Ever since I was a kid, all I ever wanted to do was be a builder. When I was fifteen I left high school to be an apprentice carpenter. I worked on extensions, renovations and some new homes in Cooma and around the Snowy Mountains.

The first couple of Bellevarde projects I worked on were at Lake Crackenback and Riverside Cabins at Thredbo in the late 80s and early 90s. Around 1996, I built a number of projects in Thredbo including Holmwood and Sastrugi Lodge. They were followed by several lodges in Perisher. I learnt a lot from Steve O’Ryan during those initial years. In 2000, John asked me to move up to the Central Coast where I built a beautiful house in Killcare for Chris and Lee Casey. After that I built three large residential projects in Palm Beach.

Having gained a lot of experience working for Bellevarde, I decided to branch out and run my own business for a few years. I thought, if I don’t give it a go and see if I can do it myself, I’ll never know. We built some excellent homes, but I ended up coming back and working for Bellevarde in 2019. The experience I gained running my own projects and business meant I had more to offer this time around.

The very best thing about working at Bellevarde is the way it’s structured and managed. John says ‘Find good people and let them do their job’ and in my experience that’s not just empty words, it’s how he lives. I’ve been given the freedom to do my job as best I can—with support and expert guidance from John. He’s always there when I need some advice, a suggestion, or just someone to talk to but he never comes in and tells me what to do. He trusts people to deliver, which is the main thing.

A close second is the projects we get to do. We work with the best architects and most trusting owners in Australia. There’s a great reward in bringing a piece of sculpture, a piece of artwork to life. You get to orchestrate the big and small details, to see someone’s vision from inception to completion. My interest has always been drawn towards the difficult, the challenging, the unusual, the creative, and the artistic. In that sense, Bellevarde is a very satisfying place to be because that’s what we do best.

Since stepping into my current role as Construction Manager, I have also invested more of my time towards mentoring the younger guys to ensure the strength of our people into the future.