Kennards Self Storage April eKourier

Kennards Kourier o EDITION: APRIL 2021

WHAT IS OUR TWENTY MILE MARCH?

THE LAST LINE OF DEFENCE IS YOU

ONE YEAR AFTER COVID

WORK MORE EFFICIENTLY

Sam Kennard with Ray Adams, Centre Manager Browns Plains QLD

1 Kennards Kourier April 2021

IN THIS ISSUE

Message From Sam 10 Questions With...

3

4 Team Member Profiles 5 Three New Acquisitions in 2021 6 What Is Our Twenty Mile March? 7 Save The Date... 8 Blogging Good Stuff 9 The Last Line Of Defence... 10/11 One Year After Covid 12 Recent Reads 13 Spotlight On... 14 Property Download 15 Work More Efficiently 16 Your First Steps To Freedom... 17 Nevs Notes 18 Kennards Community 19

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Deadline: June 18, 2021 Editor: Sharon Munro Email: sharon@kss.com.au Distribution: July 16, 2021

Kennards Self Storage Guildford NSW

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MESSAGE FROM SAM Nev Kennard presenting Sam Kennard with his 20 Years of Service Award at The 2010 KSS Achievement Dinner

O ne of the favourite small parts of my job in the last couple of years has become the Q&A with new Team Members. This is where I join Wayne Brown with the new employee training session for an unrestrained and unlimited question and answer session. Nothing is off limits. Our new Team Members can ask any question they like. The purpose of this is to enable candid, authentic dialogue from the beginning and to show that we are genuine about the openness we seek from each other in the business. The sessions began a couple of years ago and are loose and unstructured. The questions I get asked in these sessions are wide ranging, thought provoking and stimulating. Many arise about our business history, our future and ambitions; many personal questions about me, my career and family; and a number of questions emerge about how a person can get ahead and flourish. This last area is what I want to expand on now. Personal development has been central to KSS for my entire career. It is clearly a legacy from my father

In short, a fixed mindset is where we our intelligence and capabilities are static. As such, we would avoid challenges; give up easily; reject or ignore feedback; and feel threatened if others succeed. A growth mindset person believes their intelligence can be developed so they will embrace challenges and effort; accept criticism and are inspired by and learn from the success of others. Adopting and using growth mindset is the best response to the question in my Q&A’s about what we can do to prosper and succeed in work and our personal lives. Take an insatiable appetite to learn. Do not fear being wrong or not achieving something. Give things a go. I would like to think that the culture of KSS is a growth mindset culture. We do not have all the answers, so encourage feedback, suggestions and innovation. We foster and encourage learning everywhere. We like new ideas, challenges and change. I hope my answers in the Q&A sessions will be helpful.

and his own passionate personal pursuit to grow and develop. He believed it was vital to success. It is certainly part of our DNA. I am not sure I have always answered the questions about how someone can grow and develop to succeed very eloquently. We strongly believe in fostering personal development. The company has an extensive range of formal and structured learning opportunities for people to dive in to. However, I have often tried to explain that the strongest characteristic for personal growth or stagnation comes from within each of us. It is our appetite to learn and our ambition to be the best we can be. Recently, I read a book that very elegantly explains the difference in our thinking and approach to personal development, and how this then manifests in the varying outcomes we have in life. Dr Carol Dweck’s book, Mindset, articu- lates how the way we think can influence our lives. In particular it says people have either a growth mindset or a fixed mindset. It is a simple, yet powerful concept.

Sam Kennard Chief Executive Officer

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WHO’S WHO

10 QUESTIONS... With Wayne Birch - Operations Manager Victoria

Life is about making choices. It’s those choices in life that makes a person or company what we become. Our company values are recognised and evolved in our FREEDOM to make decisions and forms part of our company culture. Sam Kennard made the very bold decision to address the highly competitive nature of our Teams in the late 90’s and early 2000’s conducting annual award winning cultural OCI surveys - a decision that has evolved Kennards as a Famous Household Name . What are some major changes you have seen within KSS business development? We owe our origins to a courageous individual in Neville Kennard and as we all know with his vision, Neville commenced our self storage business in 1973. Our further business successes, now led by Sam Kennard, have seen some significant and even more courageous decisions made coinciding with Sam’s appointment as Managing Director in 1994. When I commenced with Kennards there were 14 storage centres in Sydney and Brisbane, and to now experience our company grow to 95 centres today with a further seven sites in the future mix, is a huge development in the life of Kennards Self Storage. Having been given the opportunity to establish, work at, develop or set up directly, 37 of our existing storage facilities has been a remarkable journey and a development experience I would recommend to anyone. Over your years of service with KSS what would be the wackiest thing you have seen or heard of in the self storage world? Maribyrnong dress code standards: The male customer that enters our storage centre dressed in a well-tailored suit and then leaves wearing a frilly frock with matching makeup is certainly unusual. Ivanhoe storage: The wacky customer that stored one antique chair in the middle of a 13.5GR unit who made an official complaint against myself because after I had completed a delinquent inventory (which they eventually paid for), that I did not replace his chair exactly

