adventure novel.
However, the tale is only half true. I didn't run away.
My father was offered, together with Mum and me, a passage up the east coast of Australia. The ship was the "M. V. Sydney Star" - a conventional cargo ship belonging to the Blue Star Line.
Leaving Sydney we called in at Brisbane, Townsville, and Cairns and returned to Sydney again.
As a young boy, this was a real adventure, and all the more, as luck would have it, as the son of the ship's captain was also on board.
You guessed it - we had the run of the ship and we had a ball - from the forecastle to the engine room to the bridge; watching the cargo being loaded and unloaded; listening for hours to the seafaring yarns of the crew about their life at sea and having dinner at the captain's table.
Seduced to a Mercantile Career
At the completion of high school, a number of career options were open to me including further study and military music bands. But the lure of international trade and commerce was too strong and my first job was with a customs and shipping agency near the dock areas of Sydney Harbour.
I progressed quickly in this company until I had a run in with the local union delegate.
Union Fracas Leads to Global Manufacturers
I then chose a new career direction in the customs and purchasing area of 3M Australia, who manufactured, imported and exported.
After a few years at 3M, I went to another American multinational manufacturer, Baxter Healthcare. Here I was responsible for the import and export functions of the company.
Like Frank Sinatra...
Having experienced the workings of large multinational manufacturers and traders and now having completed management studies as well as obtaining my customs brokers license, I felt it was time to take on a new adventure and start my own business as a customs and forwarding broker.
… I wanted to do it my way!
The next 18 years were spent building a business that serviced the needs of a wide variety importers and exporters; a merger and the development of a long-running course on importing and exporting.
Accidental Author
As a result of the success of these Importing and Exporting Courses, an invitation was extended to my friend and colleague John Yelland and me, to write a book…
"Exporters and Importers - Survive and Prosper"
John Yelland and Lance Scoular
Halstead Press for Australian Government Publishing Service Press
in association with
the National Executive of Small Business Agencies (NESBA), 1994.
ISBN : 0 644 32430 9
Presentation Isn’t Everything…
Following the success of the our book, which incidentally sold out and is now out of print, I was contracted by the Australian Federation of International Forwarders (AFIF), an Industry Peak Body, to develop a course on sea freight procedures for the Freight Forwarding Industry and presented this both nationally around Australia as well as Internationally for over five years.
Taxing Times
In the year 2000 the Australian Government introduced a new value added tax system called the Goods and Services Tax (GST).
Again, I was contracted to develop, organise and present 47 seminars nationally, to introduce and explain the GST to Australia's Import-Export and International Transport Community.
This brought me into contact with many more officials in government agencies such as Customs, the Australian Taxation Office and AusIndustry (the Australian Government's industry assistance organisation); Industry Peak Organisations, as well as many importers, exporters, customs brokers and freight forwarders and management of airlines and shipping lines..
Adopting New Customs
2002 saw the implementation of the first phase of new Customs systems in Australia by the Australian Customs Service, called Cargo Management Re-Engineering (CMR). This involved the restructuring of a number of different cargo systems into one new platform. With this infrastructure change was associated legislation.
Another opportunity presented itself to me to become one of a team of Industry and Customs presenters providing seminars and workshops around the country.
Over the next 3 years we helped prepare the import-export community for the substantial changes required to the business practices required to comply with the new regulations and electronic systems.
Unique Experience
With the above thumbnail sketch
(More detailed Profile)
you might agree with others who have commented that I have unique experience in the world of international trade.
How can you benefit? …Good question!
Take advantage of my experience, knowledge and insights and capitalise on them for your own benefit.
TAKE ACTION >>>
Mix the information and knowledge with a good dose of action and it is likely that you will create a unique niche for yourself also.
Please, let me know about it when you do.
Wishing you success in International Trading.
Lance Scoular,
The Savvy Navigator
Ask and You Shall Receive
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