Sure, you might have had a beer or two in your time. But have you ever had an ‘epiphany beer’?
CBCo Brewing’s Head Brewer Ash Hazell has, and he credits it with setting him off on his path to brewing enlightenment. One single pint launched his 20-year quest to find the magic formula for the greatest tasting beer imaginable.
“There’s a term that brewers use called epiphany beers,” Ash says.
“It’s like the first beer they picked up where it’s changed everything, from being just a beer to get me drunk to something much bigger. This epiphany beer is a life-changing moment.”
For Ash, the pint in question was served up at Western Australia’s Little Creatures brewery where he celebrated his 18th birthday.
Up to that point he’d been brewing some admittedly pretty nasty beer – mostly as a way to get around his problem of being underage with a social calendar full of uni parties to attend.
“I was brewing horrifically bad beer and when I tried the Little Creatures Pale Ale, in that moment I was like, ‘I have to learn how to make beer this good’. That one beer sort of set my whole career path,” he says.
“I was studying chemistry at the time and was doing some boring mining-related chemistry units. So, I dropped out of all of them and instead I picked up some biochemistry and microbiology units to learn how to make that beer.
“And 20 years later I’m a tragically obsessed brewer, still trying to make the best beer I can.”
The shift from casual hobby brewer to full-time fanatic was swift.
“I was just obsessed. Absolutely obsessed. Every waking hour I was researching brewing,” he says.
“I’d built a semi-automated, fully stainless steel brewhouse in my back shed, using kegs I’d ‘borrowed’ from the back of pubs.
“I found a local welder to weld it all up for me and found all the parts online from across the world. At the time you just didn’t have access to homebrew equipment like there is now. You had to piece it together yourself.”
As it turns out, the efforts to upgrade his set-up clearly paid off. From that point Ash entered and won a couple of home brewing awards including one major national one.
As time went on, brewing became increasingly ingrained in his life and his studies. When his classmates were doing their final year research projects on crystal formation, Ash opted for his own beer-centric topic.
It was such a step outside the norm, that even his uni lecturer had no idea what he was talking about, so he was to enlist the help of an expert to verify his research.
Little did he know that this would be the beginning of his big break in the industry.
“On a whim I reached out to the head brewer at Little Creatures to verify my research and he agreed,” Ash says.
“I got questionable but somewhat useful results, but more importantly he offered me a job as a keg cleaner, cleaning kegs by hand while I finished my degree.
“And by the time I finished my degree I worked there full-time and have been a brewer ever since.
“There were probably only about 50 craft brewers in the country at that time. It was such a tiny industry, so just to get your foot in the door was huge.”
From there he began his slow rise through the ranks, jumping on new opportunities as they presented themselves.
“Little Creatures was growing really fast in those days. It wasn’t the easiest industry to work in at the time – the hours were long. It was a hard slog,” he says.
“But just by persevering through it, and being absolutely obsessed with it, I ended up getting lots of opportunities.
“My career goal was always to become the quality control manager of a significant Australian craft brewery, and I’d achieved that by the time I turned 25.”
When Little Creatures was bought out by global beverage giant, Lion, Ash found himself at a crossroads.
Wanting to stay fiercely independent and not work for ‘the man’ he took it as a sign to move on and started his own brewery with Little Creatures’ ex-CEO, called Barrow Boys.
Despite a few strong years in Melbourne, Barrow Boys eventually closed down leaving him looking for a new opportunity.
And that opportunity came at CBCo.
“I came here and chatted to (Managing Director) Lawrence (Dowd) about contract brewing,” he says.
“But I also knew he was looking for a head brewer at the time. So, I was half coming to suss out contract brewing for my old business, and half coming into suss out opportunities in case I lost faith that I could make that work.”
One thing led to another, and before he knew it he was head brewer at CBCo Brewing and the rest is history.
For Ash, the best thing about working at CBCo is that he gets the freedom to play with flavours, and for him that’s the magic of brewing. That’s what keeps his obsession going, even after more than two decades in the industry.
“When you work for one of the big guys, you have resources – and resources are great. But you also have many different gateways to pass between the idea and delivering the idea,” he says.
“The whole reason I love working in craft beer is that I love craft beer and I want to play with flavours, and I don’t want to work for a company that just wants to make boring beer.
“There’s nothing better than brewing a beer and having that first pint off tap and being like ‘Yeah, this is delicious; we’ve nailed this. That’s still what I strive for every day.”
We all lead such busy lives; juggling work, family commitments, personal relationships, hobbies. Sometimes our health and wellbeing can start to slip down the priority list. We spoke to team members from across Morris Group to find out how they look after their physical and mental wellness.
General Manager – The Albert Park Hotel
Morris Hospitality
“Wellbeing to me is about being healthy and happy, maintaining a good work life balance, and taking the time to do things that I enjoy.
I try to get out for a run at least a couple of times a week and go to the gym as well. I used to run a lot and have done quite a few ultra marathons, but these days it’s more important to me just to get out and have a bit of fun. When I get the chance, I still really enjoy trail running. Being out in the bush all on your own is the best form of meditation and a good reset if I’m feeling overwhelmed.
For me, running seems to be a good all-round exercise. It keeps you fit, motivates you to get out into the bush, and is a really good way to clear your mind. I also find that the more I run the more I need to stretch. We have a little yoga space set up at home and I really enjoy taking some time to stretch and relax. Looking after your physical health tends to keep your mental health in good shape as well.
Feeling well rested and having a consistently high energy level is important especially when you are dealing with people every day in your job like I am. Hospitality obviously isn’t known to be a particularly healthy industry. It can be quite stressful at times with long hours and late nights, and there can be a tendency towards unhealthy eating and drinking.
