Associate Julie Lamberg-Burnet has recently returned from the US where she was trained and certified as a Corporate Etiquette and International Protocol Consultant by The Protocol School of Washington. 

Held over four days at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Virginia, Washington DC, the training covered business etiquette and protocol as well as cultural awareness in international business.  

Julie will be working with Australian Butlers in presenting corporate programs on Business Etiquette and Customer Service.

We took the opportunity during one weekend of the March Residential Butler Training course to shoot new images for the website.  

The brief to our very patient photographer, Frank Lindner, was to capture moments which would express Australian Butlers company image: contemporary, professional, Australian and fun.

We would like to thank the following people and businesses for their time and involvement:

Frank Lindner, Geoffrey Iredale, Elizabeth Camille, Julie Lamberg-Burnet, John Mc Master, Margie Lindsay-Field, Dean Gardiner, Janelle Toomey, Bank St Pizza, Fowles Wines.

Just to whet your appetite, pictured right, illustrious past graduates of the Australian Butler School in less than formal pose.  From top to bottom:  John, Elizabeth and Geoff.

Contributed by Geoffrey Iredale

Recently I was fortunate enough to be invited to a Penfolds dinner held by Peter Gago when the topic of decanting all wine and champagne arose. 

Should we only decant mature red wine or should we try decanting white wine and even champagne?  This is not a new subject.  In fact, Mr Riedel has been decanting Champagne for a couple of years and he has designed decanter specifically for the purpose for Piper-Heidsieck Champagne house (pictured right).

We decant wine to help open the weave of the wine releasing subtle aromas not always apparent in the first glass poured.  Decanting can help tame the most aggressive fizz and soften the mousse of young Champagne.  Heresy, you cry, but interestingly Charles Heidsieck also advocates serving Champagne in white wine glasses instead of the more traditional slender flute.  The aromas in the wine glass are much richer in large part because you can actually stick your nose in a wine glass.  Our sense of taste is derived not only from the mouth but the nose -  90% of what we call taste is really from our sense of smell.   The shape of the glass also impacts where the wine hits your mouth.  Drinking from a flute, the wine hits the tip of the tongue whereas with the white wine glass the wine hits behind the tip of the tongue causing it to flow more evenly over the palate allowing the taste buds to draw more flavour from the wine. 

So it seems to make sense to serve Champagne from wine glasses will you throw out your champagne flutes and start serving your Champagne in white wine glasses?  Are you also willing to try and decant the next bottle of Champagne you open? Try it and savour the difference!

Congratulations to the recent graduates of the March Residential Butler School.

Pictured from L-R: Michelle Aremka, Liberty Censon, Joshua Ferguson, Richard McCallion

Highlights of the course included visits to two very different private residences.  The Australian Butler School would like to thank the Principals for this unique opportunity to glimpse the life of a working butler.

The School would also like to thank in particular Adrienne, John and Adam for contributing their time and knowledge.  As working butlers, all in very different circumstances, the students gained an invaluable perspective into the breadth and diversity of the role.  The Australian Butler School truly appreciates the support of past graduates and acknowledges their passion and dedication to the profession.

This course saw the introduction of a new assessment activity synthesizing many of the skills taught throughout the course.  The students were asked to organise a formal dinner for twelve guests from designing the invitation, arranging the seating plan, through to planning the menu, cooking and serving at the event.  A wonderful evening was enjoyed by all the guests who were duly impressed by the high standards of communication, etiquette, food and service.  Congratulations to the class of March 2012.

Developing closer relations with Sri Lanka, Pamela Spruce, together with our representative in Colombo, Faraz Shauketaly, participated in the Austrade Education Showcase and Alumni Awards held at the Taj Samudra Hotel in Colombo last Saturday. 

The event was supported by the Australian Trade Commissioner for South East Asia, Mr Tom Calder, the Acting High Commissioner for Sri Lanka Ms Sonya Koppe, and the Counsellor for Education AEI, Mr Peter Nolan.

Attending were a representation of Universities, TAFEs and Registered Training Organisations from around Australia.   The Showcase was well attended during the day with potential students wishing to study in a variety of disciplines, including hospitality, mainly in Australia but also in Colombo.

