Westmoreland Palon
Consulate General of Malaysia in Melbourne, Australia

By Karina Foo 

The name, Westmoreland is a rather unusual one for Sarawakian born Westmoreland Palon, the consulate general of Malaysia in Melbourne.

But it was his father who named him after the formidable commanding officer of the US Army during the Vietnam war, William Charles Westmoreland.

Palon chuckles whenever someone jokingly asks him if Charles Westmoreland was his own father or grandfather. “I was born in 1969 in the height of the Vietnam war and my dad was in the public sector so I guess the name resonates well with him,” said Palon who is a Bidayuh, a descendent of one of the many indigenous races from Kuching.

Palon took on his current role in Melbourne just three months ago, after his last post as the director for the ASEAN Political-Security Community (Malaysia National Secretariat) in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Before that, he had come from a distinguished diplomatic career spanning almost 20 years including stints in Chile, Singapore and the United Nations.

“I came to Melbourne only recently and I love this place because it’s a very beautiful city and there are so many Malaysians here too,” he said, noting that this is his fourth posting.

But working for the government was not what he had in mind when he graduated as a young architect. Palon worked in an architectural firm for the first two years of his career.

“At that time, the buildings and construction industry in Malaysia wasn’t doing well and someone suggested that I join the government service where I could put my knowledge of buildings and infrastructure to good use.”

But there was a twist in his aspirations as he was instead, appointed to the foreign department where he had to learn about global relationships from the ground up.

“I like to think about it as building linkages and relationships between people. But it was a steep learning curve as I had no background, yet I managed to rise to the challenge. I had a lot of good bosses, senior colleagues who were my mentors,”
he reminisced.

His first posting in Singapore in 2000 was particularly the most challenging because he recalled that the relationship between Singapore and Malaysia was tense making the job hectic, stressful but nevertheless, exciting.

“I had to learn about different culture systems and ways of doing things in every country I was working in. So every role was different and gave me many opportunities to learn. ”

“Managing relationships, values and ideas with conflicting interests is probably one of the hardest jobs. But at the same time, it opens your eyes to value these differences of opinions as it teaches you how to communicate, negotiate and help people to understand each other.”

After such experiences, Melbourne poses a different challenge, but something that Palon is more than ready to take on.

“There are a lot of Malaysians and businesses here who are starting a new life and new ventures.

My job is to build more linkages between Australia and Malaysia, although we’re already quite well known in Australia especially with our food!

“We are constantly looking at what’s on offer in Melbourne and to show Melbournians what we have in Malaysia in hopes to boost the tourism industry back home.”

Likewise, he hopes to engage more with Malaysians visitors, new students and migrants.

He noted that Malaysian businesses including big companies are already involved in major developments here (established corporations like MRCB and SP Setia).

“Meanwhile there are smaller companies who are looking into investing their interest in other parts of the world, including Melbourne. We want to engage with them to make this possible.”

With a highly demanding job, this father of five believes that one should just be happy in life. “When it comes to people, I always assume the best and positive in them. My family brings out the positive side in me as I have become selfless. I live for my kids and try to make the best for them.”

Westmoreland听起来相当不寻常的名字，这位马来西亚驻墨尔本总领事-砂拉越出生的Westmoreland Palon，他的父亲是基于崇敬越战期间美国军队的强大指挥官 William Charles Westmoreland，而以此为之命名。

他笑着说，常有人开玩笑地问，WilliamCharles Westmoreland如果为其父亲或祖父。“我生于1969年，那是越南战争最激烈时刻，父亲是公务员，所以我想这个名字是他的共鸣点。” Westmoreland Palon是比达友族，砂拉越古晋众土著种族之一的后裔。

他担任墨尔本总领事职务仅3个月，前职是外交部属下的东盟政治安全共同体(马来西亚国家秘书处)总监。在此之前，跨越近20年，他拥有一个杰出的外交成绩单，包括曾派驻前往智利、新加坡和联合国。

“我最近才来到墨尔本，非常喜欢这个地方，一个相当美丽的城市，也有许多马来西亚人在这里。”这也是他第4次受委派。

可是，作为政府公务人员不是他的首选，当他毕业时是作为一个年轻建筑师，并曾在一家建筑公司展开两年职业生涯。

“当时，建筑行业在马来西亚的景气萎靡，有人建议我进入政府公务部门，更有效发挥我的建筑与基础设施知识。”但事与愿违，因为受任为外交部门，逼迫他必须从基础底层了解全球关系。”

“处理人际关系，价值观和理念与利益冲突发生的可能性是最困难的工作之一。但同时，它会让你大开眼界，教会你如何沟通与洽谈，协助人们理解另一方的差异。”

“我喜欢把它视为与人之间建立联系桥梁。这是一个陡峭的学习曲线，我没具备相关背景，但我尽力迎接挑战，我遇上很多好上司，资深同事，他们都是我的导师。”