I think that when you are taking care of yourself, exercising and being conscious of your thoughts, you are better prepared to do a quite demanding job. I try to be a good role model for people who are just starting in the industry. I want to have a positive impact on people rather than encourage some of the negative behaviour that the industry is known for.
When it comes to wellbeing, I’m a big believer in consistency and balance. My wife is a pilates and yoga instructor, and that is definitely helpful for me to have such a balancing influence in my life. We spend a lot of our spare time outdoors, going for a hike or swim. I think when you find ways to be active that are fun, it makes it a lot easier to get out the door.
I went through a stage when I was a bit fanatical about the fitness side of wellbeing. I would try to run or get to the gym every day. Now, I tend to do things because I enjoy them. Going for a run is more about getting outside than trying to set a record. I do need to remind myself to be consistent and not make excuses for putting things off. Even if it’s just taking the dog for a walk, I always feel better for getting out and doing something.”
Reservations Agent / Ground Crew
Nautilus Aviation – Port Douglas
“I would say wellbeing is a combination of my mental and emotional state, physical health and social health all intertwined into one. Since having kids, it’s definitely not something at the forefront of my mind but I do think it’s important for everyone to take the time to think about.
I’m lucky that in my role I have a balance of office time doing reservations, as well as outdoor time interacting with guests while ground crewing. Sunshine and fresh air are a big thing for me to help reset. I’m also fortunate to have my office in a 5-star resort with stunning pools that back onto Four Mile Beach in Port Douglas. On lunch breaks I can unwind with a walk on the beach or lay by the pool. Checking in and catching up with friends and family is also super important for my mental health on the weekends.
I’m very much a water baby so I often swim after work to keep fit and if the winds are under 10 knots I’ll try get out to the reef for a cheeky dive or snorkel. I am lucky to live in such a beautiful part of the world with rainforests, beaches and waterfalls. So going on adventures with my family and friends does tend to tick most boxes in the wellbeing department.
Looking after my health and wellbeing helps me keep a positive mindset. I try to stay positive where possible. When you are positive and happy, it tends to have a flow-on effect to the people around you in both your work and personal life.
We are a small team here in Port Douglas, so if one or more of us become sick it can throw the whole operation out for the day. I wouldn’t say it’s a physically demanding job, but you need a lot of patience and flexibility in aviation which can become mentally demanding at times. But having a strong support base in our team, we all work together to keep each other going both mentally and emotionally.”
Senior Brewer
CBCo Brewing – Port Melbourne
“For me wellbeing is about a good mental and physical balance in my life, understanding and listening to your body, and doing what you know helps. It’s also important to understand that your wellbeing needs change overtime. What I thought my wellbeing needs or priorities were in my 20s are hugely different now.
These days I find the best way to take care of my wellbeing is focusing on regular exercise, trying to cook healthy and eating well, having regular catch ups with mates, getting into the garden, and having some down time by watching cartoons or reading. I’ve discovered that growing my own food when I can, such as herbs, tomatoes and such, and reaping the rewards of getting your hands dirty is really satisfying.
For me, running is a great way to just unload and forget about the day. I also have a regular Saturday ride with friends. A ride and a coffee ends up being a good group debrief about the week and helps everyone put their week into perspective and talk through some solutions to problems. Even a simple after work walk is great to clear the head.
Making the time to be social is really important, especially for mental health. I do a fortnightly beer, chat and dinner with some mates. Everyone is responsible for a course on the night, so it’s a nice to make and share food with mates. It’s a relaxing way to catch up and just chat about stuff.
I think that the biggest benefit of taking care of my health and wellbeing is being able to have the energy and physical capacity to do what I want. Brewing can be a very physical job with moving hoses around or lifting bags of malt, and we tend to spend most of our day as brewers on our feet, so simply taking care of myself allows me to do my job as best I can.
Having an improved headspace makes it easier to turn off after you’ve had a bad day. I always feel great after exercise, and not so great if I don’t get to exercise. I think the most important thing is learning to listen to your body.”
Senior Assistant Front Office Manager
The Ville Resort-Casino
“To me, wellbeing is about a balanced lifestyle aiming for harmony in both physical and mental wellbeing. The way I look after my physical and mental health is by maintaining proper eating habits, practicing yoga and meditation. I find yoga to be the most effective way to stay fit, healthy and well.
I think taking care of my wellbeing has helped improve my self-confidence and means I’m able to prioritise the day-to-day tasks with a smile. It makes me more productive and allows me to perform at my best and deliver the best customer service.
It can be challenging to stay motivated sometimes, but I find that rewarding myself when I achieve small milestones helps me stay on track. I’ve made wellbeing part of my daily routine which really helps me focus on what I do in my day-to-day life.”
For food lovers the arrival of winter can only mean one thing. Truffle season is upon us and it’s hitting menus across Morris Group venues for a month-long celebration of the seasonal delicacy.
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What is it about truffles that gets chefs and diners so excited? Surely the hype is just one of those trendy foodie things that fills our social media feeds for a brief moment before moving out of the way for the next big thing.
If you ask Morris Group Executive Chef Peter Reffell, the love for truffles is much more than just a flash in the pan craze. It all comes down to their scarcity.
Truffles are a form of mushroom that grow underground at the base of either oak or hazelnut trees. Often taking up to four years to mature, the truffle farming process is complex. Specially trained dogs or pigs are needed to sniff the treasures out under the soil.
“Truffles are one of natures truly sought-after ingredients,” Reffell says.
“Chefs and food lovers are drawn to them not just because they are a true delicacy in every sense of the word, but also because of their unique aroma and flavour.”
With the season now officially underway, Reffell and his team of chefs across Victoria and Queensland are about to put truffles in the spotlight with special menus to give diners the chance to experience the flavour sensation for themselves.
