My Past Careers & Businesses

After two whirlwind decades, I finally retired as a Multi-Installer Specialist in the Service and Trade industry. Twenty years! It’s funny; when I think back to where it all began, it feels like a lifetime ago, almost like flicking through an old photo album where half the pictures are faded. My very first job? A low-paid labourer slaving away at general tasks. Nothing glamorous, just sweat, grit and the occasional splinter. But that’s where I got my first taste of the construction world. It’s chaos but possibilities.

From there I clawed my way up, bit by bit, like climbing a cliff without a harness. No skills, no fancy qualifications, just a gnawing curiosity and bosses who threw me in at the deep end.

Aluminium windows and doors came first, teaching me the beauty of precision. Then came epoxy resin flooring, which was all about patience and timing like dancing on a smooth, shiny stage. Later I dabbled in hygienic and medical product installations and then locksmithing, which felt a bit like becoming a professional puzzle solver. Each role shaped me, adding another tool to my metaphorical (and literal) toolbox.

By the time I had the nerve (and maybe just enough confidence) to strike out on my own, I’d absorbed years of lessons from mentors – some patience, some not so much. I launched a series of thriving one-man ventures/businesses, each a little crazier than the last. Aluminium Doors & Windows, yes, but also quirky Self-Closing Doors & Gates, tailor-made for parents with children and swimming pools. Because security doesn’t have to be boring, does it? Oh, and Fencing & Gates. Always fencing. A Kiwi with a toolkit, standing in someone’s backyard, dreaming up ways to keep the world out (or in).

November 2020 brought a big change, really. I returned to New Zealand, my tools still warm from two decades of relentless use. It was time to hang them up, time to close that chapter with a firm thud. No regrets, just a bittersweet ache.

And now? Now I’m here. Sharing what I know or think I know through this website.

Tips, tricks, secrets, and half-baked ideas, are all up for grabs. It’s a strange feeling, stepping into the role of “giver” after years of “doing.” But I’m leaning into it. There’s also a deep pull (like the tide) to give back to the community in ways that excite me.

Oh, and a few exciting projects brewing in the background (you’ll hear about them soon).

It’s not all linear, not all neatly packaged. But life rarely is, aye?