back in the middle of their storage unit. He subsequently produced a measuring tape for my own benefit. Tell us a bit about your family? I have been married to Julie for 37 years. We have three beautiful daughters (all grown up and left the coup), and a female dog named Molly, a house full of females. How did they ever survive with me around. Is there a particular person who has inspired you over the years or had a major impact on your life so far? In personal life it has certainly been my father Arthur Birch. Bob’ was a tough Union Representative on the Melbourne wharves, and his life experiences as an owner driver also managing a family of six in the 60’s and 70’s was certainly difficult. I don’t know how he survived in the harsh conditions presented. His life stories are fascinating. He has always been there supporting me and taught me about the importance of good communication skills in life. Bob is still alive at 93 years of age. In business life it's definitely been the Kennard family influences. Neville developed my communication skills to listen, stop looking at how things can’t be done, don’t hold back and be upfront with your thoughts and views. I’ve learnt a lot about business acumen from Neville and now Sam. What do you like to do outside of KSS? I enjoy playing Golf, Gardening and supporting the Essendon Football Club in the AFL. I would love to write a ‘Wayno Self Storage’ book about my storage adventures with Kennards. Favourite holiday destinations? I love Rome, my first overseas city destination in 2015. Yearly family holidays to Yarrawonga on the Murray River and Port Douglas which is Julie’s favourite holiday destination, and camping in Lake Eildon in Victoria. To sum up KSS in one word would be? Family.

Above: Hayley, Wayne, Janelle, Raygan, Julie and Nicole

What year did you join KSS and what role did you initially have? I commenced with Kennards on the 25th September,1997. My principal role was to set up any new Melbourne storage centres, train the Assistant Managers, and then to move to the next new storage location when purchased and built. I spent my first 14 weeks based in different storage facilities around the Sydney area whilst living in our Wetherill Park KSS apartment above the centre. Initial training was held for five days at THQ Homebush with three days spent at a specific centre. Those three days of training on-site were with Phil Howe at Guildford, I trimmed trees and gardened. Yes, training was a little different then. Actually, not many KSS Team Members realise that before I became an Operations Manager, I was employed as a Centre Manager for the first eight years of my time with Kennards. Tell us about your position at KSS? The purpose of my role as Operations Manager is to add value to KSS by developing, coaching and mentoring teams of constructive proactive people, including but not limited to optimising occupancy and income at each Melbourne facility and handling a variety of projects. As one of KSS longest standing Team Members, tell us about how you have seen KSS evolve?

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WHO’S WHO

Bruce Thai Assistant Accountant - THQ

Amy Lee Payroll Officer - THQ

Career background: Working in various industries across Health Care, Construction and Education over the past 10 years. Looking after a payroll size of up to 2,000 people.

Career background: Before joining KSS, I spent four years working in two accounting firms.

Marital status? I am Single.

Marital status? I am married.

Any children? No kids.

Any children? Alicia (10 yrs old) and Alison (9 yrs old), they love art and craft, and specialise in making carboard houses for our two bunnies.

Hobbies/interests: I like watching sitcoms, listening to podcasts and playing Football Manager.

Hobbies/interests: Working with my succulents on weekends.

Do you play any sport or have any special talents? I used to play a bit of Soccer and Tennis.

Do you play any sport or have any special talents? I love swimming and speaking a bit of Japanese.

Favourite book: Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill.

Favourite movie: The Dark Knight (2008).

Favourite book: Pride and Prejudice.

Favourite restaurant/food: I generally like chocolates and cakes. Where did you grow up? I grew up in Vietnam and for the most part, it was fun.

Favourite movie: Bridget Jone's Diary.

Favourite restaurant/food: Japanese and Thai.

Where did you grow up? Originally from Taiwan where they have a lot of night markets and street food, everything is close by. You pretty much go everywhere by motorbike.

Any pets? No pets.

Favourite holiday destinations: I think Japan is a great country to visit.

Any pets? Two bunnies, Amber and Bella.

Favourite holiday destinations: My favourite destination is Japan.

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PROPERTY

THREE NEW ACQUISITIONS TO START 2021

Sam Kennard visiting the newely acquired KSS land in Yarrabilba QLD

BIG MERINO TO GET A NEW NEIGHBOUR - GOULBURN, NSW

term view. Our development will be staged to match demand as population grows. Ultimately, we anticipate the project will be approximately 700 spaces. We are now seeking consent and hope to start construc- tion in the second half of 2021. MELBOURNE NETWORK TO GROW TO 16 - PAKENHAM, VIC This new property is located at the interchange of Koo-Wee-Rup Rd and the Princes Freeway. Pakenham is approxi- mately 60km south east of the Melbourne CBD. It is another rapidly growing Melbourne area and relatively under-served with quality storage operators. The property is relatively small at only 5,800 square metres. We intend to develop a two storey centre with about 550 spaces. It will enjoy great exposure to the traffic coming on and off the motorway as well as very convenient access. We are proceeding immediately with our application to get consent from Council. When complete, Pakenham will be our 16th location in Melbourne.

We will be lodging plans to develop a typical 1-2 level storage centre with 500-600 spaces, including a number of Enterprise Spaces. GETTING IN EARLY IN YARRABILBA - YARRABILBA, QLD We have acquired 1 hectare parcel in the Queensland growth neighbourhood, known as Yarrabilba. This is a brand new rapidly-growing community develop- ment that will eventually be home to 50,000 people. This new suburb is being developed by Lend Lease. Like other south east Queensland housing areas it is experiencing red hot demand with interstate migration from the southern states fuelling strong growth. We have secured a key location on Yarrabilba Drive, and will eventually occupy a central position with close proximity to a major shopping centre (yet to be built). Our immediate neighbours will include a Service Station and a couple of fast food drive through restaurants. The position will provide superior visibility, access and convenience to competing centres.

