Interview with Gary Walker, Belmont Timber NSW

### I caught up with Gary Walker this week, managing director at Belmont Timber NSW. Belmont Timber is a leading supplier of engineered timber to the building industry in NSW, specialising in frame and truss, floor construction and building materials. Gary's story and how his strong leadership and supplier relationships built over 70 years enabled his company to operate at a normal capacity through recent times when many other fabrication plants had to scale back due to the availability of products. In 1952, John Walker and his then-partner took over a little case workshop at Belmont Street Alexandria, and "Belmont Timber" NSW was born. John Walker, the founder of Belmont Timber, was an active member of the Housing Industry Association (HIA) since 1965 and became a Life Member in 1984 and was also awarded an Order of Australia (OAM) in 1996 for services to the industry. A true "industry legend". In 1954, a builder with a contract to construct ten houses for the Housing Commission of NSW came to us and asked if we would like to supply the construction timber. In time, Belmont Timber went on to become the major supplier of timber for the Housing Commission across the whole of New South Wales. Gary Walker, John's son, received a Bachelor of Business from The NSW Institute of Technology in 1977 and is an accountant by trade. Gary joined the family company in 1975 and took over as managing director in 2014. Gary sells actively at Belmont, and his ability to utilise his accounting skills with strong relationship-building ability and selling techniques is a powerful combination for success. There is some great value from our catch-up, so please like, share and comment in support of our industry and the success of Gary and his team at Belmont Timber NSW. Thanks, Gary, for your valuable time.