Morris Group’s Melbourne-based pub group is bringing working alongside supplier Friends & Burrell to bring Victorian black truffles to the menu at three of its iconic venues.
Producer Oak Hill Truffles is a family-run operation located just 95km north-west of Melbourne. They’ve been farming truffles for 17 years with the help of their trusty labrador Peggy.
Here’s what diners can expect from Truffle Season at Morris Hospitality.
O’Connell’s
Over its 140 years in South Melbourne, O’Connell’s has been at the forefront of modern Australian pub dining. Having recently undergone a minor facelift and released a new, more refined menu, the local favourite is perfectly placed to showcase the seasonal delicacy in all its glory.
What’s on the menu:
The Albert Park Hotel
Albert Park’s restaurant Happy Valley has become well-known for its signature take on modern Chinese cuisine. True to form, the team of chefs have put their unique spin on Truffle Season with some inventive dishes to bring the flavour to life.
What’s on the menu:
Half Moon
Brighton’s much-loved local watering hole is known as the place to gather, drink and dine no matter the occasion. Its existing menu of refined pub classics and seasonal dishes is the ideal launching off pad for a celebration of all things truffles.
What’s on the menu:
Morris Hospitality’s Truffle Season runs until Sunday 14 July.
Townsville’s newest luxury hotel has made its mark on the region’s food scene since opening in December. Its signature fine dining steak and seafood restaurant, Marmor, and modern Japanese cuisine at Terasu have fast become favourites amongst visitors and locals alike.
The culinary team is working with suppliers Friends & Burrell to bring New South Wales black truffles to the menu for Truffle Season. Their truffles come courtesy of Wylie Creek Truffles, located 750km north of Sydney.
What’s on the menu:
Marmor
Terasu
Ardo’s Truffle Season runs until Sunday 30 June.
As Deputy Head Housekeeper of Pennsylvania Castle Estate, Keanna Pearce is key to keeping the property running like clockwork. Keanna shares her story and gives us some insight into what it’s like working in an historical castle on the UK’s Jurassic Coast.
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I’ve worked at Pennsylvania Castle Estate for nearly two years now. I joined the team as a Deputy Head Housekeeper, but I’ve also worked in The Hayloft Café and The Castle Bar for events. It’s great to be able to support so many different areas across the estate.
My family owned a hotel, so growing up I was able to help with housekeeping and I always found it to be something I really enjoyed. Before I joined this team, I was a Head Housekeeper at a hotel in Bridport. It was a lot smaller than The Penn Estate so I really have enjoyed the change, working somewhere with so much variety.
I love the estate as a whole. It’s such a beautiful location and I feel so lucky to be here every day. I love the beaches and the views. It’s such a lovely area. You can really understand why people choose to take their holidays here.
Everyone at the property is also so welcoming and helpful. Probably the best thing about working here is how friendly everyone is. We all get along so well and if you every need help, you get the support straight away.
The properties on the estate are so beautiful and I enjoy being able to support maintaining such high cleaning standards. There is such a variety of different types of accommodation, and each one requires a different level of housekeeping and different needs.
At the castle, we pay attention to different little details and have extra cleaning requirements such as the pool and bar area. The Clifftops Lodges are luxury and require great attention to detail to maintain a high standard for guests. Our vans and pods are smaller and much easier to clean. It’s interesting that everyone in the team has a different favourite area they like to clean.
I am really passionate about providing the best standards of cleaning at work, and I even find some of the processes creeping in at home. Little things like how we make the beds to make them perfectly flat and the way we fold the corners, I do the same at home without even realising.
It’s a very fast-paced job and keeping up to date with all the little changes or extras can be challenging, but that’s what I love. No day is ever the same!
There are those of us who really ‘know’ their wine, and those who just know they like it. But the wine experts across Morris Group are making it their mission to close the wine gap and make better quality wines more accessible to more people, without the pretentiousness.
Great wine has always been part of Morris Group’s dining philosophy.
When a guest steps into one of Morris Hospitality’s pubs, a Morris Escapes luxury lodge, or one of the North Queensland hotels, there’s the unspoken promise of a quality drop.
In fact, many of its venues have been hailed for their wine lists, recognised by the industry as being amongst the country’s best.
But, after years of being an important supporting character to exceptional food and service, wine is having its big moment in the spotlight.
Morris Hospitality CEO Tim Fitzgerald is one of the driving forces behind what could be described as Morris Group’s ‘better wine project’, a series of initiatives happening across the group that are bringing good wine front and centre.
“There’s a cohesion between what we’re doing in our retail offering, our new wine club, and our series of wine events that really speaks to the idea that wine doesn’t have to be an exclusive thing that no one really understands,” Tim says.
“We really want more people to enjoy better wine.”
Levelling up
Central to this ambition is Morris Hospitality’s Wine Club.
The idea is pretty simple. By signing up to the club, members have access to discounted wine at Morris Hospitality venues.
“It allows people to enjoy more premium wines so where they might have probably bought an $80 bottle of wine, they might instead opt for one that’s usually $120,” Tim says.
“Not only is that a win for them, but it’s also win for us because it means our venues build an even stronger reputation around really exceptional wine along to go with the high standard of food and service.”
For Tim, cementing Morris Hospitality’s reputation as a leader in wine is key. He and his team have spent the last few years refining the group’s offering, buying and selling venues, rethinking menus, and unveiling a new brand identity earlier this year.
With the Wine Club now live across the venues, the vision is now coming to life.
“There’s no coincidence that we launched the Wine Club very soon after rebranding the group,” he says.
“I saw it as being a really clear and important part of our story that our venues are able to offer great wine at a more affordable price.
“We’ve put a lot of effort and time into resetting our portfolio of venues, the style of service, and the product that we deliver.
