Susie’s career flips from paper to digital over 30 years
Susie Ranalli recalls stepping into The Perth Mint Shop for the first time more than 30 years ago and thinking it was like a palace.
“There was the beautiful carpet with its elaborate pastel design, the lovely green walls with gold leaf decorative features and the wooden cabinets. It all looked very special,” she says.
Susie joined the Mint in 1993 as a relief telephonist and dispatch clerk.
More than 30 years later, she is still a key part of the retail team which oversees inventory at The Perth Mint Shop and on the perthmint.com website.
Susie has recently been promoted to coordinator retail category coins, where she monitors coin inventory levels for the shop and website. She is also responsible for buying coins from other mints.
When she started, Susie was a one-person operation, packing and dispatching the bullion orders which came in by phone to the team in the shop.
“All bullion sales were handled through the shop at that time, when volumes were much lower. Now there are bullion sales online and through depository as well,” Susie says.
“It was a far different process then, including the amount of cash we handled.
“People would lock in prices by phone and then come in with cash. We would sometimes do AUD 200,000-300,000 a day in bullion trading. There was so much cash in the building.”
“People would lock in prices by phone and then come in with cash. We would sometimes do AUD 200,000-300,000 a day in bullion trading. There was so much cash in the building.”
Until 1997 when the system was computerised, every dispatch was recorded manually in a journal.
“That was a huge thing for me. It made a big difference, the process became so quick,” she says.
Susie recalls the Sydney Olympics in 2000 as a milestone for the Mint.
“For me the year before 2000 was very busy. I remember I was pregnant at the time, and I was sending off so many coins to subscribers. There were new gold and silver coins each month. It was such a popular series.”
Susie came to the Mint after working at an advertising agency in the 1990s, an experience she doesn’t remember fondly.
“We lost a huge account so I lost my job. Six weeks later I found the job here. I didn’t know anything about The Perth Mint, I just saw it advertised and went for it.
“I loved it straight away. It was the best thing that happened to me. It’s been a great place to work.”
Susie is still amazed at some of the things that go on around her, including the quality and beauty of some aspects of the exhibition.
“The one tonne coin coming out of the vault each day is so beautiful to see. The nuggets and specimens are also very impressive.”
Susie notes, however, that in 30 years she’s only seen the gold pour three times so needs to get herself back on the tour soon.
“A lot of these things become part of our everyday but it’s worth taking time to remember how special they are,” she says.