他在2000年被派驻到新加坡是最具挑战性的，他回忆说，那时因为新加坡与马来西亚之间的关系紧张而导致工作繁忙，尽管如此，却令人振奋。

“我必须了解不同的文化体系，适应每个国家的工作与处理方式。所以角色的迥异，给了我很多学习的机会。”

在积淀经验后，面临墨尔本不一样的挑战，但他已经做好更全面的准备。

“有很多马来西亚人和这里的企业都在开展新生活与商业合资。我的工作是推动和维系澳大利亚与马来西亚之间的关系，而我们的美食目前在澳大利亚也相当闻名。”

他说，目前试图接触墨尔本并向墨尔本人民展示家乡马来西亚，以提振国内的旅游业。”同样，他希望吸引更多游客、学生和新移民到马来西亚。

他指出，马来西亚有积极驻扎澳大利亚的企业，包括已参与当地重大发展工程的大型公司(如MRCB与SP Setia)。

“同时也有规模较小的公司在世界其他地区找寻投资伙伴，其中也有墨尔本,我们希望与他们接触以促成事实。”

纵然在工作领域拥有高度要求，这名育有5名孩子的父亲认为,快乐的生活才是重点。

“待人时，我总是呈现最佳与正面的态度。我的家庭激发我积极的一面，我变得更无私,我为孩子们活得更好，并尝试给予他们最好的一切。”

Paul Sumner
Chief Executive Officer of Mossgreen, Australia

By Karina Foo 

The auction industry seems to have been overlooked among the popular and well publicised art galleries. Although a niche sector in the mass sales market, auctioning is slowly being recognised as an important business in art and trade, but one that’s focused on luxury, aesthetics and pure value.

One such business that’s been operating for the last 11 years is Mossgreen. It has grown to be known as a luxury destination to buy, sell and enjoy objects of beauty, rarity and value. Founded and established by Paul Sumner and Amanda Swanson, it functions as an Art Gallery and boutique Auction House specialising in the sale of Single-Owner Collections.

To date, Mossgreen has conducted many of the largest and most prestigious Single-Owner Auctions held in this country.

Sumners always knew that the name was a  prophecy of his future business as he started his career much earlier on in Sotheby’s Australia, another renowned auction house company.

“I visualised the name Mossgreen 20 years ago as it was something that came to mind when I was in AngKor Wat and saw those amazing temples covered in green moss. They are ancient but still so beautifully part of our contemporary world. It already embodied my vision as Mossgreen would deal with ancient and contemporary art,” explains Paul.

His vision had manifested into a lucrative one and the company now turns over $31 million in auction sales a year after joining forces with Martyn Cook Antiques and Martyn Cook.

But just like all successful stories, he started from humble beginnings. Paul grew up in the UK and went into the business when he was 15, strongly influenced by his father who was an antique dealer.

“My parents encouraged me to work in local auction houses in Bristol. I started to acquire a broader knowledge in the area. I kept applying for jobs and tried to network my way through different auction houses in England.”

In the late 80’s, representatives from an Australian auction house came to England looking to employ people to come to Australia.

“It was interesting because I wasn’t familiar with Australia as England was very far from the Land Down Under, but I was offered a job there as a one year contract and I decided to take it for a different experience.

When I got to Australia in 1986, it was very different to what thought it would be – the country was modern and urban. It wasn’t just a dessert! I was also pleasantly surprised about the profound interest in arts and music. I worked in that auction house for the year and later was transferred to Christie’s International Auction House in Sydney and was appointed as their manager.”

Soon after, Paul was head hunted by Sotheby’s Auction House for a short post until he was promoted to its managing director. In 2000, his job took him back to England for another two years to work on major projects for the next two years.

“I learned a lot there about change management as there were a lot of staff who were used to the traditional auction house business. Change had to begin as we were dealing with contemporary styles of auction housing.”

After completing the project, Paul decided to return to Australia in 2003 and pursued his dream to set up Mossgreen as an art gallery and auction house.

Today, Mossgreen is the biggest auction house in Australia located in Armadale, one of Melbourne’s most affluent suburbs.

“We’re only halfway through to our goals as our long term vision is to be the first multi-disciplinary auction house in Australia that covers every area in depth, led with expertise at the top of every department.”

Mossgreen’s clientele is an eclectic mix of collectors of various inspired art, but the lifestyle that they aspire to live is one thing they all have in common.

“Whether they love fine dining or good music, we tap into that by fulfilling their interest by the variety that we offer in our gallery and auction house. That’s why we have a fine dining restaurant, music, collectibles and art,” says Paul.