“I think there are plenty of pubs out there that can say they have credibility around serving great wine, but what we’ve created is an experience and style of service for wine that you’d usually see in restaurants not pubs.”
“Every venue has its own wine rep there, and the level of knowledge that we have across the group even just in our management teams is really extensive now.
“Because of that, we’re attracting more people into the group with that passion for wine, which is exactly what we’re aiming for.”
But Wine Club is just the beginning. The team is also leaning in on their increasingly popular wine dinners – they have 16 of them planned across the venues this year alone.
Tim says part of that experience is about exposing diners to wines they might not otherwise drink and expanding their wine knowledge in a down-to-earth and accessible way.
“We try to make those events fun and a little bit less stuffy than the typical wine event that’s purely for the wine nerds,” he says.
“It’s really about letting people enjoy wine from a region and getting a little bit of knowledge, rather than sitting down for a lecture about Burgundy for two hours before finally being able to drink some wine.”
Nerd mode activated
Self-confessed wine nerd, Brad Hammond is central to the business’ wine story.
As Morris Group’s General Manager of Wine, he’s responsible for developing and overseeing the wine lists for every pub, restaurant, hotel, resort, luxury lodge, and superyacht in the company’s expansive tourism and hospitality portfolios.
It’s a big job, so it’s probably a good thing wine is more of an obsession for him than just a job.
“There’s just an infinite amount to know about wine. You can never know it all,” Brad says.
“First there’s all the different grape varietals, and all the different areas they could be grown in. There’s the soil types, and the history of the land. And then there’s all the ways the wine can be made.
“There’s just such a level of depth to it that I find really, really interesting because you can never stop learning.”
Brad’s passion for wine was first sparked when he started working in fine dining restaurants early in his hospitality career.
He says there was just something about wine that caught his attention. Any chance to soak up some knowledge from those in the know was taken with both hands.
“I’m completely self-taught. Everything I know is just from my own experience and love of wine,” he says.
“I teach myself in my own time, I buy books, I read things on the internet, I go to tastings, I talk to people in the industry.”
Now, a big part of his role involves passing on that knowledge and cultivating the same kind of passion for wine in the teams working in the venues.
“Our venue staff are key, so we have to empower them with a level of knowledge that makes them confident enough to go to a table and explain the differences between certain styles or varieties,” Brad says.
“I love that side of the job. It can be difficult with such big venues spread between Victoria and Queensland, but I find the best way to do that kind of training is just spending a lot of time in the dining room during a lunch or dinner service and training people on the job.”
He’s making a list…
For Brad, working such a diversity of venues is like being set free in a great big playground. Sure, he could work at one of those small, boutique wine bars, but where’s the fun in that?
“It’s great because I get so many different lists to play around with,” he says.
“There’s everything from Splash Bar and Quarterdeck at The Ville in Townsville which both have very simple and small offerings; right up to places like Albert Park Hotel or The Railway Club Hotel that are known for their wines and have very specific cuisines to pair with.
“Albert Park has a Cantonese kitchen, and The Railway Club is a steakhouse, so immediately there’s going to be some clear differences.
“We can’t get enough big Aussie Shiraz at Railway Club, whereas at Albert Park everybody wants to drink Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and those lighter, white, aromatic wines that work so well with the food.”
So, what is the key to creating a wine list that’s not just good, but exceptional?
“I would say that what sets our wine lists apart from others is the access we have to really premium products that smaller businesses wouldn’t,” Brad says.
“We’re lucky as a big group to have buying power that means we can get premium wines from France and across the globe that others can’t.
“If you look at another venue’s list, it might have 100 wines on there but all of them are 2020 or 2021 because they’re the ones that are currently being released.
“We have a central cellar here with wines going back to the late 19th century which is pretty incredible when you think about it. Having access to those just takes a list to the next level.”
The keeper of the cellar
If there’s someone who knows their way around a wine cellar, it’s Pete Marr.
For people in wine industry circles, he is an undisputed legend. You don’t work in an industry for 40 years without building some serious credibility.
He even has a regular talkback radio spot on Melbourne’s 3AW with renowned chef Adrian Richardson covering all things food and wine.
Pete spent a decade running specialty wine stores around Melbourne before moving into wholesaling and then into marketing and selling directly to private clients.
For the last 15 years he’s been one of Morris Group’s secret weapons, continuing to sell premium wines direct to clients whilst also lending his expertise to the business as it grew its hospitality and tourism portfolio.
A major part of his role has been managing the all-important cellar. And for a wine aficionado like Pete, this cellar is truly special.
“The cellar wines mostly came from our (former) Western Australian businesses that had exceptional cellars,” Pete says.
“Actually, my first job when I joined Morris Group was to assess the cellar at Raffles which was quite extensive. It was a great opportunity for us because these were wines that you can’t access readily.
“Then we opened Print Hall in Perth, which was a big project at the height of the mining boom. It was a very high-end venue with a top sommelier from Sydney. He put together an incredible wine list.”
Tim says having access to this kind of quality and range of product is a major drawcard for Wine Club.
“Because we bought it so long ago and have taken care of it quite well, no one can sell it as cheap as we can,” Tim says.
“We’re talking about wines that are between 10 and 15 years old already. For those people who really know wine, they’ll see this stuff, particularly our European wines that have sat nicely for a long time and realise that it’s extraordinary value that we’re offering.
“There’s going to be a real depth of offer through the Wine Club that creates a situation where it makes sense for people to trade up from the basic house wine to something really nice.”
The full circle
The final but important piece of the puzzle is one that must feel like a bit of a full circle moment for Pete: a new wine store and bar at The Vincent Hotel in Albert Park due to open this winter.
The concept is something that the group has been thinking about for a little while, but the timing hasn’t been quite right. Until now.
