ACCRU RAWSONS

Things have calmed down a bit from our technology conversion, giving the team some breathing room. 

Everyone’s focused on getting ahead for the 2026 tax year tackling as many early jobs as possible. It’s a steady, productive rhythm as we prepare for the months ahead.

Over September and October, we’ve really seen the benefits of XPM in action. Managing our 2026 tax year work has been smoother and more efficient, with progress tracking, deadlines, and workflows all running seamlessly. It’s great to see our systems paying off and the team staying confidently on track.

Melissa and Brendan, each recently took a well-deserved two-week break. It’s great to have them both back, refreshed and ready for the new financial year.

In July, we celebrated Uyen’s birthday.

And some lovely news from Cheryl, our manager: her son has taken his first steps — a very special milestone and a proud moment. Congratulations to Cheryl and her family!

Tilly, our Client Services Coordinator, has a new addition to her family — an adorable kitten named Mr. Pickles. He’s already making himself right at home.

Congratulations to Melissa on 25 years as a member of CAANZ! Her certificate and badge (!) have arrived in the mail, marking this milestone.

During the September school holidays, Brendan and Vijeta’s kids joined us for a few days of ‘work experience’. There were more giggles than work tasks and most of the time was spent ‘on calls’ and playing with the phones!

In October we celebrated Vijeta’s Birthday.

We recently started using ATOmate, and the team absolutely loves it. It’s helped us process all ATO correspondence in under 10 minutes, saving valuable time and simplifying our workflow, as the other Accru firms can attest to.

We’ve also changed from RightSignature to FuseSign, which our clients have taken to really well. Signing documents is now faster and easier, and the two-factor authentication hasn’t caused any pushback — making the whole process more secure and efficient.

On top of that, we’ve begun exploring FYI Automations. Melissa has even created her own automation to manage naming conventions and placeholders, and we’re excited to see how else we can use this tool going forward.

In July, our team enjoyed some friendly competition playing Monopoly Deal. It was a lot of fun learning a new game together while putting our strategic skills to the test. Congratulations to Cheryl for passing Go and collecting the win!

In August, we’ve been mixing things up with Friday afternoon ping pong sessions, often joined by drinks and lots of laughs. Surprisingly, we’ve only managed to split one ball so far — a true testament to our “expert” skills and maybe some lucky breaks.

September was full of footy excitement and team spirit! For Footy Colours Day, everyone donned their favourite gear and helped run our annual sausage sizzle to support the Fight Cancer Foundation. Brisbane fans had plenty to cheer about this year, with the Lions winning the AFL premiership, and both the Broncos and Broncos NRLW teams taking home their respective titles. A great month of footy, fun, and fundraising!

In September, our team swapped spreadsheets for sketchpads in a lively game of Pictionary! Laughter filled the room as colleagues revealed their hidden artistic talents… and reminded us that some people might need a few drawing lessons. Congratulations to Vijeta, Uyen, and Melissa, whose teamwork and creativity earned them the trophy!

For October’s monthly activity, we all decided it was time to try for redemption against our reigning Ping Pong Champion, Cheryl. Unfortunately, she proved unbeatable, but that didn’t stop us from giving her a run for her money. Next time, we might need to bribe the ball to bounce in our favour. 

For our October staff lunch, we ordered delicious Italian from Scugnizzi. Fun fact: the owner, Simone, was part of the winning duo on My Kitchen Rules 2024, so we were enjoying food with some serious kitchen cred! 

To kick off our weekly meetings on a positive and connected note, we’ve adopted the “Four Points” routine: sharing good news, daily goals, help needed, and updates or learnings.