Aly Bull's Olympic dreams

A little part of Sunshine Toyota is with Aly when she competes

Not many people can say that they are an Ironwoman, but 19 year old Alex Headlands girl Alyssa “Aly” Bull can! Aly’s winning combination of dedication and hard work has seen her enjoy many a success out on her surf ski and it was exciting to have a chat to Aly and talk about her career hopes for the future.

Like Aly, her car stands out from the crowd!

Sunshine Toyota is very proud of the support that they are able to give Aly. Her consistent hard work and positive attitude are some of the qualities that started us following her career. Being a local girl, Aly grew up on the beach. She has always loved the water and got into nippers and life saving at the Alex Surf Club at an early age. She has recently made the transition from surf to sprint kayaks in order to challenge for the Olympics a decision Aly recalls was not an easy one. It meant leaving her family and friends as well as her home town surf club and moving to the Gold Coast to train with the revered Australian Institute of Sport (AIS). She hasn’t completely left the surf club behind- thank goodness- Aly still competes in the Clubby Carnivals in the ski events, and certainly gets the biggest cheers from her hometown supporters!

Aly adheres to an intensive and strict workout regime that sees her up at the crack of dawn and on the water for her morning session; she then goes for a run before her afternoon session of gym and a paddle. Aly does an extra long cross training session on Saturday mornings as well as lots of core work and stretching AND she rides her bike to and from every training session. I’m exhausted just thinking about it! This might seem like a huge commitment, too much for some, but not for Aly as she is chasing her dream of a podium finish at the next Olympics. Go Aly!

Aly is so proud of her achievements and the dream that she is chasing, but when asked if there was anything she felt she missed out on because of her incredible sporting triumphs the answer was quite funny. The Big Boing in Birtinya is the one thing that came to mind! She explained that it looked like so much fun- and her friends love it- but it was too risky for her. It wasn’t worth the gamble of injuring herself. I guess when Olympic gold is at stake- a bounce in trampoline land is a small price to pay!

So far this year Aly has made the U23's National team again and has also qualified for her first Senior National team. Aly is heading overseas this month to compete in Portugal in the kayak world cup. Should she be successful she then will head to Germany for round 2. Aly has a busy few months ahead of her- the domestic season starts in December and the Olympic trials are in February. Until then Aly will continue her lifestyle of clean eating and heavy training- as well as rest days and recovery period. Aly says it’s a science and she trusts her coaches to advise her, saying that “if you train at your best, you race at your best.” We are behind you all the way Aly!

Aly Bull
 

Brett's Blog: "Wiggle Room"

Hi everyone! Well it’s been a while since my last post, Lots of fantastic deals and so many very happy customers here at Sunshine Toyota it’s been hard to get a chance to sit down to write my blog!!

Well it’s that time of the year when it seems everyone is out to buy a new car, and I read an interesting article in cars guide this month about dealer's ‘wiggle room’, so have a read below.

http://www.carsguide.com.au/car-advice/dealer-profit-margins-explained-32397#.VVqGrVWqpHw

 

Basically what the article says is today's new cars are being priced so sharply, there is very little “wiggle room”.

So what does that mean for you, the buyer?

Well firstly it means the price you see is going to be close to the price you pay, allowing you to decide the vehicles you would like to compare more easily.

Secondly it doesn’t mean someone who is a “good negotiator” gets a better deal than someone who is not.

Thirdly your buying decision becomes less pressured about a deal “today” you can make decisions as they feel right for you

And lastly it becomes all about the experience and the treatment you receive at dealerships, the “bad service” dealership cannot compete by “slashing’ a price so you buy from them.

So come down to Sunshine Toyota to see me or and the team to get the BEST experience of buying your new car, you definitely will not regret it.

By Brett Wardly

Sunshine Toyota's Employee of the Year says Aloha to Hawaii!

Around here the name Jon Bradley

Jon and his kids

is synonymous with a great sense of humour, a strong work ethic and being a super likeable guy. Jon also dominates when it comes to awesome feedback from his customers. They love him! With all this in mind, it came as no surprise to many when Jon was named Employee of the Year at our Christmas party last December. He really deserved it! As it has become a bit of a tradition here at Sunshine Toyota to treat the Employee of the Year to a trip for two, Jon was the lucky recipient of a TRIP TO HAWAII with his wife. Massive congratulations again to you Jon!

