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	Bupa Care Services Australia's Steve Holmes

Bupa team in ship shape

Steve Holmes, an Accounts Receivable Officer with Bupa Care Services Australia, based in Sydney, on his preparations for this month’s New South Wales Corporate Games

After work, I take the two-mile walk from the Bupa Care Services Australia’s Harbour Bridge office down to Johnstons Bay – via Darling Harbour. Here, in the shadow of the Anzac Bridge, I join fellow Bupa colleagues for warm-up exercises before we take to the water in a boat for a training session.

I am part of the Bupa Sydney Dragon Boating Team and we’re currently preparing to compete in this month’s New South Wales Corporate Games. I became involved three years ago when we were launching promotional activity around the opening of a new wing at Bupa North Rocks, one of our care homes. It has strong links with the local Chinese community so we decided to take part in a Dragon Boat race to celebrate Chinese New Year.

I was born in a small mining village in County Durham, England, and moved to Australia in 2003. A year earlier I had visited on a three week holiday, spending some time with a friend I had met in the UK. I enjoyed the atmosphere and the lifestyle so much that, on my return home, I told my boss I was leaving ‘to move a little further south’. The friend is now my wife and the mother of our two sons.

I started my working life as a salesman for a jeweller. Since moving to Sydney, I have worked for the Department of Education and Training, as an accountant for a publishing company, and I now work for Bupa Care Services Australia, where I handle the accounts receivable work.

My role deals mainly with residents’ accounts and funding. I ensure fees are correctly charged and answer queries the residents’ families may have about their accounts. For me, it’s about being able to help people. For a lot of the families there are unexpected issues and paperwork they would normally not have to face. Being able to walk them through the process, help them avoid unexpected shocks and alleviate
some of the worry is rewarding.

Bupa bought the aged care operator Amity in 2007, after I had been with the business for at couple of years. When it happened I didn’t quite know what to expect. However, Bupa has shown real commitment, seeking to understand how the company operates and working with us to integrate our business and drive it forward.

Pulling together to create momentum is crucial on the water, too. In our first Dragon Boat race we came last but we have improved in recent years and, at last year’s Chinese New Year races, we took the Health Care Medical Challenge title. We followed that up with a win at the NSW Corporate Games and are hoping to take the honours again at the 2010 tournament this month. Even if we don’t, we will have a chance to get to know each other a little better and make new friends with colleagues we wouldn’t usually meet during everyday work.