Located in the entry to Goulburn near the world famous Big Merino. The gateway position will offer exceptional exposure and instantly provide us with market leading awareness. Goulburn is another regional community benefiting from the ‘tree change’ migration from the cities due to Covid19. Located between Sydney and Canberra, Goulburn is a popular stop-off for travel - lers heading to the Snowy Mountains, Canberra and interstate. Of course, it is famous for The Big Merino - a giant 15 metre tall Merino Ram monument erected to celebrate the wool industry of the area. The Goulburn location is a good regional fit for us. It is located two hours from Sydney, and neatly between our Mittagong and Canberra centres. This will make management and operational visits efficient and effective. The property is 1.7 hectares, with access directly off the busy arterial, Hume Street. It is surrounded by fast food, service retail, bulky goods retailers and Bunnings.

Sam Kennard Chief Executive Officer

Current population levels are modest so our arrival is early and we have a long

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FEATURE

WHAT IS OUR TWENTY MILE MARCH?

As a business we have followed the philosophies and principles of Jim Collins, a researcher who has studied what makes good companies great and enduring, using data collected over 25 years. Jim has authored and co-authored a series of books detailing his learnings from this research. Books such as 'Good to Great', 'Built to Last' and 'How the Mighty Fall', to name a few. These books are available from the KSS Library and have been a mandatory read for all new employees who join KSS in a leadership role.

do more but do not do any less to get to where you want to go. What is our 20 Mile March? What is it every day we are disciplined to do without fail that will get us to what we want to achieve. The activities that happen every day without fail that lead us to success and freedom. Our daily walk around the centre, prefer- ably first thing in the morning. We do this to know what is happening in our centres from a safety and security perspective, a proactive approach to property management. This is a point of difference and a customer touch point. Explaining to our customers that we check every lock every day provides comfort and piece of mind for people storing with us. This forms part of our 20 Mile March. Pipeline management following up and checking in on our active reservations and enquiries, this in conjunction with the daily walk around are the two most important aspects of what happens each day on our march. The recently introduced Care Call has become part of our 20 Mile March. Another touch point with our customers post move in, to understand how their move in experience was, do they have any questions or concerns, and do they wish to continue with insurance for full peace of mind. More will happen in a day, but nothing can distract us from our 20 Mile March activities. Making the 20 Mile March activities a priority gives us freedom to get on to other activities knowing we have completed what needs to be done that day for success.

J im’s research has been presented under four pillars, Disciplined People, Disciplined Thought, Disciplined Action and Built to Last. Each pillar is broken down further into the principles that build each pillar. After listening to Jim recently, he spoke about the '20 Mile March' one of three powerful principles that builds on the third pillar 'Disciplined Action'. Fanatic execution, self-control, no matter what happens we do the 20 Mile March. I have always believed 'discipline' is a critical ingredient to success. Combining discipline with purpose anything can be achieved. Jim explains that no one big thing will ever make you great, it is the small things that add up to big results. I have heard other references over the years about the power of being disciplined. In particular that discipline equals freedom. Jocko Willinks a retired heavily decorated US Navy Seal describes the relationship between discipline and freedom nicely. He says the only way to get to a place of freedom is through discipline. If you want financial freedom, you have to have financial discipline, if you want

more free time, you have to be more disciplined with your time manage- ment systems. That means having the discipline to say “no” to things that eat up your time and do not return value. Discipline equals freedom applies to all aspects of life: he says, “if you want more freedom get more discipline” . Jim Collins analogy of the 20 Mile March is about disciplined action. Jim says to be great you need to get up and march 20 miles every day. If you do nothing more in your day make sure you march 20 miles. Some days you will Discipline equals freedom applies to all aspects of life: he says, "if you want more freedom get more discipline".

Darren Marshall Chief Operating Officer

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FEATURE

SAVE THE DATE! KSS ACHIEVEMENT DINNER 2021

Above: 10, 15 and 20 Years of Service 2020 recipients, presented by Darren Marshall (far left) and Sam Kennard (far right). L to R: Joanne Woodhouse -15 years (THQ), Steve Jansen - 20 years (Pymble), Neil Pardoe - 10 years (Penrith), Frank De Vlam - 10 years (Campbelltown), Johny Vaman - 15 years (Rozelle), Gary Stephenson - 10 years (Macquarie Park), Fiona Harding - 15 years (THQ), Darryl Hodgson - 15 years (THQ), Mark Burgess - 10 years (Artarmon2). Below right: Sam Kennard presenting Michael Macheledt (THQ) with 15 Years of Service and Nicky Goodwin (QLD Ops Mgr) presenting Zac Singleton (West End) with his FREEDOM Award.