“这只是在途中，我们的目标与长期的愿景是成为澳大利亚首个跨领域的拍卖行，深度覆盖各项领域，每个部门管理拥有领先的专业知识。”

拍卖行业随着盛行的艺术画廊而逐渐被忽视，虽然在大规模销售利润市场，拍卖慢慢受到认可为重要的艺术和商业贸易，但关注焦点却是奢侈品，美学和纯粹价值。

Mossgreen以这样的形式营运了11年，被视为奢侈品销售目的地，享受着美丽艺术，品位着稀有和价值。由Paul Sumner 与Amanda Swanson共同创立的优美天地，结合艺术画廊和精品拍卖行功能，从事独资收藏品交易。

Paul Sumner & Amanda Swanson

而Mossgreen至今已在这个国家成功承办许多大规模和具备声望的独资拥有者拍卖会。Paul Sumner认定这个名称就是未来事业的预言，早在他于苏富比澳大利亚开展职业生涯–另外一家著名拍卖公司。

“我会取名Mossgreen 是在20年前，当我在柬埔寨的吴哥窟，目睹神奇的寺庙覆盖着绿色的苔藓，它们是如此古老但仍然美丽，这是现代世界的一部分，就像苔藓绿一样展现在我的视野，辗转于古代和当代艺术。”

而他的视野折现转化成盈利的公司，与Martyn Cook古董商成为战线盟友的1年后，目前公司运转逾3100万美元的拍卖销售额。

就像所有成功故事一个不起眼的开端，他成长于英国，受到古董商父亲的强烈影响，15岁就踏足了这个业务。

“父母鼓励我在布里斯托当地一家拍卖行工作。我开始汲取相关行业的知识，并且不断申请工作，试图透过英国不一样的拍卖行拓展我的思路网络。”

在80年代末，澳大利亚拍卖行代表前往英国雇佣到当地工作的人员。

“这很有趣，我虽然不熟悉澳大利亚，只晓得是距离英国相当遥远的土地，但是我得到了一份工作，为期一年的合约，我决定体验不一样的感受。”

1986年抵达澳大利亚后，非常不同于想象–现代化国家和城市。这不仅是一次甜点，他也惊喜感受深刻的艺术和音乐熏陶。工作一年后，他被任命为国际拍卖行佳士得悉尼的经理。

过后，他也被挖角到苏富比拍卖行，任职董事经理。在2000年，由于参与一项重大项目，他返回家乡英国为接下来的2年工作进行部署。

“我学到很多关于变更管理的手法，即使许多员工习惯传统的拍卖业务，而当我们与现代风格的拍卖行应对，开始有了变化。”

项目完成后，2003年，Paul Sumner决定回到澳大利亚追逐梦想。设立Mossgreen，一个艺术画廊和拍卖行的结合体。

今日，Mossgreen是位于Armadale区域-墨尔本最富裕郊区的大型拍卖行。

“这只是在途中，我们的目标与长期的愿景是成为澳大利亚首个跨领域的拍卖行，深度覆盖各项领域，每个部门管理拥有领先的专业知识。”

Mossgreen的客户群是折衷混合各种艺术灵感的收藏家，但他们向往的启发生活是一个共同点。

“无论他们喜欢美食还是爱好音乐，我们会以各种方式满足他们的喜好，也提供我们的画廊和拍卖行。这就是为什么我们有一个美妙的餐厅、音乐，收藏和艺术。”

Jacob Galea

Author, Business Consultant, Inspirational Speaker, Super Coach

By Karina Foo

Many of us do not fight with our destinies, as que sera, sera, whatever will be will be. But this isn’t the case with Jacob Galea as he combated his obscure vision for his future as a factory worker and transformed it into one that has made him into an influential role model today.

The success coach, mentor and business man has trained thousands and spoke in front of audiences sharing his wisdom and guidance to help people and businesses all over the world to reach their unlimited potential and live with a true purpose. He also recently released a self-authored inspirational and self-empowerment book, “Birth of a Super You” to lead people into living a super life.

All that Jacob has achieved would be considered an incredible feat by many as he battled all odds of earning a minimum wage salary showing that we too can achieve whatever we desire.

“I have always believed that all of us have a purpose in life – mine was not to be a factory worker.  I truly believed there was a better version of myself within – and that persona was destined for greater things.”

“What’s important is what you feel on the inside, it doesn’t matter what your outside world and conditions are like as long as you have a very clear vision on where you are going. I never lived in the present moment, I lived in the visualisation in my mind of where I wanted to be, I knew the factory environment was only temporary because I had the inner strength, faith, belief, and determination to want more while I walked on this planet,” explained Jacob.

One of the underlying issues faced by many is the ever-changing fast paced, corporate rat race that’s separating us from our own humanity. This is also what spurred Jacob to create a movement where people should make quality time for themselves as he believes in health, happiness and wealth because one cannot exist without the other.

