Hi. I’m Brett Smith

Tell us a bit about yourself and your estate
​I am passionate about the outdoors, and whenever I get the chance, I surf, hike, or run. I was born and bred in the Upper Highway and have watched the area develop over the last 40-something years. I don’t like the limelight and prefer to work behind the scenes to get things done. Emberton is a little village; you don’t really need to leave, and everything is on your doorstep: Ray’s Kitchen, our laundry service, and pools. I like that it’s a community.

How did you end up being the estate manager at Emberton Estate?
I spent some time working in the bush in Zululand and the Kruger, and gravitated towards Facilities Management. I gained experience in the Education sector and progressed to managing numerous schools within the group across the country. I wanted to expand on this and, after a brief induction to estate living at Zululami, I was offered a position at Emberton as the Estate Manager. I had no idea what I was signing up for, but I am loving it.

What do you love most about your job?
Like Liquorice Allsorts: the variety. An Estate Manager wakes up with a plan, but you walk into work and have to adapt immediately, and it breaks the feeling of a 9–5 fishbowl job. I would never handle a monotonous job. The variety of what an Estate Manager actually deals with makes the position ideally suited to me.

What challenges do you face as an estate manager?
Emberton has over 600 homes; you try to have 600 bosses! But on a serious note, I am service-driven, so I am trying to help our residents as best I can. And the challenges, rules are rules, and sometimes we have to be the mean guy. This isn’t always pleasant, but a necessary part of the job for the greater good.

What makes Emberton Estate special to you?
Our residents, they are a pretty special bunch. Getting to know them on a personal level makes this place pretty amazing. I don’t manage properties; I manage personalities, and some of the characters really make it unique.