The beginning of John’s career saw 23 years at the ATO including 5 years as the Director of the Compliance Branch.  He left the ATO to become a public accountant and in 1989 he established the firm Suntax.

John spent the next 20 years working as a specialist tax advisor to airline pilots and regularly consulted on the deductibility of type rating expenditure. Using his high level understanding of the Australian and international tax transfer pricing rules he primarily worked with small and medium size businesses until his retirement at the end of 2019.
 
Throughout his career and as a CPA Fellow, John maintained an appetite for embracing new technology and it is this legacy that sees Suntax continue to be at the forefront of innovation and leaders in the industry.

While John now has more time to pursue his love of travelling, he will always be a part of Suntax and continues to attend our yearly conferences.  His knowledge and experience is invaluable to the firm and he continues to happily impart his wisdom as a mentor to our younger accountants.

In 2020 Suntax awarded the inaugural ‘Golden Calculator’ award in John Lawry’s honour.  It is awarded to the team member who best represents the values and culture that John Lawry has instilled into the heart of Suntax.  These values include being authentic, treating the work as if it were your own, being professional and just as important, the need to have fun.

Without John Lawry there would be no Suntax. His excellent track record has set the high standard the firm will continue to strive towards for the future.

• Member of CPA Australia
• Public Practice Certificate
• Registered Tax Agent
• Bachelor of Business (Accounting) 
• Xero Certified

• Bachelor of Business (Accounting)
• Member of CPA Australia
• Xero Certified

MICHAEL TABONE CPA

Accountant
Michael specialises in preparation of individual tax returns, BAS preparation and small business tax and accounting.

Professional Qualifications and Memberships

• Bachelor of Accounting
• Member of CPA Australia
• Xero Certified

Outside the office Michael aims to keep fit & healthy by playing & competing in various sporting events. Michael currently plays football for his local Football Club, regularly competes in the Herald Sun ‘Run for the Kids’ 15km event & plays cricket & golf with his mates on the weekends in his spare time.

BEN STOKES CPA

Accountant
Ben is an expert in Xero conversions, Xero setup and support.  He specialises in individual tax returns as well as the lodgment of BAS's.

Professional Qualifications and Memberships

• Bachelor of Accounting
• Bachelor of Finance
• Xero Certified
• Member of  CPA Australia

Outside of work Ben has a passion for travel and has visited over 20 different countries.  He is a self-confessed cricket tragic who plays and enjoys watching test matches more than any other format.  Ben is also a proud and passionate supporter of the Collingwood football club and is still very much hanging onto the premiership win in 2010.

TOM RUSSELL

Accountant
Tom is currently studying for his CPA

Professional Qualifications and Memberships

• Bachelor of Business (Accounting)
• Associate  Member of CPA Australia
• Xero Certified

Outside of work Tom loves his sport.  A tennis coach who also plays weekly at a high level he can also be seen on the footy field, golf course or having a swim.  He enjoys spending time with his family and friends, barracks for the Richmond Tigers and his favourite film is Point Break.

CLEON ARISTIDOU

Accountant
Cleon is an accountant based in our Essendon office.  He specialises in assisting clients to us the latest accounting technology such as Xero and in the preparation of tax returns, BAS's and small business tax and accounting.

Professional Qualifications and Memberships

• Bachelor of Business (Accounting)
• International Golden Key Society Member
• Associate Member of CPA
• Xero Certified

Outside work Cleon enjoys spending time with family and friends, attending sporting events and playing croquet.  Cleon is an avid support of the Melbourne Victory FC and attends most home games.  In is spare time, Cleon enjoys trying new cuisines, watching the latest TV shows on Netflix or sitting by the beach.

LACHLAN JOWETT 

Accountant
Lachlan joined the firm in 2019 with over 5 years experience in public practice. Based in our Essendon office, Lachlan specialises in business financial statements, income tax returns and BAS's. 
Professional Qualifications and Memberships:

• Bachelor of Commerce (Accounting & Finance)
• Associate Member of CPA Australia
• Xero Certified

Outside work Lachlan has a big passion for sport, playing football for his local club and supporting the Western Bulldogs in the AFL. His favourite TV show is Breaking Bad, while also he loves to spend weekends away with the family down the Great Ocean Road.

LIAM GRAHAM

Graduate Accountant
Professional Qualifications and Memberships

• Bachelor of Commerce (Accounting)
• Associate  Member of CPA Australia
• Xero Certified

In his spare time Liam is a keen music listener and enjoys regularly attending gigs with is friends.  His other interests include cooking, keeping active and snowboarding locally and abroad during the winter months.

JASON FARLEY

Undergraduate Accountant
Jason is currently undertaking a Bachelor of Professional Accountancy at RMIT.

Professional Qualifications and Memberships

• Xero Certified

Outside of work, Jason enjoys both watching and playing sport. He tends to head to the mountains every winter to ski and snowboard. He is also a fan of the Bombers in the AFL and the Montreal Canadiens in the NHL.

LUKE JUUSTI

Undergraduate Accountant
Luke is currently undertaking a Bachelor of Commerce and a Bachelor Finance at Monash University.

