Long-serving St Albans lawyer Sam Agricola spoke to Esther Lauaki about Brimbank and its businesspeople
What’s your connection to Brimbank?
I have been a lawyer in my own practice in St Albans for 30 years.
What does being president of the St Albans Trade Association involve?
The association is an incorporated body under state legislation and has an elected committee of office holders, of which I have been the president for 16 years. The committee makes decisions relating to the functions of the association, including planning activities such as the St Albans Lunar New Year Festival. My formal role involves chairing committee meetings, which we have on a monthly basis.
I also represent the association on various external committees that I attend, such as the St Albans Railway Crossing Stakeholder Liaison Group. I am also usually the spokesperson for the association when dealing with federal, state and local government, and the media, in matters relating to the association’s interests and local community matters generally.
How did you become involved with St Albans Trade Association?
Being a local trader, I was interested in contributing to the improvement of conditions for local businesses and the community, generally. I was approached by members of the then committee in 2000 to join the committee, and agreed to do so to assist.
I was also motivated by the campaign by the association to have the St Albans level crossings at Main Road and Furlong Road grade-separated – we finally achieved this last year, after a prolonged campaign that included a march on Parliament and the blockading of the Main Road crossing (the works are currently proceeding).
What you do outside of this role?
I am a local lawyer, which takes up most of my time. I also assist other community groups and associations when needed. Apart from that, I try to find time to spend with my family (too little, unfortunately).
What do you love most about the business people of Brimbank?
They are honest, hard-working and down-to-earth. They mostly come from migrant backgrounds (as I do) and have built up their business from scratch, which I admire. I particularly appreciate the diverse ethnic backgrounds they come from, and how we all positively interact, irrespective of ethnicity. Our committee includes members of Italian, Maltese, Vietnamese and Australian heritage. If there is a place where multiculturalism works well, it’s Brimbank.
What qualities make a great trader?
Running a small business in a strip shopping centre is not easy. A trader must be able to make it attractive for customers to prefer shopping locally, rather than in the hard-top mega shopping centres,. A great trader will have a personal following (customer loyalty) as a result of providing good products and services at competitive prices.
What makes business success in Brimbank?
Success is a subjective thing. One measure may be profitability … that is achieved by hard work, competitive pricing and giving the customer what they want. I also judge success to include personal satisfaction from the work you do and the contribution you make to improving community life.