Kaelna State Park

Having recently returned to Australian soils, we sat down and had a chat about the beauty of Hawaii, I have never been but Jon told me to think movies like 50 First Dates and Jurassic Park as well as the TV show Lost. My head filled with images of relaxed island life set to the backdrop of dramatic cliffs, volcanos and dusty roads surrounded by sparkling turquoise water as I listened to Jon tell me about his favourite part of their trip...

They were feeling a bit lost and a bit like tourists when they came across a shrimp (prawns to us Aussies!) truck convention- Jon said it was awesome- all these old Bedford Trucks selling jumbo shrimp- in true Bubba Gump style! They got some food and got talking to some people and all ended up sharing their feasts. These new friends invited them for lunch the next day and then took them past the resorts and beaches to a beautiful secluded bay where they swam with turtles and were treated to a back catalogue of the history of the North Shore. Jon said that suddenly they felt tapped in- they had some local knowledge and no longer felt like tourists. He said that they have kept in touch with their new friends and are planning on visiting them again. Jon told me that for this reason, the beautiful Waialua Bay on the North Shore of O’ahu was his favourite part of Hawaii. Being “tapped in” as Jon calls it, I think, is the reason he is so damn good at his job- he really takes an interest in his customers, he genuinely cares about their stories and their needs. A very worthy recipient of the Employee of the Year award!

Jon getting into his Hula lesson! 

I fired 8 more questions at our reigning Employee of the Year and his answers are as follows…

1. Were you surprised when your name was called out as Employee of the Year or did you secretly think that you had it in the bag!?

Haha! You can always dream! It was a surprise!

2. How did your wife and kids react to the news?

Darren had called them during the day to let them know. They were all being extremely nice to me when I got home and I couldn’t work out what was going on!

3. Had you ever been, or thought about going, to Hawaii?

Ever since I could walk- always- it just never felt achievable. Ever since I was a kid I had cousins who toured professionally for surfing who would send me post cards from Hawaii, I had posters on my wall from Hawaii, I watched the Elvis movies, I had a surf shop where the whole focus of the surf business was Hawaii. I was going to get to Hawaii, but I just didn’t know how.

4. How would you describe Hawaii in 5 words to someone who has never been there?

Laid-back, Aloha, Welcome Home, Picture Postcard, Surf’s Up!

5. Apart from winning trips to Hawaii, what is your favourite part about working at Sunshine Toyota?

There is variety in each day. The highs and the lows- it’s never the same thing when you walk through the door.

6. Have you got a favourite or had a really memorable experience with a customer?

Hanauma Bay

I have heaps. I had a lovely lady who purchased a pink Yaris from me as a sign of her strength for defeating breast cancer. I’ve had mums who have survived car accidents who will only buy Toyotas for their family’s safety. I have had people buying cars for new jobs, their first cars, the last car before they die, a person’s 50^th Toyota, I’ve had cars that have been around the country 3 times, everyone’s got a story. I like to tap into everybody’s adventures.

7. What is your favourite car of all time?

I’ve always had a real soft spot for the Mustang convertible.

8. Fill in the blank:

I wish…I were drifting on the deep blue...in Hawaii right now.

By Georgie Lazarus

Winner walks away with a brand new boat!

Cheers! Mike & Calum enjoying their coffee break in the tinny

Are you the sort of person who always wins things? I’m not! I feel like the world is divided into 2 types of people… the winners and the non-winners! I know a man who has won the lottery…twice! He set his grandchildren up with deposits for their first homes with the first win and shouted himself a 6-month cruise with the second. Seriously. My friend’s mother has won the meat tray raffle so many times that it has become a family joke that she doesn’t go to the butcher anymore- she heads straight to the Yacht Club when the family needs meat! Me though, nothing! Never! I guess the old saying, you’ve got to be in it to win it rings true- but imagine if you had forgotten that you were in it, and then you got a phone call from SunshineToyota saying Congratulations! You are the proud new owner of a STACER 395 PROLINE tinny complete with trailer, 12 months boat and trailer rego, Smooth Water safety package, boat tie down, motor support and engine flushers: valued at $7,000! You would have to be pretty rapt with that!

