A woman with drive – from typewriters to trucking

27/07/2010 0 Comments read Business and Trade, Gender

By Neena Bhandari

Sydney, 27.07.2010 (The Sydney Morning Herald): When Heather Jones decided to launch a solely female owned and operated multi-truck company in the resource-rich rugged landscape of Western Australia, few thought she would survive in what is predominantly a male business.

But six years on, her aptly named Success Transport company has become a profitable enterprise.

Jones was working as a secretary for a mining company, when a call went out for Haulpak drivers. Having grown around motorbikes and cars, she promptly exchanged her typewriter with a seat behind the wheel and progressed to driving long-haul trucks.

Continue reading →

Banking on a career in cupcakes

01/07/2010 0 Comments read Business and Trade

Ghazaleh Lyari Photo Credit: © Neena Bhandari

By Neena Bhandari

Sydney, 01.07.2010 (The Sydney Morning Herald): A former Wall Street investment banker who gave up the big bucks for a career in cupcakes has proven she still has a head for numbers, this week opening her third store.

Ghazaleh Lyari worked as a banker with start-up technology companies during the dot.com boom and bust, helping at least one 10-person operation transform itself into a 5000-strong company.

Continue reading →

Hunger far from unknown in the land of plenty

25/06/2010 0 Comments read Environment & Development, Features

Ronni Kahn of OzHarvest, one of the many groups helping the hungry, says there is too much wasted food in Australia. Photo Credit: © Neena Bhandari

By Neena Bhandari

Sydney, 25.06.2010 (IPS): Devina Celeste, 50, waits in a queue of about 40 people at the Neighbourhood Centre in the inner-city suburb of Newtown for the only hot meal she will get on this cold winter night.

The queue, comprising 40 percent teenagers and students, is growing. Many have formed strong bonds of friendship while sharing this only meal a day together on weekdays. There is a brief cheer as the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) `Food for Life’ van arrives. Chris Smith, an IT analyst and volunteer driver is quick to lay the stall and start serving the meal on bio-degradable plates.

“This is my only nutritive meal. Almost 50 percent of my earnings go in rent and the rest in bills and the basics”, says Celeste, a massage therapist, as she relishes the hot “Khichadi” made of lentil, rice and vegetables and the semolina desert. She is amongst a growing number of “working poor”, who are unable to earn enough to support themselves.

Continue reading →