From Geraldton to jewel in Canberra’s crown

Geraldton jewellery designer Mark Cox had an unusual phone call.

“American Express approached me as part of a promotion for small business to showcase my jewellery at Parliament House in Canberra,” he said.

“At first I thought it seemed quite dodgy – they were going to send a courier to pick it up so they could store it in a basement at Parliament House.

“Alarm bells rang for me, I thought ‘this is really strange, I would be lucky to take on one American Express transaction a year’.”

The “dodgy” call turned out to be legitimate though, and the company is going to be flying Mr Cox to Canberra in October as part of its inaugural “Shop Small Parliamentary Showcase” for regional businesses.

Mr Cox said the well-known credit card and money transfer company had applied the concept for some years in the United States.