One is his unfailing camaraderie and team spirit.

For close to 30 years in the housing portfolio, he has started each day by walking the breadth of the office to personally greet every staff member. This remarkable, daily ritual has helped maintain a welcoming workplace.

Rod is a team player, boosting the team spirit of the entire organisation and supporting and developing the team he manages.

“For me, the most important thing is the people I work with. I’m very lucky to have the team I do,” he said.

“They are good people who are fun to work with but also know their stuff. It’s a balance in being approachable and having a positive attitude, but also performing the work we do well.”

Rod started his career in the housing space in 1996, working across multiple roles and moving across other government agencies throughout his career but always maintaining some involvement with housing over that time.

A self-confessed bean counter, he has revelled in the role of keeping the organisation financially stable and accountable.

As Business and Financial Services unit lead, he has been responsible for the budget management, financial systems and reporting and business support functions for the organisation.

This has included financial reporting, preparing Financial Statements and Budget Submissions for funding approval, working with the Valuer General to value the social housing portfolio and supporting staff, the CEO and the Homes Tasmania Board on operational matters like travel arrangements, invoices and general office maintenance.

“Our team does a wide range of work, and a lot of work, but it’s very rewarding”.

Rod’s role has also included oversight of the borrowings for capital works, managing the cash flow for Homes Tasmania and ensuring that the procurement processes meets Treasury requirements, supporting local business and achieving value for money.

Now after a 40-year career, Rod is saving his last spreadsheet and looking forward to an active retirement.

“It crept up on me, I’m not someone who has been planning my retirement. I only started seriously looking into it six months ago,” he said.

“My wife Cynthia is retiring soon as well and we will be taking time to look after our granddaughter Hazel and also have lots of activities planned. I like to be outside fishing, snorkelling, bushwalking, and no doubt there will be a long list of jobs for me to do at home.”

Thank you, Rod, for your charisma, your contribution to making Homes Tasmania a great place to work and your commitment to housing Tasmanians.