Meet the Team: Quentin

Meet our newest Training Specialist, Quentin! We asked Quentin to tell us a little about himself so you can get to know him better. Read his amazing story about his life and work before joining us here at CTA Training Specialists.

“After leaving school I served nearly 10 years in the Police force progressing to the rank of Sergeant serving roles in both general duties and specialist areas. I then stepped into hospitality as I had completed, what was then the equivalent of a certificate 3 in hospitality, while in year 12.

I walked out of my first interview for a casual bar staff position as the assistant secretary manager of a small country NSW bowls club. Back in those days there was no RSA, so the only way to organise intoxicated customers was to “Talk” them out, or “Trespass” them out by calling the police. So having an ex-cop on the staff was a handy thing. Within months the Secretary. Manager has fallen ill and resigned, and the board of directors invited me the fill the vacancy. Six years later my wife Debbie and I took a lease on a small country pub, and we remained there for the next nine years. Our 2 boys grew up in the pub and it was a real family affair. I completed a course in Commercial cookery at the local TAFE and ran the kitchen with an excellent Kiwi chef who had worked for a time in a Michelin starred restaurant England.

When our pub lease was up, I was approached by the local Golf Club to come on board as operations manager and I remained there for the next 16 years through good times and bad. John Howards cash to families which injected millions into Hospitality and retail –and then the Global Financial Crisis hit. By the 2010’s the industry had sorted itself out, although patrons had diversified their tastes and gamblers had become somewhat smarter.

Increasingly patron needs and trends have made our whole industry sit up and take notice, paddock to plate dining, local and regional cuisine, proprietary knowledge, craft and boutique alcohol, customer loyalty and rewards and most of all, staff trained to enable customers the best experience available that in turn keeps out venues in top demand.

In 2016 with our kids off our hands Debbie and I moved to Townsville to be nearer her parents. I had become a trainer in the 1990’s when we had the pub and I picked that up again. Most recently I was the lead trainer of hospitality at Townsville’s TAFE campus, training students in commercial cookery and hospitality up to Diploma level. I have also remained active in the hospitality industry, being sous chef for a steak house pub restaurant, gaming attendant at the Cowboys leagues club and duty manager of premium guest services at the Country Bank stadium.

Deb’s and my goal has always been to live and work in Brisbane and in June this year the team at CTA Training specialists gave me that opportunity. We have bought a home near our eldest son Joe and his partner Heather, and we are all living our best life. CTA training has been both welcoming and patient with me learning their processes and I have been loving the quality training material and professionalism of the company. I am slowly learning the Brisbane traffic and we are both revelling in the quality hospitality venues both in the city and surrounds.

I am looking forward to meeting all our industry partners over the coming weeks and months, and I am very excited about the chance to acquire and share some experience and knowledge.”

– Quentin | CTA Training Specialist

We are absolutely thrilled to have Quentin joining us, welcome to the team!