I started boating at age 12, because it was the first license I was legally allowed to have. Taking off for the day gave me a sense of freedom and adventure that I’d never had before. Little did I know it would progress into a life on the water.

At age 15 I left school and starting working at a local trailer boat shop in Ryde as an apprentice mechanic, and from there I moved to Sydney Harbour, to work on bigger boats. When I started working on the Harbour, I was recruited by a small mechanical workshop who hired me on the condition that I would work every second weekend at a popular boat club. The workshop had the contract to repair their boats during the week, and they needed a deckhand with boating experience to fuel up, prepare and liaise with customers on the weekends. As my knowledge and experience grew, so did my ambition. My job working weekends for the boat club paid off in dividends – as they had a fleet from 28-44ft boats so I’d mastered how to drive every kind of powerboat. I was already a qualified Marine Mechanic at age 19 – I knew I wanted to do more, but I couldn’t pinpoint what. It wasn’t until years later I met an acquaintance and he suggested I find him a boat. He then needed to learn how to drive it. This is when BoatBuy was born. I figured I would provide a follow up service to my inspections – boat lessons. I further researched my competition and found that there were surveyors and mechanics – operating as separate services, but it was rare to find someone dual qualified in both. I enrolled in a Diploma of Marine Surveying – and sure enough, I was then capable and qualified to do both.

My aim is to provide real value for customers. I have been so passionate about the water and boating from a young age – I want others to be able to enjoy it too. I was fortunate enough to have good teachers and guidance along the way – so my aim is to give that back. I will never forget being trusted at the helm of a 44ft sports cruiser at age 17 – and the overwhelming feelings that go with it. No matter what age – having a mentor by my side with a calm and cool demeaner whilst learning built my confidence up bit by bit, until I was capable on my own.