Diprose Miller Associate, Anthony Gray is recognised by CAANZ for 25 years of service to the industry.
He may be tallying numbers up each day, but there is one number Diprose Miller Associate Anthony Gray can’t seem to keep track of. He has just received recognition from Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand (CAANZ) for 25 years of service to the accounting industry.
“This came as somewhat of a surprise,” says Anthony.” I don’t know where the years have gone.”
It may seem like a line from a movie –and it may well be. If anyone knows, it’d be Anthony. Because it’s not just his services to the accounting industry he’s known for, many of the Te Aroha community will have seen Anthony take to the stage as part of the local amateur dramatic society.
Born and raised on a Hawkes Bay vineyard, accountancy wasn’t Anthony’s first career. Instead, he pursued a degree in Industrial Technology from Massey University. That was no hindrance to embarking on an accounting career – Anthony joined Diprose Miller in 1988 when the firm was then known as Candy Diprose & Partners – but it did mean he had to do the hard yards to begin with.
“When I joined Candy Diprose & Partners I started in the ‘back room’ preparing client’s financial statements,” recalls Anthony.
His natural aptitude for accountancy was evident and Anthony was soon appointed as manager of the company’s GST division. “GST had only recently been introduced at the time, so I quickly became the office expert in this new and challenging tax regime.”
It was around this time that Anthony decided to study for his accounting qualifications. Working full-time, he spent the next three years completing his National Diploma in Accountancy through the Open Polytechnic, but balancing sheets, writing assignments and sitting exams were child’s play compared to his other challenge at the time.
“Those three years were when my wife, Lynmarie and I had our young family, so it was a pretty hectic time,” he says.
With an official accounting qualification under his belt, Anthony was ready for the next challenge. He handed over the management of the company’s GST division and began to look after clients.
The ‘90s were a particularly busy decade for Anthony. In 1993, he qualified as a Chartered Account and four years later obtained his Certificate of Public Practice, the same year he became a partner of Diprose Miller, along with Dean Sweeney.
Five facts about Anthony
Serving the community is important to Anthony. He and Lynmarie have lived in Te Aroha for 30 years and greatly enjoy the small-town lifestyle.
- Anthony enjoys playing guitar and is currently learning the piano, although he says it is not such an easy skill to pick up when you’re older!
- He founded the Diprose Miller staff newsletter The Abacus and publishes an edition quarterly.
- Anthony has been closely involved with the local theatre group for a number of years and has been an actor, director, stage hand, sound manager and Committee member.
- He is a life member of the local RSA, for whom he provides financial and accounting advice, and has served with the local Lions club for 25 years.
- Anthony is a keen motorcyclist. He and Lynmarie have travelled around New Zealand together on two wheels.