I t almost feels like just last week we celebrated our teams achievements. #Achieveember was a great way to celebrate and connect our Team Members from all over Australia and New Zealand in the absence of our traditional Achievement Dinner night. The outlook for this year looks positive and we are excited to plan for our annual Achievement Dinner. With restrictions and lockdowns lifting we are looking forward to resuming our usual event with a night filled with celebrations, achievements, food and drinks, and most importantly the opportunity for everyone to see each other and reconnect in person. This years Achievement Dinner will take place on Saturday, 28th August at the Pullman Sydney Airport, Mascot, The same venue used in 2019. For our Team Members across the ditch in New Zealand, we are hopeful the travel restrictions will be lifted and you will be able to join us in person. But if not never fear, with the aid of technology we have the opportunity to record the entire event for playback

THE OUTLOOK FOR THIS YEAR LOOKS POSITIVE AND WE ARE EXCITED TO PLAN FOR OUR ANNUAL ACHIEVEMENT DINNER and also possibly live stream on the night, so everyone has the ability to join in and help celebrate no matter where they are. Stay posted for further updates and remember to nominate a teammate for a FREEDOM Award, and of course save the date!

Tony Vuong General Manager Operations

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FEATURE

Having a presence online is very important for business. Opening up the Yellow Pages is a thing of the past. We have recently released our fantastic new website and centres have been really great with attracting 5 Star Google Reviews. Blogs are another way to attract visitors to our website by sharing information.

S earch engines like Google use what’s called Search Engine Optimisation. This is when the user punches in search terms like self storage prices for example. All the relevant hits for these words /search terms are ranked and appear in order of results. So having more material online like a Blog that contains popular search words will create more views of the Blog and therefore your website. Utilising the expertise from our Digital Marketing Coordinator, can provide specific search terms for your particular area. This indicates what people are searching for, providing you the opportunity to tailor your content to the popular search terms. By constantly adding fresh content to the web through the use of Blogs we are maximising our search results. Firstly, open up the new website and take a look at the News and Updates Section to see what Blogs have been written by others. This will give you some ideas. Secondly, think of why customers use storage at your centre. Team Members are the best at knowing our customers stories. It could be that you have a lot of customers that store their camping equipment. A centre like Wollon- gong has a lot of campervan storage. Before Covid 19 Waterloo had a lot of students use storage during their end of year break. Your centre will have

something unique in what it offers or something specific that your customers use space for. You can also use events on the calendar to come up with an idea. You can write a Blog on how cheap storage is or a Blog about where to get moving boxes from. WITH THE GROWING MOVE TO CUSTOMERS USING THE WEB, POSTING BLOGS CONSTANTLY IS ANOTHER WAY WE CAN ELEVATE OUR BRAND AND PRESENCE ON THE WEB Once you have the idea it is then time to get creative. The content should read naturally but have structure by using a template that has an introduction, body then conclusion. Keep paragraphs short and remember to cleverly place key words / search terms. Make them fun! Once you get confident use the segue to your advantage. Start your Blogs without mentioning storage. For Wollon- gong campervan storers you can start a Blog outlining the top five destinations that people take their campervan to, or

list items not to forget when you go on a campervan holiday. You then mention storing a campervan can be difficult and the answer is storage. Then list off some features and benefits of using KSS and how easy the sign-up process is. Here are some commonly used search terms. See if you can spot the search terms I have used in this article: Cheap storage, Self Storage prices, where to get moving boxes, cheap moving boxes, caravan storage near me, garage near me. Add these keywords in a sentence within your Blog. End your Blogs with your centre's address, telephone number and the web address and sign off with 'Store with People who Care' or 'Kennards Self Storage, Creating the Space for Change' . Blogs are free! Think of a Blog as free advertising for your centre and that will be a good motivator. With the growing move to customers using the web, posting Blogs constantly is another way we can elevate our Brand and presence on the web. I Look forward to seeing fresh articles being published. Simply send your article to your Operations Manager for publication.

Antone Boustani NSW Operations Manager

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FEATURE

THE LAST LINE OF DEFENCE IS YOU

Everyone would have seen our Cyber Security Awareness Training videos featuring the characters Human Error and Sound Judgment. These videos serve as an educational tool and reminder for us all to be smart about identifying and avoiding various threats and vulnerabilities. Our goal is to create a culture that is Cyber Security aware. To achieve that, the education of Teams is key.

34% 79%

A side from these humorous videos, the service offers some other features. These include tools to mount email phishing campaigns as a means of testing the effectiveness of the campaigns and identifying opportunities for education. People are caught out by these across the entire organisation! You will note in this graph (right) that the one that caught most people pretended to be a Microsoft OneDrive email. Someone really sending phishing emails will use many deceptive practices such as pretending to be systems we actually use or people we actually know.

Phishing Campaigns

Clicking Links with the Kardashians 29/11/2019

LOS POLLOS Hermanos COVID Relief 21/05/2020

Dropbox Disaster 23/07/2020

OneDrive - ManyPhishies 11/08/2020

Bad News Day 5/11/2020

0

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80

100

120

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Sent Clicked

Another part of the service is a survey that gauges the sentiment of partici- pants in terms of their understanding of the security threats, what they can do and what the organisation is doing. So far, responses from across our organi- sation look like this (above): Information security requires confiden - tiality (keeping stuff secret), integrity

WHAT IS AT RISK? Money, information, technology and reputation could be at risk. This could include the destruction, exposure or corruption of one or more of the following: email records; financial records; business plans, processes