This is me presenting Len with his brand new tinny package!

Enter Len Fox. Len and his wife bought a car from us in March during our “Win a Tinny” competition that we held in conjunction with North Coast Boating. Anyone who purchased a new or used vehicle during February and March went into the draw to win. Len said that he was so happy with his new Hilux that he had completely forgotten about filling in the entry form to win a boat. He was taken by surprise when our super salesman Jon rang him with the good news!

Len was chuffed when he came in to collect his prize; he loves the water and already has a boat. Len told me that he had decided to give his old boat to a 14-year-old kid that had been having a tough time lately. He said this kid had always wished for a boat and that this was the perfect opportunity to make his dream come true. Needless to say, I had goose bumps after hearing this! What an amazing “pay it forward” story! So congratulations Len! Enjoy the Hilux and enjoy the boat, and maybe think about buying a lottery ticket today as you are on a winning streak! 

By Georgie Lazarus

Len & Jake from North Coast Boating

Sunshine Toyota's Easter Egg Hunt- A GIANT Success!

Holy Easter Eggs Batman! Now we know what 7,500 chocolate eggs looks like- and just how quickly kids (and some grown ups!) can devour them! We (at Sunshine Toyota) held our first ever Easter egg hunt at the Alex Surf Club on Easter Saturday, 4^th of April 2015 and it was a GIANT success! We had our fingers and toes crossed for a sunny day in the lead up to the big event and were glued to BOM on the morning to schedule our hunts around the torrential rain that was apparently headed our way. We needn’t have worried as Mother Nature was on our side and saw to it that we were kept mostly dry and even let the sun come out for a while! The Weatherman must have felt a bit silly after predicting storms for the entire Easter long weekend. By 8am there were so many kids champing at the bit to get at the chocolate! It took all of the manpower of the 30 staff members, who came down to support, to hold them back!!! 

We had sectioned off 2 areas (thank you to Rapid Hire in Kunda Park for the bollard donation) for the “5-12 year olds” and the “under 5s” and gave each kid a bag for collecting (thank you to The Kiosk in Alex Heads for the bag donation). There was so much excitement in the air as Sunshine Toyota’s Dealer Principal Darren Venning started the countdown… 10…9…8… the kids started some good-natured jostling at the starting line to secure the best spot…7…6…5… their eyes zeroed in on the brightly coloured tin foil they could see in the trees… 4…3…2… We actually thought the kids were going to explode from excitement!!! As Darren yelled “1 Go Go Go!” there was squealing and laughing and kids tumbling over each other to fill their bags with chocolate. Some of the bigger kids were able to collect more eggs than the smaller ones and it was a very proud moment when those bigger kids climbed the Life Saver’s tower and threw their eggs down for the younger kids to collect. Such a great bunch of kids! I think they all enjoyed the visit from the Easter Bunny too (thank you Tammy!).

With heaving bags of chocolate the happy children headed over to choose their free balloon creation and to get their face painted (thank you Twisted Mr for being such a wonderful part of the day) and to collect some goodies from the Sea FM Cruiser (thanks Sea FM).

We did another 2 hunts, with different kids joining us as the morning went on. Some came dressed up as Easter Bunnies and others came straight from the ocean. My award for Man of the Match definitely goes to the smartest little 4 year old in town- who figured out that Darren was hiding eggs outside of the designated area and just followed him around! Every egg Darren hid, this little guy popped in his bag, what a genius! The look on Darren’s face when he turned around and couldn’t see any of the eggs was priceless!

The team at Sunshine Toyota feel strongly about supporting and strengthening the community. It was such a pleasure to put on this event for the local kids- their faces on the day were so rewarding. We are definitely going to make this an annual event and next year will be bigger and better! Thank you so much to everyone who came down to help make the event such a huge success and a special thank you to Marty and Ash at The Alex Surf Club. See you next year!