“We’ll be able to use the power we have as a group in terms of our wine buying to offer really lovely, premium wines that are well priced,” Pete says.
“It’s going to add another layer to the whole wine story we’re trying to tell. It’ll be more relaxed opportunity for people to come down and explore.
“We’ll have wines opened down there all the time for people to come and taste. There will always be someone in the store that’s got great knowledge that can talk to you and give you some guidance.
“My theory on wine is that it’s there to make you feel better and happier. You don’t need to know a lot about wine to enjoy it, but the more you know the more you will enjoy it.”
Find out more about Morris Hospitality Wine Club
Starting off with just one aircraft and only the vaguest idea of what he was getting himself into, Aaron Finn has built Nautilus Aviation into Northern Australia’s biggest helicopter operator. And it all started with a beer and a handshake at Townsville’s Seaview Hotel.
Aaron Finn knows more than most about building something from scratch.
Long before he had even learned how to fly a helicopter, the Nautilus Aviation CEO was building houses.
“I started out as a carpenter. I’d left school when I was 15 and nine months. The teachers sort of said I was better suited to a trade than causing disruptions at school,” he laughs.
“I was living in a small town in country Victoria with about 5,000 people called Kyabram and got a job with one of the local builders as an apprentice chippy. And that’s where everything started with my building career.”
Even all these years and a whole career change later, his love for building things has never completely left him. He’s still a registered builder and even led the construction of Morris Escapes’ luxury outback retreat Mt Mulligan Lodge.
When the Nautilus base in Cairns was damaged by the floods at the end of 2023, Aaron put his skills to work to get things back up and running again.
But despite this enduring love for his trade, when the idea for a change in direction presented itself he was all in.
The winds of change
“It all started with a joy flight in a helicopter with my dad over Kakadu,” he said.
“It’s hard to describe what it was exactly, but when you take off there’s just that feeling you get as you’re flying away. I just thought it was pretty cool at the time.”
Whatever that feeling was, Aaron was certain that flying helicopters was something he wanted to do. He just needed a bit of time and an extra nudge to make it happen.
Fast forward ten years or so to 2007, when Aaron was working on a building site in Port Douglas. Now in his mid-30s and at a major crossroads in his personal life, he was looking to make a drastic change.
“I was actually building (Flight Centre co-founder) Geoff Harris’ house in Port Douglas. I remember driving out the gate one day and there’s a helicopter landing on the helipads nearby,” he said.
“And as it landed, I don’t know why but I just thought, ‘That’s what I’m going to be. What have I got to lose?’ and I booked in to do my license the next day.”
A pilot’s life
What followed was 12 months of training which Aaron says came with many challenges.
“I was about 34, so I was a late starter compared to most pilots who’re starting when they’re in their early 20s,” he said.
“The practical training is challenging. You need to have good hand-eye coordination. One of the hardest aspects is hovering.
“You do 105 hours of flight time, and there’s also seven subjects and then exams that you have to complete. I failed some of the exams and I won’t lie, a lot of that was due to me being busy working at the same time.
“You had to book your exams in advance, and I’d set a reminder and then the day before I’d get a Outlook alert for an aviation exam tomorrow. So, I’d get the books out that night and try and do a whole subject in a night and try and sit the exams. I don’t recommend it.”
But in the end, it was worth the stress for the pay-off of being able to fly.
“I remember the first time I flew. Funnily enough the guy who was supervising is one of our pilots (at Nautilus) still to this day!” he said.
“We took off and went up over Barron Gorge and Kuranda and not long after we were airborne he gave me the cyclic and said ‘You’ve now got control of this thing’. It’s pretty daunting at the time, but exciting.
“You do about 20 hours of training before you go solo. That first time when you’re flying and you look at the empty seat beside you, it’s that’s probably the biggest moment in any pilot’s career.”
Perhaps another moment from his career as a pilot that Aaron won’t forget too soon was the time he ended up giving some tourists an unexpected diving trip.
“I’ve only crashed once, and that’s one time too many,” he says.
“In 2011, I had some Chinese tourists returning from a day on the reef, and I had an engine failure and had to ditch.
“We were only up 400 feet, so it was a matter of five or six seconds between the engine stopping and us hitting the water. I went for a swim that day, but everyone was fine except the helicopter.”
The incident serves as a testament to Aaron’s calmness under pressure – a trait he says is crucial to being a good pilot.
“I think the best pilots are the ones that are calm and easy going when you get into an emergency situation,” he said.
“If you come across a highly strung pilot that panics when you get to an emergency situation, you want somebody that’s calm and going to be able to manage it.”
New horizons
With a few solid years of flying under his belt, Aaron’s next challenge was just around the corner.
Unlike his former career as a builder, this new venture didn’t come with a blueprint. There was no clear plan. Just a vague idea to build something great. And it was all signed, sealed and delivered with a beer and a handshake at Townsville’s legendary Seaview Hotel.
That, according to Aaron, is a pretty accurate summary of first meeting Morris Group Founder and Executive Chairman, Chris Morris.
In 2011, Nautilus Aviation consisted of one helicopter and one pilot. The North Queensland region had just been battered by Cyclone Yasi, and Aaron found himself in the thick of it helping to transport people and equipment between Cairns and Townsville.
After a chance encounter with the then Nautilus pilot, Aaron found himself stepping in to assist some passengers heading to Hinchinbrook Island.
“The passengers were giving him a hard time because they had all this gear and they had to take with them, but he couldn’t fit it in. Luckily, three of my passengers didn’t turn up so I just went over and offered to take the gear over,” Aaron said.
“After that we got talking and I said, ‘If you ever need a hand flying, give me a call’, so we kept talking after the cyclone was all over, and he ended up getting me to come and fill in for him at one stage.
