Cezaltino joined the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) scheme to create opportunities for his younger brothers in Timor-Leste and his pursuit of excellence is paying off for him, his fellow workers and his family.
Cezaltino, who hails from the town of Aileu in the highlands southwest of the capital Dili, is the eldest of 4 brothers and joined the PALM scheme in 2018 as a seasonal worker.
Over the past 4 years he has worked in horticulture, picking and packing strawberries, broccoli and melons in Western Australia and the Northern Territory.
Most recently, Cezaltino has been working in the aquaculture industry for Humpty Doo Barramundi south-east of Darwin.
His role in the dispatch team sees him handling orders and working with customers from across Australia and south east Asia.
Throughout his time in Australia, Cezaltino has provided support to his brothers to further their education.
He is proud to see how they have studied to build careers of their own, with one working for a bank and another as an architect for the Timorese government.
“The first time when I was selected to join with the seasonal workers, I had one goal - to invest in education for my brothers. I know with my parents, they can’t afford to spend a lot of money for my brothers’ education. It’s really expensive,” Cezaltino said.
Key role as team leader mentoring other workers
But it is not just his own family that Cezaltino has provided care for in Australia.
He was selected as a team leader by the Timorese government before arriving in Australia and has played a key role in mentoring and pastoral care with dozens of PALM scheme workers from different countries.
Cezaltino says open communication and good understanding are the keys to being a good leader and he seeks to find the best solutions for all parties.
“It’s hard to make everyone happy, but I think about how I can find a good solution for everyone. You communicate with everyone,” he said.
'I try to be the best I can be'
Cezaltino has gone to great lengths to extend his own education, studying leadership and public speaking and looking for other opportunities to study.
He has a good reputation as a hard worker and dedicates himself to excellence in all tasks he undertakes, whether it be picking fruit and vegetables or learning to be better at customer service.
“When you’re an expert at the small things, it’s easier for you to move to another level. If you can’t do the small things, how can they move you? I try to be the best I can be,” he said.
“When I go home [from work], I try to find out how to deal with customers the best way and I try to find articles and sources and I go to the bookstore to find another book that can help me.”
Now that he has provided for his brothers, Cezaltino hopes he can pursue some of his own goals. He hopes to take on more formal study and plans to start a business in his hometown, running an indoor sports facility.
“In my district, we’ve never had something like that. Young people are interested in sports and every month they celebrate sports events, but they don't have any good sports buildings for them. So, I think I might try to do something for them,” he said.