(keeping stuff intact) and availability (keeping stuff accessible). We have a security foundation and perimeter defence in place to protect each of these aspects, however no corporate network is infallible and that’s why our last line of defence is critical and why it is so important our people are cyber street smart…

con't next page

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FEATURE

THE LAST LINE OF DEFENCE IS YOU

gave away part of your birthdate. Will you post which day it was next? Your Personally Identifiable Information (PII) is important to protect! • BEWARE FOREIGN OBJECTS: Be conscientious of what you plug into your computer. Viruses can be spread through infected flash drives, USB sticks, external hard drives, discs and even smartphones. Hackers have been known to drop infected devices like these on the ground outside a business to entice you to plug them into a computer. • EDUCATE YOURSELF: Educate yourself when it comes to cyber security. The more you know the better prepared you will be. Google 'Cyber Security Tips' and get informed. You can also look at https://www.cyber.gov.au Get CYBER S t r e e t Smart, don’t b e c o m e a v i c t i m I cannot stress that last point enough. Ignorance is one of the factors that "bad actors" (which can be cybercriminals or even nation states) rely upon to be able to infiltrate not just organisations but also individuals’ private computers. Don't underestimate the value of a compromised private computer, not only is your valuable information at risk, but put hundreds or thousands of them together and they've got a botnet capable of enormous power. That power could be used for anything from mining bitcoin, committing click-fraud, partici- pating in Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks, transmitting spam or other nefarious activities.

and ideas; marketing plans; intellec- tual property; product design such as constructions specifications; customer records or employee records, either of which could include sensitive Personal Identifiable Information (PII) such as dates of birth. A cyber-attack can cause financial loss from theft of money, information or disruption to business. It can cause the loss of business by damage to reputa- tion or damage to other companies we rely on to do business. It can also cost time and money getting affected systems up and running again. The disclosure of PII puts the victim at risk of identity theft, financial loss and damaged credit. You can elevate your awareness! Informed Team Members are our last line of defence against the worst scum of the universe. • PLAY IT SAFE: Be suspicious about the senders of any unexpected message you receive via email, social media or SMS. If you weren't expecting it delete it. That includes unexpected messages from people you know. Also, that robo-caller telling you the police will be sent if you don't pay an outstanding tax debt using iTunes cards. • PASSWORDS MATTER: Use a strong mix of characters, and don't use the same password everywhere. Don't share your password, don't write it down and don't write it on a post-it note attached to your monitor. Also, the longer a password, the more secure it is, and Multi-Factor Authentication is immensely more secure. • DON'T CLICK THE LINK: Emails can be nasty, don't just click on any link. Instead, go to the website directly and log in from there. That email from Microsoft isn't from Microsoft. • DON'T BE OVERLY SOCIAL: Always review everything before you post on Social Media and never post personal information that identifies you. That public post where your birth month says what your spirit animal is? You just WHAT IS THE IMPACT? WHAT CAN YOU DO?

“Hi Malcolm and the Team,

Just wanted to say a big thank you for your excellent customer service. You have all been so helpful in making moving (which can be quite stressful), into a much easier task. Nothing has been a problem and you have gone above and beyond to give customer satisfaction. I am very pleased I chose Kennards and would recommend Kennards at Burleigh to others. "Where do I begin, your Team are an asset to your business. The girls were amazing at Milton, helping me at the last possible minute with storage solutions and accommo- dating the last minute removal company, who were also incredible, into the facility at the eleventh hour. The compassion and understan- idng shown to me during an anxiety episode was nothing short of exemplary. I'm absolutely shattered today but if it wasn't for your team, I'd hate to think where I would be both physically and mentally. I have a severe mental illness and the stress levels last evening were almost to a point of self destruc- tion. I'm forever grateful and it goes without saying that your Team are true professionals and decent human beings. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. Estelle Hunt"

Michelle "

Sean Bradley ICT Manager

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FEATURE

.

ONE YEAR AFTER COVID...

Well, here we are in April 2021 and over a year ago the entire planet went into lockdown in confusion about a worldwide pandemic!! What a difference a year makes. Each of our States and NZ have been through different lockdowns and with different lengths of lockdown and restrictions. In Australia we have fared far better than most of the world and things are starting to look and feel positive… or are they?

S hould we be concerned or getting the Champagne out? Here are some indications from the wider economy and globally: • The USA has just delivered a massive $1.9 trillion support package which will be a massive boost to the entire worlds’ economy. It will be a bit of a sugar hit but will certainly boost the worlds’ economy. • China had positive growth in the year to Dec 2020 and is forecast to grow at around 10% in 2021 – this is a very good sign for the world and in particular for Australia who supplies many raw materials and minerals, specifically iron ore which accounts for just over half of all Australian exports. • Vaccines are being rolled out across the world and significant reductions in cases and hospitalisation is being seen. Hospitals are freeing up spaces for other medical events which takes enormous strain off the medical sector. • Australian property prices are expected to grow approximately 10% for the next two years. Great for owners

spent to boost the economy, despite most Government support stopping at the end of March. • Some issues being faced are exports to China no longer being accepted. New markets for items like Coal and Barley have already been found and areas like Wine looking for new market. • Students are a concern for the entire industry and also associated residential study programs like MBA’s etc. Based on all of the above factors it appears things are looking positive and Australia and NZ should fare well in the next few years. We should therefore feel fairly optimistic and positive about the future and look to enjoy our return to 'normal' life, whatever that looks like. Pull up a storage box and toast yourselves to getting through an incredible year, and hopefully many positive events/experi- ences/travels/reuniting with family and friends in the near future… Anthony Rous Chief Financial Officer