“It started off with a flight every couple of days, and then, as Orpheus Island got busier and busier I started doing two flights a day. I may as well be working full-time.
“Chris ended up calling me from the UK and just thanked me for helping out and offered to meet at the Seaview. So, we just had a chat there over a steak and a couple of beers that night and shook hands, and that’s just where it started.”
And with that, Aaron’s new career trajectory leading Nautilus Aviation had begun.
From little things, big things grow
Although the whole business consisted of himself, one helicopter, and a schedule full of transfers to Orpheus Island, it wasn’t long before Aaron could see a world of untapped potential.
“I just said to Chris, ‘We can do more than just island transfers. I want to go and have a crack at getting some other work.’ And he said, ‘Yeah, go for it!’
“He’s been supportive the whole way through and supporting my direction and the things that I wanted to go after with the business, and it’s worked really well.”
From there what followed was steady but consistent growth. A new helicopter here; another base there; acquiring the competition over here.
Today, Nautilus Aviation has over 120 staff members across eight bases in Cairns, Townsville, Port Douglas, Horn Island, Darwin, and Kakadu; and a fleet of more than 40 aircraft.
But despite the undoubted success, it hasn’t always been clear skies.
“Hands down COVID was one of the hardest things I’ve had to go through from both a business and personal perspective,” Aaron said.
“Having to personally tell over 80 employees that they no longer have a job is probably one of the most taxing things I’ve been through.
“But being able to pivot the business through that period to being more commercial focused gave us the opportunity to recover faster and rebuild our workforce again.”
Aaron chalks most of the business’ success to being in the right place at the right time and taking advantage of every opportunity that presented itself.
“To be honest it’s all a bit of a blur, but I’m proud of what we’ve achieved,” he said.
“There was never a plan to be the biggest operator or anything like that. I just wanted to always do a good job, and to provide the best customer service that we could.
“I think what initially built the business was the customer service side of things and the relationships that you build. You can’t do it without having great people around you. Everything’s about people.
“It’s taken a lot of time and perseverance to make things what they are today and what we’ll make it in the future. We’re not done yet.”
It’s one thing to be passionate about the environment and social justice. It’s a whole other thing to turn that passion into real action. We find out how Hayley and Nikki Morris let their passion take the lead in building Morris Family Foundation, and the little lightbulb moments that helped them find their way.
Nikki and Hayley Morris are each other’s biggest cheerleaders.
When they’re asked to name the qualities that impress them most about their sister, a few themes shine through.
“Nikki’s biggest strength is probably her ability to connect with anyone,” Hayley says.
“She has an ability to be present and hear people. She makes people feel special and important. People warm to her and want to be around her.”
For Nikki, it’s Hayley’s dedication and passion for helping others that makes the biggest impact.
“She is inspiring,” Nikki says.
“I love spending time with Hays. She is my best friend.”
With their strong bond at the core, the sister duo has turned their individual strengths and shared values into important work that is making a difference for people and communities all over Australia and overseas through Morris Family Foundation.
The foundation supports innovative and grassroots projects that work to address social, economic, and environmental issues by creating systemic change to tackle their root cause.
It works across five areas of focus, including: community transitions for a safe climate; regenerative agriculture; oceans and reefs; First Nations Australians; and international development.
The organisations funded by the foundation are working on projects like vital research and restoration work on the Great Barrier Reef; lobbying some of the country’s largest companies to switch to green energy and electric vehicles; transitioning our agriculture industry to regenerative farming practices; indigenous training and employment programs; and rescuing children who are victims of human trafficking and slavery.
Finding the way
In hindsight, Hayley and Nikki’s work with the foundation shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise. They’ve both shared an interest in the great outdoors from an early age, and developed strong passions for the environment, community health and wellbeing, and social justice along the way.
But they both admit the path to the foundation’s current state wasn’t always clear or easy.
When their father, Computershare founder and Morris Group Executive Chairman Chris Morris first set up the foundation in 2008, Hayley and Nikki saw it as their opportunity to make a real difference. They just weren’t exactly sure what that looked like.
“At first our focus was on medical research, especially cancer research as my mum was diagnosed with multiple myeloma,” Nikki says.
“I think we always agreed that we wanted it to be pretty personal so we could all have our say on who we wanted to fund and which direction we took.”
Hayley says while those early days of the foundation were exciting and full of possibility, they weren’t without challenges.
“The biggest challenge was making decisions as a family. Initially it would get a bit heated,” Hayley says.
“When (current CEO) Penny Cottle joined Morris Group as CFO, she sat in a meeting and afterwards said to me: ‘I thought philanthropy was supposed to be the part that made everyone feel good?’
“That was probably a light bulb moment that we weren’t doing things well. After that, Penny and I went about putting in place structures and process which helped immensely in the decision making.”
The early days
To fully understand how and why the foundation grew into what it is today, you have to take a few steps back and look at Hayley and Nikki’s individual pathways.
Growing up as a sports-loving, outdoorsy type with an obsession for Formula One racing, Hayley says it was the time she spent on the family farm that ended up being the most pivotal to her finding her biggest passion.
“We spent many of our childhood years on the farm on the weekends,” Hayley says.
“That had a profound impact on me in later years as I came back to farming and agriculture as an interest area.
“Back then, like most teenagers I don’t think I knew the direction I would go. I probably always saw myself doing something in the business world and likely working with Dad.
“I started a degree in public relations straight out of school but became disillusioned with the course pretty quickly. I ended up going to work for Dad in Chicago as his personal assistant. I came home from that experience and changed my degree to international business and worked for Computershare while I studied.
“I worked closely with Dad and my aunty Penny over those years including some amazing overseas work experiences in Boston and London. But in 2006, I decided to leave Computershare to pursue my interest in the environment.
