Where you born in Cowra?

No, I was born in Port Macquarie.

When did you move to Cowra?

When I was about four months old.

So' you've been here practically your whole life?

Most of it but we did a lot of moving around when I was little with dad's work with Woolies, Coles and Bi-Lo. Most of my primary school and then high school was in Cowra.

Was working with your parents your first job out of school?

No, my first official job was weeding grandma's garden. I got paid but it took me a long time to earn enough money for my first pocket knife from Pengilly's store. My first official paid job was in fruit and vege at Woolies.

So what was the journey from there to Phill's Paint and Blinds?

When I moved out of home I went to Coleambaly as a trainee horticulturalist which didn't work out but I ended up in Griffith back working for Woolies in fruit and vege. From there I went to Donaldson's Mitre 10 and was there for nearly eight years. I then had a short stop in Leeton at a Thriftylink on my way home. I also did cheffing and tried to torch myself. I ended up doing farm hand work, did a bit of work for Mitre 10 here and when it became Bunnings became paint section manager. Dad was doing blind and awnings and the Haymes contract came up for grabs and he said 'I can't do it all, you need to come work for me". And this is my 10^th year, which is the longest I've been in one job.

They must be good people to work for?

I've worked for worse. We're on the same page, that's why it works here. I couldn't replace dad in a pink fit. I let him do that (blinds and awnings) and I do this (paint).

You must enjoy the work?

The house paint gets a bit dull after doing it on and off for 25 years but I like the automotive paints, because I've got an old Kingswood. Helping people with what they want, I think, is the thing.

What do you do outside of work to relax?

I like to hunt, fish and camp and I'm also in the Cowra Antique Vehicle Club

What sort of car do you have?

A HJ Kingswood Ute. It was made the year before I was born in '76. It goes better than I do.

What's your ideal car?

A LJ GTR Torana, I'd love one of those. They're just a little ball of muscle. They go like a rocket. You feel everything, they're just a fun thing to drive. They're real iconic. You won't get one of those now. I should have got something years ago. My Kingswood, I paid $4.500 for it nearly 14 years ago. It would crack anything up to $50,000 at auction now. If you sell what you've got you have to replace it in an inflated market, so I'll just stick with my Kingswood, I love driving it, they just float down the road, you've got to drive it.