Professional Qualifications and Memberships

• Xero Certified

Outside work Luke is an avid North Melbourne fan, which is a rarity in itself. Luke currently plays football and used to play anything from Basketball to Tennis, a real "Jack of all trades, master of none".  He enjoys quality time and good conversation with family and friends as well as watching movies and trying every ice-cream supermarkets have to offer. Luke has a keen interest in travel and music and therefore has many overseas music festivals on his bucket list.

JULIE GRANT

Bookkeeper
Julie has over 15 years experience in accounting and bookkeeping roles include reporting, transaction processing, month end processing, preparation of BAS and payroll.

Specialising in bookkeeping for pharmacies throughout the country Julie also provides bookkeeping services, training and ongoing support utilising Xero and MYOB for all clients.

Professional Qualifications and Memberships

• Certificate in Accounting
• Xero Adviser Certified
• Xero Payroll Certified

Julie enjoys playing basketball, spending time with her family and friends and is kept busy with her two sons. She supports the Sydney Swans in the AFL.

LYNDA SMITH

Bookkeeper
Lynda’s role within the firm utilises over 30 years of bookkeeping experience, including 15 of those years as a client of Suntax, managing the family’s business.

Lynda specialises in bookkeeping for pharmacies located throughout Australia, utilising Xero for processing of transactions, payroll and reporting. She also provides training and ongoing support in Xero and with Xero add-on business applications such as Receipt Bank and Tanda, allowing for complete integration.

Professional Qualifications and Memberships

• Xero Adviser Certified

Outside the office Lynda’s interests include anything botanical, from landscape design, floristry, to greening up the office.  Lynda’s favourite TV show is Grand Designs and also enjoys watching home grown mini-series.  Lynda barracks for Carlton, followed closely by Essendon, and hopes for a draw when the two teams meet (to keep her family happy).

LILLIAN ELLIS

Bookkeeper
With over 15 years bookkeeping experience, Lillian utilises Xero for Transaction Processing, Reporting and Payroll.

Working predominately with Pharmacies and Telstra Stores located all around Australia, she provides ongoing support with Xero as well as add-on applications Tanda and Receipt Bank.

Professional Qualifications and Memberships

• Certificate IV in Accounting
• Xero Adviser Certified
• Xero Payroll Certified

When away from Suntax Lillian enjoys travelling the world, reading, going to the movies (Dirty Dancing is her favourite) and spending time with her family.  She supports the Western Bulldogs in the AFL.
 

NIKKI JOHNSTON 

Bookkeeper
Nikki has been with Suntax for four years and made the transition from our Administration team to the Bookkeeping Team.

She specialises in Pharmacies throughout Australia utlising Xero and has recently participated in and completed a Bookkeeping for Small Businesses Course.

Professional Qualifications and Memberships

• Xero Certified
• Xero Payroll Certified

Outside of work Nikki is a Netball Umpire, a keen Essendon Supporter and loves spending time with her family and her doggies (her "furchildren").       

KELLY BRIFFA 

Assistant Bookkeeper
Kelly has been assisting the bookkeeping team now for two years and has recently completed a Bookkeeping for Small Business Course.

Professional Qualifications and Memberships

• Xero Certified
• Xero Payroll Certified

Outside of Suntax Kelly enjoys spending time with her family whether it's going camping, bike riding or travelling.

MICHELLE WALLACE 

Bookkeeping Client Coordinator
Michelle brings 20 years of bookkeeping experience from a wind range of industries including hospitality, horticulture, building & construction, retail and beauty.

Xero is her preferred software but she also has extensive experience using MYOB and Quickbooks.

Michelle can help streamline your processes, become more familiar with your software and can provide phone support for those quick questions that crop up.  Or she can manage all of your bookkeeping requirements for you.

Professional Qualifications and Memberships

• BAS Agent
• Diploma in Accounting
• Xero Adviser Certified
• Xero Payroll Certified
• Member of AAT Australia

Outside the office Michelle loves new experiences and exploring urban, rural interstate and international destinations.  She follows women's basketball, enjoys a good book and time spent with great people.  

REBEKAH PRATT

ASIC Officer & Accounting Support
Rebekah specialises in the setup of new entities (Companies & Trusts), ABN/TFN/GST/PAYGW registrations and new business name registrations.

She is responsible for ASIC Compliance for all companies including Annual Reviews, Share Transfers, Director Changes, Deregistrations and general maintenance of organisation details. She liaises with ASIC and the ABR directly on behalf of our clients. 

Professional Qualifications and Memberships

• Diploma  (Accounting)
• Xero Certified

Outside of work Rebekah enjoys reading, camping and spending time with her husband and three sons.  She barracks for Collingwood in the AFL and the Green Bay Packers in the NFL. Her favourite movie is The Blind Side.
 

SUPPORT STAFF

	Carolyn Evans Client Services Officer	Shannon Buchan Executive Assistant & People & Culture Manager
	Lauren Gordon Administrator	Lovonne Priest Administrator
	Sarah O'Brien Executive Assistant	Janet Rogers Office Administrator
	Natascha Riley Accounting Support