but harder for buyers to get into the market. This is mainly for single dwellings and not apartments where there is some oversupply. NZ are also seeing surging property prices. • Interest rates are at all time lows. The Reserve Bank of Australia are saying rates will not go up till 2024. The USA have also locked in interest rates at zero until at least 2023. • Australia has seen a massive reduction in tourists however, we do spend $30 billion more on overseas travel than tourists spend within Australia. So, while International Borders are closed and hopefully Domestic Borders do not close again, the spending by locals in Australia will far outweigh the loss of tourist dollars. • Business confidence is at a 10 year high which is a sign of optimism and encour- ages people and businesses to spend. • Great rains have delivered bumper farming crops across the country and with follow up rains, things are looking good. • Australian savings are at an all time high. Cash balances are available to be

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FEATURE

Who Can You Trust? How technology brought us together and why it might drive us apart? Rachel Botsman This is an exceptional read that examines to get a ride, based on star ratings and platform trust. Botsmans journey of privacy creep, trust and surveillance explores contemporary China, where ubiquitous CCTV, facial

The data we share is the exchange for the convenience and value, there is clear privacy creep by corporations and governments. Indeed, governments have an insatiable appetite for more control and power, so will continue to push for greater oversight of people. In this regard, some authorities are even suggesting now that Covid QR check-ins become permanent. This would be a big hit to our liberty in my view.

recognition and social credit scores, are used to maintain ‘cooperation’ and control of the population. Quite scary. It's compelling to see how we might slide into a surveillance state as benefits and technology advance, but when you have someone say, “What have you got to hide?” When they want more informa- tion; please reply, “Everything!” Sam Kennard Chief Executive Officer

how technology that has made our lives so much richer, also poses risks to our safety and our liberty.

Rachel Botsman explains how the greater transparency of businesses provided to us has improved trust. Such as Uber, we now willingly get into a random car with a stranger

12 Rules For Life. Jordan Peterson This is a fascinating

I learned later that the ideas in the book are polarising and are hated by some people. I loved it. Sam Kennard Chief Executive Officer

your actions, thoughts and perspective. Fundamentally, the book is founded on the concept of personal responsibility, owning your situation and appreciating your life.

perspective on how to handle ourselves as we tackle our challenges.

JORDAN PETERSON'S – 12 RULES FOR LIFE.

Jorden Peterson's

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.

Stand up straight with your shoulders back

book became a best seller. Many of the concepts are

Treat yourself like someone you are responsible for helping

Befriend people who want the best for you Compare yourself to who you were yesterday

not new but he puts them in a perspec- tive that shares them brilliantly for the world today. Each of the 12 rules are elaborate and thoughtful discussions on what each of us can do to be more fulfilled. With a world where doom and gloom, hysteria and problems are promoted it is not unsurprising people feel helpless and even victims. The book shares this view and asks you to consider yourself,

Do not let your children do anything that makes you dislike them

Set your house in order before you criticise the world Pursue what is meaningful, not what is expedient

Tell the truth – or at least don’t lie

Assume whoever you’re listening to knows something you don’t

10. 11. 12.

Be precise in your speech

Do not bother children while they are skateboarding Pet a cat when you encounter one in the street

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PROPERTY

SPOTLIGHT ON PYMBLE

conversation towards KSS "The People who Care". Our Pymble customers are one of a kind! If you don’t know George, just ask anyone who has spent time here. He dabbles primarily in Natural Artisan Water, but his 70 square metres here is just a sideline to his warehouses and other unique interests that all involve, “how much can I get for that? Do you want to sell that?” He spends most of the day here and goes out of his way to meet other KSS customers that he finds interesting. Level four here is a bit like family, with several daily regulars sharing coffees, cakes and lots of chats. They really look after the centre and us. Steve Jansen a 20 year veteran and Varsha Samji coming up to seven years, have been the Pymble team since opening December 2014 (pictured left). A mix of good cop, bad cop and we wouldn’t have it any other way. Being an expanding centre occupancy gets to a certain point here, as high as 90% has been reached and then another wing of storage is built to keep up with demand. Currently 6,100 square metres with plenty of land and plans to expand further, up to 12,000 square metres of storage. The next expansion is the big one, and we cannot wait! Pymble has the largest spaces in the area with 37 – 70 square metres always in high demand. Occupancy currently hovers around the 85% mark. Pymble is still trying to hit the $2 million income with 2020 just missing out. 2021 is on track for sure. Merchandise is interesting here with sales bouncing between $6k to $10k per month. We are strong sellers and love a sale. We are hoping to get back to the high $90k’s for this financial year as was the case a couple of years ago. Competition and choice right on our doorstep can make it challenging. We are embracing that our Team make the differ - ence, that we are confident in our product, loving the role and treating our visitors with relaxing attitudes. We always show pride and ownership in everything we do here at KSS Pymble. Pymble Team - Steve Jansen and Varsha Samji

