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From cane paddocks to coast lines and the suburbs in between, Cairns has been home for the past 27 years.
Born in Mackay to hard working parents, I am the youngest of two. We moved to Cairns when I was just three years old to be closer to family and for my Dad to pursue his dream of becoming a cane farmer.
My career in Insurance began in 2009, shortly after graduating year 12. I started in an administration role where I fell in love with getting to know people and providing the highest level of customer service. Over the past 12 years I have worked in various roles as an Insurance Broker. I hold a Diploma of Financial Services (Insurance Broking) and was awarded young professional of the year in 2017. I have gained invaluable knowledge of the unique insurance market in Far North Queensland and have made many wonderful connections along the way – colleagues, clients, insurer’s, assessors, and lifelong friends.
I am delighted to have joined the amazing team at Astute, and I look forward to getting to know you all and building on these connections in my next role as General Insurance Office Manager. I will work closely with our team to ensure we are providing the highest level of service. We hope to take the fuss and fear out of what can sometimes be a very daunting and confusing industry.
I’m a family girl at heart who outside of work, enjoys soaking up all of the goodness that this region has to offer – camping, water skiing, hiking, swimming in the ocean and entertaining with friends in our home.
The staff in the Cairns office were amazing. The receptionist was the best I have ever encountered in a business and any staff that walked past us said hello. The entire office appears to be a very friendly, happy and vibrant workplace!
First, Tania: Quite simply, a complete, caring professional. I am not sure where on the spectrum the amount of work she did to get us into our current home falls in her professional career (mind-blowingly easy, somewhat challenging, borderline impossible…), but to us it literally meant the world. The reason we came back to her (and Astute) is because of the level of care and attention she gave us–we don’t feel like a number, an account, a bottom line, or a percentage point. I would recommend her (and go back to her for advice) again and again and again; when we found ourselves in the position to invest and/or buy again, our first thought was we needed to talk to Tania before doing literally anything else.
Building on that, Astute: Again, I would (and do) recommend them to anyone when talk of buying a home or investing comes up. Long story short, I work for a guy named Scotty Garden, and there is very little under the Earth’s sun I would not do for him; ergo I take his advice on anything as gospel. When I causally mentioned a few years back that Michelle and I were thinking of buying a house, he enthusiastically recommended we talk to John Watts at Cairns Home Loans and we did, and John gave us solid, practical advice: Save a bit more and come back to us. And we did, because he looked after us as people (again not an account). He could have talked us into buying something we couldn’t afford, or buying something we didn’t really want, or (as one local branch of an unnamed John Symond-run group told us) we were grumpily told it was “unrealistic” to think of buying a home in our position. Working in tourism/hospitality, I appreciate the personal attention, as well as helping a local business continue doing what it does well.
Sorry to gush, but Michelle and I really do hold you and your whole team in the highest regard. Thank you again, and I will [not] try to stay out of trouble.
John and the team looked after us on many fronts from mortgage, superannuation and even life insurance. We even compared rates on our new vehicle lease and Astute came through better than any bank.
These guys definitely have the XFactor
Morene Rumble helped my partner and I get our finances in order with a personal loan to start saving for a house. I would highly recommend Morene to everyone, she’s very easy to talk to, friendly and makes you feel very comfortable with any situation.
Prompt efficient service from the 1st phone call to make an appointment through to the loan contract. Excellent service all round. Well informed and kept up to date throughout the process . Highly recommended. Thank you.
Astute are very professional & helpful. Would recommend these guys to anyone looking at refinancing or purchasing. Started with this team when they were in their little office, my how they have grown. Special thanks to Verena for all her help but all the staff are wonderful and great with the little ones as well J Thanks heaps.
My husband and I went to Astute today, firstly met with Shae at the front reception and had a chat with her. It was lovely to chat with such a friendly happy lady who made us feel welcome.
We went upstairs and met with John Watts for some financial advice. We have known John Watts for over 10 years now, and truly admire his honesty and ‘no beating around the bush business eiquette’. We would highly recommend anyone requiring financial advice and/or a financial bank loan to not look any further than that of the ASTUTE team. J Thanks Astute….
