Neale Sutton casts his mind back to 1999 when, as a Military Observer for the United Nations, he witnessed thousands of West Timorese refugees streaming into East Timor.
In their eyes he read the physical and emotional toll arising from the dreadful conditions they had long endured. At the same time, he saw hope for a better, safer life across the border in a newly independent state.
But it was what he saw next that would prove cathartic.
"About 3500 people a day were coming back, transported in columns of open trucks across a border that was just a Bailey bridge and a customs hut," recalled Neale during an interview after being named Southern Cross University's Alumnus of the Year in 2019.
"It was a poorly established site and when it started to rain, the refugees were suddenly freezing and there was nowhere for them to go for shelter. Many went down with exposure.
"I just thought there has to be a better way; a more dignified way."
That better, more dignified way is the essence of Humanihut Australia , established by Neale in 2013 and now a global success thanks to a brilliantly conceived emergency shelter and infrastructure system that is rapidly deployable, durable and adaptable for needs including humanitarian/emergency relief and military/industrial applications.
Such is Humanihut's reputation that in October 2023 Neale signed a $14.2 million contract with Australia's National Emergency Management Agency ( NEMA ) to supply base camps – complete with power, water, temperature control and wastewater infrastructure – to the National Emergency Management Stockpile, a bank of resources able to deliver safe emergency shelter, power and water to communities and regions hit by disasters.
It was a milestone moment in a milestone year for Neale, one that also saw Humanihut receive the prestigious BDO Fast Movers program award, acknowledging a seven-fold revenue increase in the preceding three years, along with employee growth from 10 to more than 80.
Southern Cross University has also played its part in the Humanihut story.
"While I was in the Army, Southern Cross University provided out-of-university Bachelor and Masters opportunities for serving personnel," says Neale. "I was partway through a business degree when I was deployed, so I had to put it off.
"Even so, I was always eager to resume study and when I did, because of my experience, I was able to go straight into an MBA."
Neale graduated with a Master of Professional Management in 2005, having completed his entire MBA online while based overseas. All these years later, he still takes guidance from his MBA.
"Starting out, I recognised its value immediately," he says. "There was an international marketing element that was guiding me in business even then. I have also kept all my reference books and refer to them still."
Post-graduation, world events restored the Humanihut concept to the forefront of Neale's mind.
"By 2013-14, another humanitarian crisis was happening as tens of thousands of refugees of the Syrian War were crossing into Jordan and Lebanon and being housed in tents that were simply not up to the task," he says.
"Living conditions for the refugees were parlous and there was a need for change. The tent had to go."
After briefings with Red Cross, UNHCR and others in the field, Neale gained agreement on Humanihut's concept for a superior emergency accommodation solution providing much improved comfort, hygiene and dignity for the displaced.
"People living in refugee settlements can be there for many years," he continues. "Tents do not come close to lasting that long and the cost of replacing them is high and constant. Humanihut came along at the right time and its success is reflected in our continued expansion."
Based in South Australia, Humanihut now offers products across four main divisions – humanitarian, emergency management, defence, and mining and construction – and has fulfilled commercial contracts in Europe, Africa, Asia and Australia.
For example, during South Australia's 2020 bushfire crisis, Humanihut set up infrastructure on Kangaroo Island for use by the State Emergency Service. Two years later, the company deployed a base camp solution for the NSW Rural Fire Service to house 200 emergency response personnel in the flood-affected region of Deniliquin. Also in 2022, Humanihut contributed resources to the emergency relief strategy after the Northern Rivers floods.
"When a crisis erupts, I can go in with authority and provide a bureaucrat with a plan," he says. "I can talk about delivering that plan and taking that problem away from them. When you can do that, and demonstrate it, confidence grows because people know they can trust you.
"Further to that, we are constantly improving our infrastructure based on the feedback from people who have been using Humanihut systems in recovery and disaster zones in the past 10 years."
As a soldier and in business, the ability to observe, listen and adapt can never be understated. Those same qualities were affirmed during Neale's time with Southern Cross University.
"The skills I developed completing my Masters at Southern Cross continue to provide the framework I apply to my professional endeavours," he says.
