He enrolled to study his Accountancy Certificate by distance education

through Sydney TAFE (now UTS), and in 1969 became

a registered Tax Agent. In 1970, he was awarded his Australian Society of Accountants (now Certified Practicing Accountants) membership and Geoff was admitted as a partner in his father’s firm, which then became known as Twomey

& Twomey.

Geoff took advantage of his father being away overseas

to purchase the firm’s first computer for $19,000 in 1979.

Complete with dot matrix printer, this computer enabled the firm to complete

monthly accounts for many clients in a fraction of the time it used to take them to perform this task manually.

The return of Michael Twomey, Geoff’s younger brother to Cootamundra in 1980, enabled Frank Twomey to retire, but allowed the firm name Twomey & Twomey to continue.

It was about this time that Geoff began his association with the Southern Highlands, and until recently travelled there for a couple of days at the end of every month to service his ever growing client base.

Geoff’s cites one of his career highlights as the opening of the Young office in the early 1990’s, enabling the firm to better service many of the clients from Quandialla, Bribbaree and surrounding areas who had been nurtured by Frank Twomey over many years.

Another pivotal moment was when Twomeys joined the Count Financial network of Advisors in 1996 and Geoff became an Authorised Representative, providing financial advice to his many and varied clients.

Geoff’s passion for his work and his genuine concern for his clients continues to this day. He enjoys helping families find a solution to their problems and he is inspired by the challenge of continually having to broaden his knowledge.

Despite celebrating his 70th birthday last year, Geoff does not look like stopping any time soon.

We congratulate Geoff on achieving this significant milestone of 55 years with Twomeys.

Pictured below:

Geoff Twomey, Kath and Frank Twomey, Michael Twomey.

GEOFF TWOMEY CELEBRATES 55 YEARS WITH TWOMEYSGeoff Twomey commenced with Twomeys in 1961 at the tender age of 16.

He had just completed his Leaving Certificate and despite being offered a Commonwealth scholarship to study at Sydney University, he chose instead to stay in Cootamundra and work under the guidance of his father Frank Twomey and Michael “Mick” Howse.

Wagga Wagga | Cootamundra | Young | Harden | Coolamon | Cowra | Sydney 1

NEWSLETTER | MARCH 2013NEWSLETTER | DECEMBER 2016

Wishing you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

The team at Twomeys have enjoyed working with you over the past year and send our best wishes for the festive season.h h h h h h

Wagga Wagga | Cootamundra | Young | Harden | Coolamon | Cowra | Sydney 2

NSW PUBLIC HOLIDAYSThe Public Holidays Act 2010 (NSW) declares 25 December and 1 January as public holidays.

As both 25 December 2016 and 1 January 2017 fall on a Sunday, the following working day is also a public holiday.

As a result, both Tuesday, 27 December 2016 and Monday, 2 January 2017 are public holidays in NSW.

Employers should be aware that these days are an additional public holiday and not a substituted public holiday.

This means that the provisions of the Fair Work Act 2009 and any applicable award or enterprise agreement apply to these days.

If you are unsure of your obligations, you should check the applicable award or enterprise agreement for specific details.

The following days are state wide public holidays:

• Christmas Day - Sunday, 25 December 2016

• Boxing Day - Monday, 26 December 2016

• Additional Day - Tuesday, 27 December 2016

• New Year’s Day - Sunday, 1 January 2017

• Additional Day – Monday, 2 January 2017

• Australia Day - Thursday, 26 January 2017

BOXING DAY TRADING 2016Last year, the NSW Parliament passed the Retail Trading Amendment Bill 2015 (NSW) which allows all retailers across NSW to open their doors on Boxing Day.

Previously, retailers were only allowed to trade on Boxing Day if they were an exempt shop or if they were located in the Sydney Trading Precinct, which was limited to the Central Business District and parts of the Eastern Suburbs. The Amendment removed this restriction. The changes apply to Boxing Day 2016 and will be subject to review after this date.

Employers should note The Fair Work Act 2009 (Cth) states that an employee is generally entitled to be absent from work on a public holiday. An employer may request an employee to work if it is reasonable to do so, but the employee has the right to refuse unless it is unreasonable.

An employee who works on a public holiday is entitled to public holiday provisions (such as penalty rates and minimum engagements) under the applicable award, enterprise agreement or contract of employment.

It is important to note that while an employer can request an employee to work on a public holiday, the Retail Trading Act 2008 (NSW) states that it an offense for a retailer to open on Boxing Day unless all employees have “freely elected to work on that day.”

A person must not work because they have coerced, harassed, threatened or intimidated and they must not work merely because they are rostered to work or required to work by the terms of an industrial instrument.

Employers found to be in breach of the provisions in the Retail Trading Act 2008 (NSW) may face penalties of up to $11,000 per employee concerned.

Should you have any questions about your rights and the obligations about retail trading on Boxing Day please contact NSW Industrial Relations on 131 628 or visit their website: www.industrialrelations.nsw.gov.au

NEWSLETTER | DECEMBER 2016HAVE YOU VISITED OUR WEBSITE? www.twomeys.com.auh h h

h h hh h hh h hChristmas closures:

All Twomeys Offices will close at 1pm on Friday, 23 December 2016

and will reopen at 8:30am on Monday, 9 January 2017.

Wagga Wagga | Cootamundra | Young | Harden | Coolamon | Cowra | Sydney 3

REGIONAL JOBS NOWOn 7 November 2016 the NSW Government launched the Regional Jobs Now package to increase job creation throughout regional NSW.

