PHOTO: Long term business partners Geoff Secombe and Naomi Coghill are parting ways with Naomi set to ‘retire’ and the accountancy firm merging with a Dubbo-based company in order to boost their human resources. Also pictured are some of the remaining staff members Raj Nawarah, Julie Forsyth and Emily Tanner.
OUR local accountants’ office will be looking a little different from now on, following a merger between Secombe & Coghill and Dubbo-based Martel Wheatley.
The merger marks the end of an era for the respected local firm.
Partners Geoff Secombe and Naomi Coghill say that the difficulty in attracting staff has forced their hand.
“Our objective is to maintain the business here in Coonamble and maintain the positions of the people who work here,” said Geoff.
“These guys have effectively each been doing the work of two people and with constant deadlines it’s very stressful. There’s a limit to how long you can keep going.”
“We also had to cover off on the risk of something happening to one of us because one person can’t run the business by themselves,” he said.
“Ultimately it’s a staffing issue – if we’d been able to get staff to continue it wouldn’t have had to happen.”
The changes took effect on 17 July and while most of the faces will stay the same, the practice will be saying a gradual goodbye to chartered accountant and partner Naomi Coghill.
Naomi will be working one day each week from now until November. After that she will continue to manage their other enterprise, NRC Buses, on a part-time basis.
“I’ve got grandkids and older parents who might need my attention,” said Naomi. “And I’ve had a long period of working long hours so I thought I’d cut back and concentrate on the buses.”
“We’ve got twelve school bus runs from Gwabegar to Lightning Ridge,” she said.
Geoff will remain with the practice, along with their other Coonamble-based staff – Raj Nawaraj, Emily Tanner, Mel Sheppard, Julie Forsyth and remote bookkeeper Leanne West (nee Handebo) who works from her home in Nerang, Queensland.
“My hope is to be able to work a 38 to 40 hour week – which will be significantly less than the last couple of years,” says Geoff.
With a current staff of seven it is a far cry from the earliest days of the business when Geoff returned to his hometown in July 1991 and opened the doors of his fledgling accountancy firm in Aberford Street across from the police station with no more than a card table, folding chair and a laptop computer.
“I remember it had a skylight and no airconditioning,” he said.
“I used to go next door to the Tong Fong Restaurant for lunch just to sit in their airconditioning.”
Twelve months later his wife Amanda left her bank job and joined the business, and was soon followed by Nik Colwell who worked from a dark room in the back of the building.
In 1995, local builder Malcolm Nixon constructed their new premises at 15B Tooloon Street and a period of growth followed.
Over the years Geoff welcomed Julie Forsyth, Diane Smith, Pam Connick, Kim Browne, Belinda Harris, Belinda Morrison, Kathy Munday and Susan Campbell to the team.
In October 2001, after the introduction of GST (goods and services tax) tripled their workload, Naomi began contracting from Wellington and came on board as a partner in July 2003.
“I’d been to Coonamble before,” she said. “I worked with Ellis Ryan from 1982 to 1992. I didn’t mind moving to Coonamble.”
“At one stage there were ten of us,” she said. “But as people have retired and moved on we found it very, very hard to replace them.”
Along with their clients, the firm has faced the ups and downs of the seasons and a declining population along with constant changes in government policy and an avalanche of changes in technology.
“We’ve been here since you could go to the post office and get your tax stamps – now you need a whole IT department,” said Geoff.
“Technology has gone from being a tool to being the master. It is highly problematic and has seriously increased the complexity for our business clients.”
“Every time you turn around there’s something else the government expects you to do,” said Naomi.
With an attitude of working with and for their clients and the local community, Secombe & Coghill have received repeated recognition through the local business awards across several categories and had a “big win” at the regional awards held at Bourke in 2008.
“Our success is really measured by the success of our clients,” says Geoff.
“We’ve been so appreciative of our clients’ loyalty over such a long period.”
Geoff and Naomi say they believe the new arrangement will continue to serve the community with staff still based in Tooloon Street, Coonamble.
“There is a core of people who simply want to have their work done locally and it would be a shame to see that go,” said Geoff.
Naomi says she will spend the next few months assisting Martel Wheatley and is looking forward to winding back a little.
“I’ve enjoyed working with all my clients, they’ve been very friendly and helpful and a pleasure to deal with,” she said.