“At this point I did a lot of volunteering and went back to uni to do a postgrad in sustainability which led me to starting Sustainable Table and then Impact Sustainability.”
For Nikki, the initial entry into the corporate world and then pivot towards her passions was much the same.
“As a kid I honestly didn’t have any clue on what I wanted to do. Maybe be in business, following Dad’s footsteps or something along those lines,” Nikki says.
“I ended up studying marketing to start with, but that was probably because I didn’t have a clear direction on what I really wanted to do. I’m not much of a planner.
“I worked for Donohue Financial Planning and GE Equipment Finance after I finished my studies. But I realised a few years into it that this kind of career wasn’t for me. So, I quit in my late 20s and went and did a three-month yoga teacher training course overseas.
“Once I returned home, I taught yoga and started working for Sustainable Table which Hayley had just founded and joined Hayley working directly on the day-to-day operations of the foundation.
“Since then, I’ve completed a meditation teacher training course, another more in-depth 350-hour yoga teacher training course, and eventually ran my own yoga studio in Middle Park which focused on teaching kids’ yoga, meditation, relaxation techniques and how to manage their emotions. At the moment, I’m back studying again and am four months into completing a two-year diploma in Ayurveda.”
The Morris Family
The lightbulb moments
As the pair each pursued their own careers and interests, they continued to narrow their focus on how to build the foundation and create real change that aligned with their passion areas.
“My time at Sustainable Table taught me so much about climate change, waste, and protecting the environment in general,” Nikki says.
“We were really focused on changing people’s habits through the food they consumed, and also being aware of waste, composting, recycling and reusing.
“My interest in Sustainable Table was originally all about waste. I just remember getting so passionate about waste and not consuming anything that was unnecessary, never buying anything in a bottle or plastic, making a lot of my foods from scratch and buying in bulk.
“Hayley was definitely part of lighting this spark and getting me motivated and inspired to do things better.”
Hayley says the big lightbulb moment that really ignited her passion for the environment came during a family holiday overseas.
“We were on holiday in South Africa and visiting game parks. After learning, watching, and participating in a functioning ecosystem the whole time it dawned on me that as humans we’re not a part of this. In fact, it was only a highly functioning ecosystem because humans had been kept out of the national parks,” she says.
“That really hit home for me the idea that the way we lived was not going to allow our species to survive and thrive into the future – when we operate like earth’s resources are infinite. We are destroying our future every day the more we extract and create waste. We have to learn to be a part of the ecosystem as opposed to being above and controlling it.”
The important things
Looking through the foundation’s focus areas today, the links to Hayley and Nikki, their passions, and their values are clear.
For example, their support for international development projects, especially in Africa, stems from the pair spending a lot of time travelling in the continent. The oceans and reefs projects are a direct result of the family purchasing Orpheus Island Lodge in tropical North Queensland and them beginning their crash course in learning more about the reef. And so on.
They say that the nature of philanthropic work, especially in the environmental space, means that sometimes there aren’t the immediately obvious big wins on the board – big systemic change takes time to really start seeing progress. But they still find opportunities where they can step back and be proud of the foundation’s success.
“In the early days Hayley and I went on a couple of trips to see some of the overseas projects we were funding in Cambodia, Tibet, and Kenya,” Nikki says.
“To actually meet the people on the ground doing all the hard work was amazing and knowing in a small way we were able to contribute to helping people’s lives improve was so rewarding.”
For Hayley, it’s much the same.
“I have immense gratitude to Dad for setting up Morris Group and the foundation, because it allows me to work on the things that I am passionate about,” Hayley says.
“It is such an honour to be in a position to be able to support these amazing organisations and the people who work so hard to make the world a better place.”
And at the end of the day, the extra reward for them is the opportunity to work closely together and focus on the things that really matter.
“We have the same values at heart for sure, and I will always respect her opinion,” Nikki says of Hayley.
“Any opportunity to talk and spend time with Nikki is a blessing on my day,” Hayley says.
“We are probably quite different in terms of our working style and some of our traits in this area. But we are very similar in our philosophy of life, our values, how we parent, and the things that are really important in life.”
Northern Escape Collection, home to a curated portfolio of boutique sustainable lodges, has today rebranded as Morris Escapes.
The new identity marks the beginning of an exciting new chapter for the business, building on its strong reputation for creating memorable experiences at one-of-a-kind destinations, including Orpheus Island Lodge, Mt Mulligan Lodge, Beechmont Estate, and the recently opened Pelorus Private Island.
Morris Group Executive Chairman Chris Morris said the new name aimed to better connect the portfolio with its parent brand, Morris Group.
The inspiration for the new logo comes from Morris Group’s foundations as a family-owned business, starting with the letter ‘M’ representing Chris Morris and the Morris family.
“This new identity means our luxury lodges are more closely aligned with the rest of Morris Group and strengthens the connection between Morris Escapes’ unique travel experiences and the rest of our tourism portfolio,” Mr Morris said.
Morris Group owns and operates a range of tourism experiences across Queensland including The Ville Resort – Casino and the recently opened luxury hotel Ardo in Townsville.
The portfolio also includes Morris Nautical, which operates a fleet of luxury superyachts out of Port Douglas; and Morris Aviation which includes Nautilus Aviation, North Queensland’s largest private helicopter business, HeliFish, and a newly acquired jet aviation business.
Mr Morris said while the name and branding might be new, the guest experience at Morris Escapes lodges will stay the same.
“Our exceptional Morris Escapes team will continue delivering the same outstanding service, and their unique brand of understated luxury that people have come to know and love,” Mr Morris said.