The program is an initiative of Jobs For NSW and offers financial support products to help companies grow their business and create more jobs in the community. There are five financial products available, designed to meet the needs of businesses at all stages of development.

Businesses are encouraged to contact Jobs For NSW to discuss their needs and apply for the most suitable Regional Jobs Now product. Applications will then be assessed against all products to determine which products they are eligible for.

For more information go to: https://www.jobsfornsw.com.au

RURAL FINANCIAL COUNSELLING SERVICEThe Rural Financial Counselling Service is a free, Government supported service now operating out of Young.

The area covered by the service includes Young, Boorowa, Harden, Cootamundra, Grenfell and Temora. The service is available to farmers, fishing enterprises, forestry growers, harvesters and small businesses suffering financial hardship within the area.

Assistance can be provided with budgeting, forecasting, reviewing loans, refinancing and mediating debt, family farm decision making and succession planning.

For more information please visit: http://www.rfcsnsw-sr.com.au

NEWSLETTER | DECEMBER 2016HAVE YOU VISITED OUR WEBSITE? www.twomeys.com.auh h h

IMPORTANT REMINDERSmyGOV Accounts

If you have linked your myGov Account to the ATO, you will no longer receive paper notices. This includes activity statements, instalment notices, general ATO correspondence and notice of assessments. As your Tax Agent we will also not receive any correspondence from the ATO. It will be your responsibility to access your myGov Account and stay up to date with your ATO correspondence.

If you wish to remove the ATO from your myGov Account you should contact myGov directly on 13 23 07.

Audit Shield

It’s not too late to take up or renew your Accountancy Insurance Policy! Policy renewals were sent out in June 2016. This cover provides protection against the costs incurred due to any government agency review or investigation, including prior year returns lodged and employer wage and superannuation obligation audits.

TWOMEYS COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENTTwomeys regularly donates both time and funds to organisations within the local community.

Young Regional School of Music

Twomeys Young Office is a major sponsor of the Young Regional School of Music, which held its 2016 Finale Concert on 19 November 2016. Veronica Boler of the Young Office was invited alongside Elke Cleverdon (Chair of the YRSM Board) to present the ‘Friend of YRSM’ Award to Jennie Peady.

Photo – from left to right: Veronica Boler, Jennie Peady, Elke Cleverdon.

Congratulations to Amanda Isbester of the Young Office who was awarded the Young Art & Craft Club Scholarship – Piano on the evening.

Movember 2016

The Movember Foundation tackles men’s health on a global scale, year round and is addressing some of the biggest health issues faced by men, including prostate cancer, testicular cancer, mental health and suicide prevention. Matt Moon of the Cootamundra Office committed to growing a spectacular moustache throughout the 30 days of Movember 2016 helping to raise awareness for the cause, as well as raising a total of $432.00 for the Foundation.

WELCOME TO THE TWOMEYS TEAM

Gavin Lamb –

Senior Financial Planner, Wagga Office

Kate Grimson –

Undergraduate Auditor, Wagga Office

Gansen Pappiah –

Graduate Auditor, Wagga Office

Ben Cooper –

Lending Specialist, Wagga Office

TWOMEYS NEWSCongratulations to the following team members celebrating milestones with Twomeys this quarter:

> Therese Tilyard, Client Services Officer in the Wagga Office – 5 years of service.

> Geoff Twomey, Consultant – 55 years of service.

Thank you for the outstanding contributions you have made to the firm during this time.

Congratulations to the following team members who were awarded employee of the quarter for the period July to September 2016:

> Naomi Stuart, Chief Operating Officer, Twomeys.

> Chloe Waters, Client Services Officer in the Cootamundra Office.

NEWSLETTER | DECEMBER 2016HAVE YOU VISITED OUR WEBSITE? www.twomeys.com.auh h h

LIKE US ON FACEBOOK FOLLOW US ON TWITTER CONNECT WITH US ON LINKEDINOur social media updates will keep you up-to-date with news, events and information!

^Services provided as an Authorised Representative of Count. Twomeys ABN 62 128 381 868 is a Member of Count Financial Limited (AR 324761). ‘Count’ and Count Wealth Accountants® are trading names of Count Financial Limited ABN 19 001 974 625 Australian Financial Services Licence Holder Number 227232 a wholly-owned, non-guaranteed subsidiary of Commonwealth Bank of Australia ABN 48 123 123 124. Count is a Professional Partner of the Financial Planning Association of

Australia Limited. Count advisers are authorised representatives of Count. www.count.com.au *Lending services are authorised by Finconnect (Australia) Pty Ltd ABN 45 122 896 477 Australian Credit Licence No. 385888 a wholly owned subsidiary of ‘Count’ Count Financial Limited is not responsible for any accounting & tax services.

For further information or advice, please contact your nearest Twomeys office.

Cootamundra ........................................................................02 6942 0300 Wagga Wagga .......................................................................02 6927 0500 Young ........................................................................................02 6381 4200Coolamon ...............................................................................02 6927 3207 Cowra .......................................................................................02 6342 3728Harden .....................................................................................02 6386 2485Sydney ......................................................................................02 9468 0158

Liability limited by a scheme approved under Professional Standards Legislation. Please note that any taxation and accounting services are not endorsed nor the responsibility of Count Financial Limited. The articles contained in this newsletter are intended for information only and not for advice.

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