T he original occupant of this site at Pymble from the early 80’s was The National Measure- ment Institute, who are Australia's peak measurement body responsible for biological, chemical, legal and physical measurement. ASADA conducted the athlete sampling analysis here for the 2000 Olympics as well, and funnily enough were one of our first storers when we opened as Kennards Self Storage taking up a 22 square metre garage. KSS purchased the building in 2013 and started the demo work in 2014. It took almost a year before it completely transformed into Blue and Orange. The demo alone was massive as when purchased the entire building was still a fully fitted Laboratory/Office block, with that abandoned look and feel. Due to their enormous power usage we are left with our own Power Station still on site. Now it's powering just a half dozen circuit breakers. Council also required us to install huge above ground water tanks exclusively for NSWFB use, and locate them at the front of the property. 10,000 litres of water that can be utilised if ever necessary. Finally, December 2014 saw Pymble’s first customers. Pymble has a nicely landscaped welcoming driveway located at the top of a short busy street and we are

surrounded by attractive bushland with tall Ghost Gums and native gardens. It truly is the most picturesque entrance. The building frontage is not imposing and looks quite small, but the real truth is cleverly hidden. Five levels on a sloping block of land, all is revealed once inside. Access is easy with two main gate entry points leading to our lower and ground floor levels and to the lift. The carpark we were left with has over 70 parking spaces, so RV storage is available, and congestion impossible. Primarily office blocks and a couple of small building suppliers surround us, plus a gym right next door. Later this year a new Bunnings will open. Competition is very close with National Storage just next door, and a new Storage King across the road from them, with KSS proud and dominant at the top of the street. Our focus has always been to be well known in the Upper North Shore area. We support local cafes and the gym and are very well known by name with referrals coming in regularly. We have a more relaxed attitude towards customers and selling, by treating visitors with both respect and some fun as well. We deflect any comments of a “deal" or "best price” redirecting the

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PROPERTY

PROPERTY DOWNLOAD

Currently we have a bulk tender out for pricing which includes new centres at Cleveland Qld (pictured above), and Craigieburn and Cranbourne in Vic. In addition to these new centres we are also pricing expansions at Chullora, Belmont and Macquarie Park in NSW and Adelaide Airport in SA, and Murarrie and Coorparoo in Qld. We are looking forward to a busy end to 2021 and continuing into 2022. Michael Macheledt & Craig Henery Development & Construction Team

Whilst construction at Wetherill Park in Sydney is underway, a very recent change to the NSW Planning Regula- tions has allowed KSS to optimise the design and we have undertaken a slight re-design of the development to improve the self storage capacity of the site. This has slowed the construction program but in the long run it will be worth the effort.

PIPELINE

The KSS Team at Guildford in Sydney are enjoying life in their new three storey building (pictured below) completed in February this year. Featuring 421 new units, two new lifts, motion activated lights and a new showroom. Progress at Wairau Valley in New Zealand continues. There have been some delays due to Covid and material procurement, but the project nears completion with expected opening in May.

FUTURE PROJECTS

Whilst Craig and I wrap up the current projects under construction our minds are focusing on what we will build over the next 12 months.

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PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

WORK MORE EFFICIENTLY Day to day centre operations require our Teams to wear many hats. First and foremost, the job calls for excellent sales skills.

While this is one of the most important things we do, frontline Teams must also be highly effective in a wide range of other areas. Delivering exceptional customer service, growing occupancy, generating reviews, building manage- ment, debt collection, and stock control all play a critical function is the success of a centre and the wider business. This of course comes with the challenge of determining which particular area to direct our efforts. There are a myriad of frameworks designed to help us work more efficiently and guide our best practise decision making. The Eisenhower matrix is a simple tool that can be applied to day-to-day centre operations. The former US president Dwight Eisenhower supposedly once said “The most urgent decisions are rarely the most important ones.”

Eisenhower was considered a master of time management. His framework was designed to distinguish the difference between what is important and what is urgent. Whatever the job that lands in our laps begin by breaking it down according to the Eisenhower method and then decide how to proceed. We often focus too strongly on the urgent and important field, on the things that have to be dealt with immediately. Ask yourself – When will I deal with the things that are important, but not urgent? When will I take the time to deal with important tasks before they become urgent? This is the field for strategic, long-term decisions. Wayne Brown Training and Development Manager

"What can I say - Trudy and her Team are simply amazing and extremely customer focussed. I use various KSS facilities (Australia wide) and everyone has been great but Trudy surpassed my expecta- tions and was excellent to deal with. Trudy listened to what was required and went above and beyond to assist me with my recent booking. Highly recommend Kennards Self Storage and the North Melbourne branch who have been exceptional. 5 stars! "I have just completed a five year rental at KSS, previously I had a three year rental at Gladesville. At both sites Gary was the Manager along with Michael at Kennards Macquarie Park, the service given and the courtesy shown by both these gentlemen was a credit to Kennards and themselves. Lee Kershaw" "Great customer service start to finish at Mt Eden. We used Kennards Storage and had an absolutely enjoyable experience with super friendly and highly professional staff walking us through the process and explaining all we needed to know. Thanks a lot! You definitely keep the standards high. Kev"

Zarina"

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CHARITY

BEDDOWN The Goodnight Initiative

YOUR FIRST STEP TO FREEDOM Escabags provides free 'Escape Bags' filled with the necessities that a victim of domestic or family abuse and his/her children may need when initially escaping an abusive or dangerous situation.