The growing tourism industry and increase in wealthier individuals is driving a demand for butlers in both resorts and private homes and we are already interviewing for residential butlers in Colombo.

Pictured left to right at the Showcase in Colombo are:

Tom Calder, Australian Trade Commissioner South East Asia; Pamela Spruce, CEO Australian Butlers Pty Ltd;         Dr Peter Nolan, Australian Trade Commission Education Counsellor South East Asia.

My father collects antique silver, well, antique everything.  I was privileged to grow up in a house where we dined and still dine using antique silver flatware.  And yes, it does all go in the dishwasher but dishwashers and dishwashing detergents have evolved significantly in the last 20 years.  Dishwashers with a cutlery tray where each utensil can be separated from its neighbour are far superior to the old style of one-in-all-in cutlery baskets.  However, whether to clean or not to clean using the dishwasher is a long discussion for another post and ultimately a decision for the principal.

In the effort to obliterate stainless steel from the dining table, or even any utensils pre-1850, this fish slice, made in London in 1837, is now the perfect serving utensil for any pavlova made by visiting Antipodeans!

Every butler should know how to polish and store silver and indeed be able to identify some of the more esoteric flatware which might be lurking in the silver cupboard just waiting for a new lease on life.  So I challenge you to broaden your knowledge and identify the items pictured right and guess how they might possibly be put to effective use today!  

Preparations are well underway for the next Residential Butler Training Course to be held in the country town of Avenel just over an hour north of Melbourne.  Avenel is located in the Strathbogie Ranges, an area of great natural beauty surrounded by vineyards and boutique wineries.  

"Harvest Home" provides both the venue for the training and accommodation for the participants.  Built in the 1870s, this magnificent historic building has many original features all of which will come under the eagle eye of the future butlers as they dust, polish and vacuum to the highest standards!  And that is just part of the housekeeping practical.  Full details of the course can be found by clicking on the website tab The Training / Residential Butler Training.

Course dates are Monday 05 March to Friday 30 March 2012.  The course is intense, challenging, thorough but fun!  Learn the skills of a contemporary butler and the tools to work as an effective team member as you study alongside your fellow students in individual and group activities.  Living, cooking and learning together, professional friendships will be forged that last a lifetime.

If you are interested in enrolling, you need to be quick. Please call or email with any queries or just to find out what the course is all about.  Nothing ventured, nothing gained and there is no such thing as a 'silly question'.

   Above:  The Strathbogie Ranges                                Right:  The Goulburn River at Chateau Tahbilk        Which famous Australian is associated with Avenel?

Les Watson and Georgie Owens recently completed a busy two week training course for the six Senior Executive Butlers at the Star.  The program was designed to validate current working practices, identify areas for improvements, build new SOPs and provide the group with the tools to pass training knowledge and skills to their individual teams.

Congratulations to the six graduates who participated enthusiastically throughout the course whilst still managing their own demanding schedules.  The Senior Executive team has a huge task of them with the opening of further luxury suites and salons and we wish them every success in reaching their goal “to provide the best customer service in the world”.

Australia and Australians are widely recognised for punching above their weight and the Australian Butler School is no exception with graduates working in luxury private residences, aboard super yachts and in embassies and royal palaces around the world.

The School welcomes students of all nationalities who meet the application criteria and will ensure that the time they spend in Australia is rewarding for both their professional and personal lives.

The Statement of Attainment awarded to successful participants can be a passport to the universe as evidenced by this photograph recently sent to us by a past graduate.

The typical image that springs to mind as soon as the word ‘butler’ is mentioned is the archtypical English manservant of the 19th century – white haired, slightly stooped, dripping nose, attired in a shabby black tailcoat and white gloves proffering a drink on a silver salver or heaving open a solid oak front door. Not so his modern Australian equivalent who may indeed be a ‘her’.   Whilst some may quip that “Australian Butler” is an oxymoron, the truth is that Australian butlers are much sought after internationally for their no-nonsense, can-do, common sense approach. 

“Other duties as required” means digging out the cracked water pipe, delivering a lamb, cleaning the dog’s teeth … and Aussie butlers take up the challenge, no complaints!