Andrew Joseph passed away on 22 May 2005.
Andrew was an out-going popular member of Earle Page College at the University of New England from 1968-72. He valued his time in the College highly and spoke of the experience fondly. He noted that he established very strong bonds with his cohort of fellow students which continued into his life in the business arena.
It was in recognition of his experience of College life that Andrew was moved to establish a Trust Fund to support a current student through their time in the College. He actively worked with another colleague, Geoff Dance, contacting old College friends convincing them to donate to the Anniversary Fellows UNE Country Scholarship Fund and managed to raise $110,000 for this purpose. The first scholarship recipient commenced at the College in 2005.
In addition, he participated in the marketing program of the College as a spokesperson for Alumni and was a member of the Steering Committee which organised celebrations for the 40th Anniversary of the College.
Andrew is remembered here at Earle Page College for his generosity of spirit and his enthusiasm in all these activities.
Andrew Joseph
Businessman, 1949 - 2005
The following obituary appeared in the Sydney Morning Herald on 29/07/2005.
Anthony Fitzgerald, Carolyn Levy, Malcolm Finlayson, Michael Betar, Rebecca Scott, Richard Kirkby, Rob Brealey
Andrew Joseph described himself as a grain trader. In his typically understated way, with this title, he finessed a truly remarkable career that was cut short when he died of a heart attack. In a quarter of a century of business, Joseph, or A.J. as he was known to his business colleagues, built his company from humble beginnings as Joseph and Company Pty Ltd into Jossco, a group of companies that ultimately achieved annual sales of more than $400 million and that at its peak employed more than 70 people in Australia, New Zealand and the United States.
In 2003 Joseph negotiated the sale of Jossco to the Australian Barley Board. It was a boom year and, as a trader, it was the best year to sell. It also profoundly saddened him, because it meant that his Jossco family – and the culture that he had developed within the company which had led to its ultimate success – would dispense.
Joseph was not one to seek formal acknowledgement for his achievements and contribution to the Australian agricultural industry, but he was a visionary. His long-time associate, Rob Brealey, said Joseph would see a challenge as an opportunity to make a difference in what most would see as simply too hard. Joseph combined great trading skills with bulldog tenacity, ultimate fairness and integrity.
One of his competitors, Michael Betar, reflected on Joseph’s quality as a trader: “Andrew’s sense of fair play gave others a chance to succeed in tough trading situations.
In one circumstance he gave me a chance and the lesson I took away from it was that if you want to trade with Andrew Joseph, you do it right the first time and every time. Never in 20 years of trading has someone shown such trust, respect, support and empathy.”
As managing director of Jossco, Joseph pioneered the importation of soy meal from the US and in the process helped to develop protocols, this time for the US.
In addition he led the development of many export markets for Australian produce, including malt barley to China, oats to South American and chickpeas to India and Pakistan.
With Direct Fertilisers in South Australia, Joseph was instrumental in developing the wholesale importation of bulk fertilisers, which had the ultimate effect of substantially reducing the input costs for farmers. In August 2001 Jossco acquired a fertiliser distribution business to prevent a substantial loss to growers and destruction of the mail order fertiliser activity in Victoria.
While Joseph achieved much as a trader and a manager, it was his leadership qualities that shone the brightest. He had that uncanny ability to recognise the potential in others, to develop and nurture it, and then to draw on the combined skills of his employees to form a cohesive team.
He possessed the most disarming personality and was equally comfortable negotiating a multimillion-dollar deal in a Sydney restaurant as he was sitting on a drum in a farmer’s shed talking about the latest cropping prospects. He had that wonderful ability to make everyone feel at ease.
Joseph had an irrepressibly adventurous spirit. One of his lifelong friends, Richard Kirkby, joked that had Joseph been born 200 years ago he would have been an explorer and today we would be talking about Blaxland, Lawson and Joseph crossing the Blue Mountains – the only difference being that Joseph would have found a shortcut.
Joseph ran his business with the philosophy that he was in partnership with the nation’s farmers. Nothing exemplified that more than the remarkable collaboration that he and Jossco developed with the wheat and chickpea farmers of the Walgett Special One Co-operative.
What started as a meeting to discuss the marketing of 2000 tonnes of chickpeas became a model strategic alliance that resulted in Jossco marketing grain for the co-operative on an open-book basis where market intelligence and information about the risks and rewards both parties would take were shared.
Highlights included the formation in 1999 of a joint venture company to build and operate the Beanbri grain receiving and container packing complex; the marketing of Walgett chickpeas directly to end users in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh from the original 2000 tonnes in 1997 to 65,000 tonnes in 2001; increasing the leverage into the domestic market for high protein, high screenings wheat by discovering an alternative market in Italy prepared to pay $25 above the initial domestic bids, and the sale of Walgett wheat to New Zealand and Vietnam in 2000 and 2001.
For many farmers, Joseph was the first grain merchant who made them feel included in the marketing of their grain. As Anthony Fitzgerald of the co-operative said, Joseph was generous in sharing his knowledge with the board and staff in ways that changed their business approach for the better – and that would be his lasting legacy.
Joseph was always mindful of the educational opportunities that he had. He valued his time at the University of New England, where he was a popular member of Earle Page College. It was in recognition of his experience of college life that he established a trust fund to support a student through his or her time in the college.
Last year Joseph was instrumental in raising $110,000 from alumni contributions. The first scholarship began at the college this year.
Joseph believed that life was a journey, but more than this, he believed that the only way to fully appreciate the journey was to get off the beaten track and take a few detours. As Brealey noted, anyone who joined Joseph on one of his adventures would return exhausted, but much richer for the experience. Joseph believed that life is not a dress rehearsal and one of his favourite quotes was: “If you are not living on the edge you are taking up too much room.”
He also articulated 15 precepts that guided him and that were shared with all he mentored:
- Take into account that great love and achievements involve great risk.
- When you lose, don’t lose the lesson.
- Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck.
- Learn the rules so you know how to break them properly.
- Don’t let a little dispute injure a great friendship.
- Open your arms to change, but don’t let go of your values.
- Live a good, honourable life. Then when you get older and think back, you will be able to enjoy it a second time.
- In disagreements with loved ones, deal only with the present situation. Don’t bring up the past.
- Share your knowledge. It’s a way to achieve immortality.
- Be gentle with the earth.
- Once a year just go somewhere you’ve never been before.
- Judge your success by what you had to give up in order to get it.
- Approach love and cooking with reckless abandon.
- Pick battles big enough to matter, small enough to win.
Joseph’s last sight of this world was from his seat in a single scull as he dipped his oars into the water of Sydney Harbour on a sparkling morning in sight of his beloved area of the city, The Rocks. He acquired many riches over his short but full life, but you would not have known it.
If asked what he valued most, his answer would be a heartfelt “family and friends”.
