Back when John Deere were the distributors of CAMECO Harvesters in Australia, Lucia Forman looked after the bookkeeping and payroll system for the engineering company responsible for modifying the machines for Australian applications. At the time the price of Harvesters was significantly cheaper in Florida than Australia and the more that modifications were able to be carried out locally using Australian labour, the less import duty was imposed, significantly reducing costs to CAMECO and the end Buyer.

Initially Lucia worked with the Tax Accountant setting up the ‘list of works’ for every modification. Later when CAMECO set up it’s own operation here, CAMECO DOWNUNDER Lucia was a Director from it’s inception until she resigned in mid 1996 to focus on developing her own company Forman’s Business Services.

The value of each Harvester was $500K+ with machinery costs added to that. Two Harversters were imported in 1992 increasing to 54 imported at it’s peak in 1995.

Early recognising the complexity for the customs officials of correctly calculating the import duty, Lucia worked with the Department of Australian Customs to have a program developed to improve accuracy and reduce the workload and responsibility on individual Customs Agents. Lucias’ organisational skills so impressed one of the Customs Officials she worked with during this time that he engaged her on his own behalf to look after his personal affairs.

While she was with CAMECO Lucia and her team set up the Australian operation with branches along the East Coast of Australia which included simultaneously sourcing premises, product, office, systems, staff, warehouse, stocktaking and more…

Two years later, the President of CAMECO in the US flew out to Australia to investigate the paper trail she had instigated, and after acertaining it’s suitability, (which included modifications for the following season to minimise warranty claims) rolled out the Australian procedures and systems worldwide accross all their operations.

Next with Lucia forging the path, dotting i’s and crossing t’s the CAMECO Harvester was modified for and then introduced to the sugar industry.

Several years after Lucia had stepped down as a Director, she was invited to partipate in the CAMECO worldwide conference and recieved global recognition for her contribution to the development and growth of the company internationally.