The closer connection between Morris Escapes with the rest of Morris Group also means that all the exciting career opportunities that go with being part of a large and successful company become clearer for our people who are wanting to build their careers in hospitality and tourism.
“With today’s rebrand and the recent opening of Pelorus Private Island, there’s never been a more exciting time to be part of Morris Escapes,” Mr Morris said.
Morris Escape’s new visual identity has been brought to life on the new group website, which is now live and ready to be explored at morrisescapes.com.au
Whether she’s in the air or has her feet firmly on the ground, Brooke Wilson-Bishop’s approach to her work is always the same.
For Brooke, the key to delivering exceptional customer service and being a highly valued member of the Nautilus Aviation team comes down to two simple words: passion and positivity.
It’s that mantra that’s seen her awarded Nautilus’ highly coveted annual Above and Beyond Award for 2023, as well as winning the monthly award twice – a pretty impressive feat considering she only joined the team in August 2022.
“I feel incredibly lucky to have won the Above and Beyond Award for 2023. Reading the feedback each month was a big highlight and it was nice to feel like my efforts were very appreciated,” she said.
“I have an amazing bunch of work colleagues whom I am privileged to work alongside every day.
“I just try to promote a positive and friendly environment to leave a great impression. A smile is free, and it instantly makes people feel welcome.”
When she relocated to Far North Queensland from New Zealand, Brooke already had a Diploma in Aviation under her belt. All she needed was the perfect opportunity.
And just like that, her career in aviation took off when she landed a role at Nautilus’ Cairns heliport, first as part of the reservations teams and with the ground crew.
“Nautilus Aviation has given me the opportunity to develop my skills and open a pathway to an exciting career,” she said.
“Starting out as a member of the Cairns base meant working in a high-volume environment. From cruise ship days to wet weather days, it was a great opportunity to work closely and cooperatively as a team to achieve goals together.
“Almost a year later I moved on to work as ground crew, assisting our pilots and the operations team with daily tasks to help the everything run smoothly. No two days were the same and I thrived in the environment.
“Fast forward to now, and I’m now a line pilot. I get to fly around a pretty special part of the world, and I couldn’t be more grateful for that.”
Despite the unique set of challenges that come with working in tropical North Queensland like humidity and the unpredictability of the wet season, Brooke says it’s the customers who make it all worth it in the end.
“I love watching people experience this incredible part of the world for the first time,” she said.
“For a lot of our customers it’s their first time in a helicopter, and they always come back smiling.”
Over the last 12 months, communities all over Far North Queensland have been devastated by a string of natural disasters: bushfires, floods, cyclones, and more bushfires.
From other parts of the country, we’ve watched on as homes were lost, businesses were destroyed, and people’s lives were thrown into disarray.
But amongst the devastation, we’ve also witnessed communities banding together under the most trying of circumstances. People helping each other through some of the worst moments of their lives.
Every step of the way, teams of emergency services workers and SES volunteers have put themselves in harm’s way to help the search and rescue, and recovery efforts. Supporting those efforts has been some of Morris Group’s own.
Aside from their usual day-to-day business of tourism and corporate helicopter services, the team from Nautilus Aviation has a long, proud history of providing helicopter search and rescue, firefighting, and medevac transportation across North Queensland and the Northern Territory.
Chief Operations Officer Morgan Sills says the last year has certainly kept the team on their toes.
This time last year we had multiple helicopters in Burketown and Normanton providing flood relief for residents for about six weeks,” Morgan said.
“Shortly after that we went straight into bushfire season working in the remote areas west of Cairns, where we had seven pilots working to protect homes.
Nautilus Aviation Chief Operations Officer, Morgan Sills
“We were helping out by water bombing the fires and providing air attack which is coordinating the bombers from the air as well as mapping the active fire edge. We were able to save multiple assets and homes.”
Unfortunately, the fires were just the beginning. The team then switched gears to help out when Tropical Cyclone Jasper brought a deluge of rain unlike anything the region had ever seen before. With that came a few extra complications.
“The Cairns airport went completely underwater which had a severe impact on our largest base and head office,” Morgan said.
“Pretty much straight after that we were tasked by Queensland Fire and Emergency Services and Queensland Police to fly emergency crews to the remote Indigenous communities of Wujal Wujal, Ayton and Degarra who were impacted by heavy, fast-flowing flood waters.
“This operation went on for many weeks because there were countless people all over the region that had been cut off. We helped out with evacuations, surveying damage from the air, resupply, transporting government workers, and carrying materials and fuel.”
While every day on disaster recovery comes with its fair share of stories, Morgan says some hit home a bit more than others.
“I was doing welfare checks with two police officers in the Daintree Valley after Cyclone Jasper, and we landed at a house that had been completely isolated and cut off for four days,” he said.
“An elderly woman came out of the house. She was running out of food, water and fuel for her generator, and had no phone service because the phone towers had gone down in her area. She was due to have her pacemaker replaced in a few days and had no way of contacting anyone.
“The look of relief and gratitude on her face was very rewarding. We were stoked to be able to help her out of a scary situation.”
Morgan says the very nature of working during a disaster means it comes with its fair share of challenges. But with that, there’s also a big reward.
“The work itself can be very sporadic. Quite often you’ll be in the air heading back to base after a job and you’ll be sent a latitude and longitude for another job, and you have to just figure out a safe place to land when you get there,” he said.
“It takes a lot of on-the-spot critical decision making that you don’t usually have in our normal everyday work because that’s planned out weeks in advance.
“It’s also a really busy time for our operations team receiving the jobs and tasking them to the helicopters they have available; and for our support staff on the ground with refuelling and loading up helicopters for up to 12 hours a day.
“But at the end of the day, it’s a good feeling knowing that what you’re doing is providing people and communities with the essential care and support, and making a difference for people who are in a very dire situation.”