“We have less time to think in the workplace as it is all systems go and we lose the desire and time to do what we really want to do. Now is the time to do more for you, to meditate, to have fun, to be creative, to look after your health – this is a major issue. How can you be great in business and life if you are unhealthy in the mind and body, how can you make clear business decisions and lead companies into excellence if you are burnt out, stressed, and tired?” emphasised Jacob.

He appears to have a more philosophical stance on life and it may be from his many years as a Karate expert, exercising the profound discipline of martial arts into his daily life. “Karate and martial arts teaches discipline, self-control, the hunger to win, wisdom, calmness, loyalty, mind power, and how to use our mind, body, and soul in synergy. In today’s cut throat corporate battlefield where there is an acceleration of competition, we need to have the skills as a business person to survive and thrive,” said Jacob.

He terms this as the “warrior’s way” and this philosophy has been extended into his book with the belief that it will connect with potential readers when they see it at bookstores.

Jacob embraced authorship as he wanted to share and give readers the opportunity to have access to their inner warrior and super power that can transform ordinary lives to the extraordinary, just like his own personal journey.

“Super You” is not a flowery term that has been deliberately created to impress people. It essentially means that being average isn’t good enough as we have more potential than we give ourselves credit for.

“I want to encourage people to be the best versions of themselves. You are not meant to merely exist but to have a deep purpose in your life, and your mission is to realise it.”

He warns that although we all have the potential to live our best lives, we are our biggest enemy and always doubting ourselves. He believes that we have to be committed, learn new ways to achieve, have faith, and fight like a warrior to ensure nothing stands in your way.

在社会群体中，一些人不会为了改变命运奋力而战，更多的是遵循顺其自然或深信凡事皆有定律。但这些人中不包括 Jacob Galea，他拒绝模糊焦点，积极研究未来，从一名工厂工人摇身一变为影响社会的关键角色。

Jacob 作为成功的教练、导师，协助世界各地无数商业人士和企业开拓他们的无限潜能和领略生活真谛，并且在观众面前尽情分享他的智慧和指导。他最近还发布撰写励志和自我授权书籍：“超级的你终于诞生”，带领人们走进“超级生活”。

他取得的一切成果被视为难以置信的壮举，但他认为只有具有渴望和愿景，每个人都可以与低微收入的生活方式宣战，实现自己的目标。

“我一直相信，所有人都具备人生目的地，我并非只能是工人，相信值得拥有更好的自己，而且可以创造和承担更重大的事。”他认为，一个人最重要的是强大的内心感受，不管身在任何外在世界和条件，只要拥有一个非常清晰的前景概念，他/她将会抵达那里。

“我从来没有“活在当下”的感觉，我活在自己的意念中，就像我知道工厂环境只是暂时停留，因为我有潜在的力量与信念，而我在这个星球中行走，需要更多的信念和决心。”

可是，许多人面临的基本问题之一是不断变化的超快节奏，比如企业激烈的职场竞争，所谓的“老鼠竞赛”，使我们脱离本身的人格。这也促使 Jacob 创造一种运动，人们应该在拥有健康、幸福和财富的时刻，为自己创造质量时间，因为一个人不能没有任何依存的活着。

“在工作中，我们没有更充裕的时间去思考，因为一切都是系统化的，没时间和空间实践我们真正想做的事情。现在是时候为你做更多的事，去冥想、去玩和创造，尤其是照顾自己的健康–这是一个重大问题。没有健康的头脑和身体，无法游走于商业和生活领域；如果你的身体被毁灭、显得低沉而疲惫，更无法做出明确的业务决策和领导公司前往卓越之路。

Jacob 对生活拥有独特的哲学立场，这也是他多年来作为一名武术专家而行使的深沉纪律。武术融入他的日常生活。他说，空手道和武术教导自律、自我控制、渴望胜利、智慧，冷静与忠诚的精神力量，以及如何运用我们的思想、身体和灵魂作为协同作用。

“在现今残酷无情企业战场，白热化的商业竞争使我们需要有特出的技能作为企业生存和发展。”他把这个术语称为“武士之道”，这种理念一直延伸到他的书中，而这也让有缘分的读者书店看到这本书时感觉到心有灵犀。”

这本书的出版源于他想分享予读者一个真实的哲理：勇敢内心和超级力量，可以改变普通生活，成就不凡，犹如他的个人经历。

“超级的你”不是一个华丽、刻意塑造打动人们或留下深刻印象的口号，这实际上意味着，我们做的平均数还不够好，更多的潜力等待开发。

“我想鼓励人们成为自己的最佳版本。不仅是为了生存，你的生活还有更深层的目的，而你的使命就是去实现它。”

他提醒，尽管我们都有活出最好人生的可能性，但最大的敌人是自己，总是时刻怀疑自身。他认为我们必须坚定，学习新方式达到成就，拥有信念，像武士一样战斗，确保没有事情能难倒你。