When Cameron Norbury finished school back in 2014, he wasn’t quite sure what was supposed to happen next.
Like many eighteen-year-olds, he stumbled into adulthood with limited clarity on where he was going and what he’d be doing in a year’s time (let alone ten).
Cameron did know one thing: he was an explorer. He’d caught the travel bug on a school service trip to Fiji when he was fourteen years old and knew that there was still plenty of time and space for adventure.
So, adventure he did. Over the course of his global trot, he decided – eventually – that all roads do, in fact, lead to Walcha. He returned home and started working for his dad, Peter Norbury, who Cameron affectionately refers to as “Pete”.
Peter Norbury Motors has overlooked Walcha for decades. One of the few major local businesses to occupy the western side of town, its iconic red bolded text is hard to miss. Everybody in the area knows the place almost by instinct.
“I started out detailing cars here,” Cameron tells me.
“I did that for six months and they said, ‘do you want to have a crack in the office?’ I thought ‘yeah, that sounds pretty good,’ and I got into it and fell in love with the job.”
In the decade since Cameron first started working at the dealership, his responsibilities have grown significantly. He now manages the business full-time and has introduced a number of initiatives and tweaks to the business model in order to ensure that Peter Norbury Motors remains cutting-edge.
“This is my tenth year doing it… the first couple of years is what you really need to try and absorb how you do this job. After (that) you sort of get a bit more comfortable with people, you start trying your own things.”
The efficiency of the dealership is due, in large part, to Peter. Cameron tells me that his father’s wealth of experience gave him a strong foundation upon which to continue building a successful family business.
Peter has been in the car-dealing business for decades now. Before he opened up his award-winning dealership, he had sold cars in Sydney and Newcastle, before eventually finding his way to Mountain Motors, the other major dealership in Walcha.
“Pete’s had forty-five years of experience so he’s tried every scenario. He knows what does and doesn’t work and he pumps that into all the salesmen that he’s hired.”
Cameron’s love for the job shines through in his genuine passion for communication – to sit down, get to know people, and make sure that they’re taken care of. He wasn’t always so talkative.
“Pete always thought that I was too shy, too quiet to do this sort of job. But I think because I (chose) this job, it’s brought me out of my shell quite a lot.”
Cameron tells me that his love for fostering connections is a trait that he shares with his father.
“It’s not really about the cars for Pete or myself,” he says.
“It’s the people you get to meet… hearing their stories is what you love doing.”
According to the results of New England Times Best in the New England promotion, those stories are overwhelmingly positive.
It’s no wonder why – Cameron goes the extra mile to source vehicles for his customers in the most literal sense possible.
“If there’s a car that is 2000km away and it’s cheaper than a lot of the cars around here, a lot of the time it’s cheaper for me to go and buy the car, jump on a plane and drive it back.”
“I’ve been to Alice Springs, Melbourne, Tasmania, we buy a lot of cars out of Sydney and Newcastle. It takes me a lot of places.”
When asked what the defining factor is that sets his business apart from the dozens of other car dealers in the New England, Cameron had this to say:
“It goes back to Dad’s training. I think a big part of it is getting back to people and answering their phone calls. Every time someone rings you, they’re willing to spend money, they’re willing to help you out.”
“We give everyone the same equal opportunity regardless of what their financial status is. Trying to treat everyone equally is a huge part of what we do. Staying in touch and helping customers regardless of whatever situation they’re in…I think is a really big part of it.”
So, if you’re in need of a vehicle and aren’t sure how to source it, do yourself a favour and call up Cameron Norbury. He’ll be more than happy to help.
Peter Norbury Motors was voted by New England Times readers as the Best Car Dealer in the New England 2024.
See the other winners and more details about this promotion.