OSS World Wide Movers Australia has just celebrated the official opening of its new Sydney office and storage depot.

OSS celebrate official opening of new warehouse in Sydney


The new facility is based in a modern complex at King’s Park, close to Blacktown, west of the city having moved from the old premises in Seven Hills in late August 2013.

 

OSS has been on the rise since its interesting origins in the early 1970s.  Due to the steady flow of European migrants to Australia – predominantly of Greek and Italian descent  taking their hard earned white goods (fridges, cookers; etc) back to the old country to give to  their relatives – OSS made a steady trade out of facilitating this cycle.  The cycle would repeat itself every few years with migrant workers returning back to Australia after a short holiday to earn money for the next white goods upgrade. This market remained strong up until the mid-1980s and then by that time OSS had branched out into a full-service international moving company servicing the more traditional links between Australia and the UK and New Zealand.  A later boost in trade came through an emerging association with South East Asia – particularly migration from Hong Kong in the lead up to the handover in Hong Kong by the British back to China in 1997.

 

Owners of OSS – Bob Wray and Andrew Sorrell - have been with the company since 1972 and 1984 respectively.  Bob was OSS’s insurance broker for many years and liked the company so much he bought a fifty per cent share of Sydney OSS - just like the Remington man off the TV – Victor Kiam.  Andrew Sorrell was one of the fabled ‘Ten Pound Poms’ and was OSS Melbourne’s first employee in 1972.

 

Being a migration country, Australia has a reasonably even spread of inbound and outbound household goods and personal effects tonnage, the primary migration areas being from the traditional areas of the UK and NZ as well as increasingly from South East Asia and the Middle East.  Outbound tonnage also travels to the traditional areas as well as an increasing number of Australian architects, engineers and other professionals that are always in demand around the world.  “The secret to OSS’s success has been specialisation from day one in the international aspect of removals,” said Bob. “As a consequence, our staff is well-trained and our crews well experienced and committed.”

 

OSS is a FIDI member and has a strong emphasis on human resources. “We have always spent a lot of time on staff training,” said Andrew. “OSS is a strong supporter of the FIDI training programmes as well as other specialist development programmes for its staff.”

 

Bob and Andrew have clear plans for the future and are working towards a successful succession to the next generation of OSS professionals over the next few years. The new Sydney office is just the start.

Photos top to bottom: The new Sydney facility; Andrew Sorrell and Bob Wray

Mr Eternity

Why do Sydney-siders love the word Eternity?

At the 2000 Millennium celebrations, after the smoke from the fireworks had disappeared, the word Eternity appeared illuminated in giant letters across the top of the Sydney Harbour Bridge.  It was a message for all Sydney-siders, near and far, in remembrance of a local story that evokes the spirit and history of the city - the story of Mr Eternity.

In the 1930s a derelict called Arthur Stace found his calling when he walked into a church one day.  The clergyman ended his sermon with the words “Eternity, I would like to shout the words eternity through the streets of Sydney.”  The tale has it that Stace rushed out into the street as if he’d been struck by lightning and wrote the word ‘Eternity’ in chalk on the pavement. Until his death in 1967, the 'message' would appear written in chalk on pavements and walls throughout Sydney.  For years, nobody even knew who was responsible, so they called the mystery man Mr Eternity. 

The legacy continues to this day. Amongst other examples, there is an iron plaque found in Sydney's Town Hall Square.   

Read more at: http://www.mreternity.info/

Photos: Eternity; Arthur Stace - Mr Eternity



Getting to know Australia

 

• Aboriginal Australians have populated Australia for at least 71,000 years with the oldest remains found near Lake Mungo, NSW (in 1974)

• 1788 Australia saw the arrival of the first Europeans who brought prisoners to Sydney in order to establish the British penal colony of New South Wales.

• Woollarawarre Bennelong was the first documented Aborigine to live as Europeans did and he lived in a farm house built by the governor on the site where Sydney Opera House stands, Bennelong Point (c.1789) 

• The first immigrant of infamous note was Captain William Bligh of the fabled ‘Mutiny on the Bounty’. He was one of New South Wales’ first governors (1805-1810).

• Ned Kelly (1855 – 1880) was an Irish immigrant and infamous bank robber.

• Australians have experienced war with brave participation in World War I (1914-1918) and World War II (1939 – 1945) and also the Vietnam War. ANZAC Day (25 April) is an important national holiday were the war dead are remembered annually.

• One of the biggest annual sporting events is Football’s State of Origin Rugby League Series which sees NSW (Cockroaches) vs. Queensland (the Canetoads).  

• Australian literature is well represented by its authors: Tim Winton, Peter Carey, Patrick White, Nevil Shute, Ernestine Hill and Thomas Kenneally.

• Filmmakers like Peter Weir, Fred Schepsi, Bruce Beresford, John Duigan, Andrew Dominik, John Hillcoat or George Miller are responsible for importing the country’s visual wonders for those that may never journey to Australia in person.

• The cold beer famously sank at the end of every hard working day is almost as iconic as the cork hat and the boomerang. Have you ever tasted Victoria Bitter, Castlemaine XXXX, Tooheys or Swan Draught?

 


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