T he objective of Beddown is to take spaces that are commonly used and busy during the day but at night are left vacant or empty. Beddown activates and repurposes theses spaces at night into pop-up accommodation to ensure the homeless, in particular those who are sleeping rough are able to access a safe, secure shelter to get a great night’s sleep and have access to a range of services that restore dignity, respect, self-esteem and confidence. Beddown collaborates with other charitable organisations to provide complementary services such as laundry and showers, food and beverages, health and wellbeing, new clothing to name a few. Their first space activated and repurposed was a car park. Car parks offer great spaces that are sheltered, secure, spacious, clean and can be activated very quickly into pop-up accommodation and be popped down very quickly, with minimal disruption to the business. Beddown have partnered with Austral- ia’s largest car park operator, Secure Parking, who operate over 600 car parks across Australia and New Zealand. Kennards Self Storage at Milton are proud to be helping Beddown, providing donated storage space for a number of items including bedding, mattresses and toiletries. Sharon Munro Executive Assistant

L to R: Stacy Jane - Founder and CEO, Marie Copp - Board Director, Sue-lei Hunt-Mingay - Fundraising Committee Member, Antonia Leuzzi Puntillo - Volunteer

"Since being founded in February 2020, we now distribute our 'Escape Bags' to over 200 official Escabags stockists, namely Police Stations, Health and Community Centres and other privately owned businesses, across all states in Australia. We proudly cater to all victims of abuse, which is why we offer two variations of our Escape Bags - 'Parent and Child' and 'Single Adult'. Kennards Self Storage has very generously supported our organisa- tion by providing us with a donated storage unit since July 2020, which has enabled our organisation to grow exponentially. We now have the space required to store the essential items donated to us, and can also utilise the space with volunteers who assist us with packing the 'Escape Bags' ready for distribution each week. We are incredibly grateful to all the Team at Kennards Self Storage for their continued kindness and support for our mission, especially to all the Team at Mittagong and Wollongong

branches for going above and beyond their job roles. It is genuine consideration and compassion from organisations like Kennards Self Storage for causes that affect all local communities, which enable us to assist those most in need." We now distribute our 'Escape Bags' to over 200 official Escabags stockists

Stacy Jane Founder & CEO Escabags Ltd

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NEV’S NOTES

NEV'S NOTES

Neville Kennard (1937 - 2012) Founder of Kennards Self Storage, enjoyed and was very passionate about expressing his ideas. These little gems have been appreciated by many in KSS. We will continue to publish his ideas that we have in stock. Enjoy! T he idea of euthanasia seems to be a difficult one for some people, especially for those in government. EUTHANASIA AND SELF-OWNERSHIP own lives is an act of despair brought about sometimes by a psychological condition, or sometimes by physical or health condition which brings the sufferer breach in most countries. While most civilised countries espouse the idea of the right to live as one pleases, this is violated by such requirements as military conscription (slavery), taxation (theft), property confiscations (theft again),

Taking one’s own life has religious relevance, as most religions have the idea that God gave life and it is His to take away. With the decline in religious faith that aspect of euthanasia is fading. I don’t know where the Muslims sit on the question of euthanasia, or suicide, as the idea of suicide bombing and losing one’s life in order to kill infidels seems to be alive and well with Islamic extremists. In 1995 the Northern Territory govern - ment in Australia passed a very well-thought-out piece of legislation allowing assisted suicide in cases of terminal illness. There were very strict controls and permissions approvals required and the legislation was in place for months before the Federal Govern- ment of Australia under Prime Minister John Howard used its over-riding authority to squash the legislation. But not before four terminally ill people from other states availed themselves of the chance to peacefully end their lives. Surveys have shown that the majority of Australian voters are in agreement with the idea of euthanasia in some situations. And yet the government chooses to deny people this very basic choice of when and how to die. Self-ownership, the idea that one owns one’s life and is free to live it as one chooses (providing he does not violate the same rights of others), is the most ethical and moral of philosophies. I would say it is the only truly ethical and moral way to live and to allow others to live. And the natural extension of this is to be able to choose and how and when to die. The desire to live, to stay alive, to survive and endure is very strong. The vast majority of us want to live as fully and as long as possible, and taking our

to a point where he or she no longer wants to live. Life for them is no longer worth living. Often family members or doctors assist with the departure of a loved one. I know people who have done this out of kindness and love and respect, a brave act of true love. It is also a sane and sensible, but covert, act of civil-disobedi- ence against a legislated victimless crime. Surveys have shown that the majority of Australian voters are in agreement with the idea of euthanasia in some situations. And yet the govern- ment chooses to deny people this very basic choice of when and how to die Withholding medication is legal; assisting dying with medication or other means is illegal. If I am capable of taking my own life it’s okay. If I need assistance from a loved one or a professional it renders the assistor liable to prosecution. There are countries in the world where euthanasia is legal and practiced and some people travel to these places to end their lives peacefully. But this is expensive and it may be very stressful and difficult for the dying person if he or she is incapacitated. And most people would prefer to die at home.

legal tender laws (coercion), recreational drug prohibitions, state-issued currency (fraud) … the list can go on and on; and in there with all the restrictions and constraints on true self-ownership is prohibition on euthanasia — the right to choose ones time and place to die. Somehow the government has got to thinking it owns part of each of us, that we are not to be allowed to live our lives as we choose, that we should not be allowed to have full Self Ownership, that it, The State, is our master and knows what is best for part of each of us. Perhaps the ethics of true self-ownership, how each of us may choose to live and to die will be debated in its essence one day.

April 8th, 2011

Self-ownership is honoured often in the

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